This year’s Baltic Museology School invites us to discuss the boundaries and responsibilities of museums
The 19th Baltic Museology School (BMS) began in Daugavpils (Latvia) yesterday. This year’s topic is “Museum Boundaries, Museum Responsibilities”.
The week-long BMS trainings begin with a conference, “Boundaries and Responsibilities of Museums in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania”, in which presentations are made by this year’s lecturers, Dr. François Mairesse and Dr. Bruno Brulon Soares.
Dr. François Mairesse presents the recently-published edition of the Dictionary of Museology from ICOFOM (the International Committee for Museology of the International Council of Museums), which analyses and contextualises the concepts used in the professional environments of a contemporary museum. The publication describes the theoretically and practically complex conditions in which museums and museum-related institutions and initiatives operate today. Dr. Bruno Brulon Soares presents the new definition of the museum recently accepted by the international museum community and the theoretical and practical conclusions that have emerged in the process of developing the definition.
Jelena Tšekulajeva, Head of Exhibitions and Collections at the Estonian Health Museum, presents two recently-launched health promotion projects implemented by the museum in cooperation with families and health organisations.
Baiba Roze, Museum Educator at Eduards Veidenbaums Museum “Kalāči” (Latvia), shares the experience of the project “More Light!”, showing how a small village museum can positively influence the lives of local youth and the wider community by changing the museum’s mission, topics and permanent exhibition, thanks to international and professional support in different fields. The museum was honoured by its professional community in 2022 with the annually-awarded prize of the Latvian Museums Association.
Milda Samulionytė-Zikarienė, Chief Curator of the National Museum – Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, discusses the museum’s responsibilities and compromises when working with the National Museum’s Archaeological Collection.
Marju Reismaa and Vaiva Lankelienė, representatives of the Ministry of Culture of Estonia and of Lithuania (respectively), present changes in Estonian and Lithuanian legislation regulating the museum sector and museum activities.
Inita Paegle, Head of the Communication and Marketing Department of the Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre, discusses the activities and development prospects of the Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre.
The Baltic Museology School, which started in 2004, is an ongoing, annual project for international cooperation, to improve the skills of Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian museum professionals. BMS is held each year in a different country. In 2004–2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019, it was held in Latvia. In 2008, 2011, 2014, 2017, and 2020, it was held in Estonia. In 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, and 2022, it was held in Lithuania.
Photograph courtesy of Santa Suchanova
Last updated: 03-10-2023