On 1-7 September 2019, Kyoto will be the city to receive some 3,000 participants to the ICOM General Conference. A flood of discussions and exchange of ideas on museum-related issues will sweep the city during the week. 

ICOM Kyoto 2019 General Conference aims to provide a forum for considering how museums look towards the future whilst respecting the traditions of the past. By creating new functions as cultural hubs, it must be possible to create a richer future – as museums make use of traditional culture, with the theme- “Museums as Cultural Hubs: the Future of Tradition”.

We hope that Kyoto 2019 will be an opportunity to bring participants together from any discipline across the museum and culture sector from all over the world, whether they be academic or professional to come together to discuss topics and case studies relating to the themes.

View the Calls for Papers on the conference website

ICOMOS General Assembly 2020 – Sydney, Australia

Deadline: 15 February 2019

Expressions of interest are invited for the volunteer position of the International Co-Chair of the Scientific Symposium to be held between 5 and 9 October 2020 as part of the 20th Triennial General Assembly of ICOMOS in Sydney, Australia (GA 2020).

The GA 2020 Scientific Symposium will be overseen by two Co-chairs; one appointed by Australia ICOMOS, Steve Brown, and the other appointed by ICOMOS international. These positions are voluntary and the Co-Chairs are expected to attend the General Assembly and Scientific Symposium in person at own cost (registration, travel, accommodation, etc.). If eligible, financial support for attendance can be sought, for example through the ICOMOS General Assembly Travel Grants programme (but is not guaranteed).

It is intended that the Co-Chairs will be assisted by a small supporting sub-committee, also volunteers, half of which will also be selected following an international ‘Expression of Interest’ process in the first half of 2019.

The theme of GA 2020 Scientific Symposium is ‘shared cultures – shared heritage – shared responsibility’. Within the framework of this overall theme, a range of sessions will be offered covering different subjects, in a variety of formats and of varying lengths. Some sessions may be traditional ‘conference-style’ presentations whereas others may be less formal workshops or facilitated discussions. Building on previous ICOMOS events and responding to the interests of GA 2020 project partners, some sessions – such as the ICOMOS / IUCN ‘Nature-Culture Journey’ and programs that connect selected National Committees of ICOMOS with Sydney’s related multicultural communities – will need to be included, while others will be selected by the Scientific Symposium Co-Chairs and Sub-committee.

A call for expressions of interests will invite proposals for specific sessions and session conveners, papers or other program ‘content’. Selected posters from the Scientific Symposium will be included in a public ‘Heritage Exposition’ to be staged at Sydney’s International Convention Centre during the course of the Scientific Symposium and over the following weekend. The call for sessions, papers and posters for the GA2020 Scientific Symposium is scheduled to take place in the second half of 2019; with the selection announced in late March 2020 following review of all submissions.

The role of the international Co-Chair will include:

1. Liaison with the ICOMOS Scientific Council and Advisory Committee regarding the GA2020 Scientific Symposium; Working collaboratively with the Australian Co-chair to develop the symposium structure and organisation, including calls for sessions and papers, matters relating to timetabling, oversight of assessment of proposals (with the GA2020 Scientific Committee), ensuring geographical representation and development of symposium publications and documents. The responsibilities of the International Co-Chair would commence as soon as possible and be most intensive during 2020, but would continue into 2021 to ensure post-Symposium tasks such as reporting and publication of proceedings;

2. If necessary, on invitation by the GA2020 Organizing Committee (costs covered), attend a planning meeting in Sydney (perhaps in early 2020).

Expressions of interest are encouraged from energetic, experienced and engaged ICOMOS Members who have suitable personal attributes, skills and experience, including: a public profile, appropriate academic credentials, good connections within the cultural heritage sector, experience in conducting similar events and processes, a combination of creative and critical skills, team leadership, demonstrated commitment to inclusiveness, ethical conduct, as well as the necessary time available and energy. Proficiency in French and/or Spanish languages is desired.

Expressions of interest should:

• state the reason why the applicant seeks appointment;
• indicate relevant skills, experience and interest of the applicant;
• indicate commitment to the time available and timeframe required
• include at least one written reference and a one-page summary CV;
• be no more than 4 pages in length (inclusive of the one-page summary CV and reference); and
• be sent by 12:00pm Friday 15 February 2019 to secretariat@icomos.org.

Interpret Europe Conference | 31 May – 3 June 2019 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina | #iecon19

At the IE conference, ‘Engaging with diversity’, we will explore the significance of EU’s ambitious motto ‘United in diversity’ in all its diverse meanings and implications. Cultural diversity can be a great asset that broadens horizons, facilitates creativity and thinking outside the box. But history is full of examples of diversity being framed in ways that reinforced stereotypes and fueled hate.  Almost everywhere, a particular building or a species of animal can invoke very different feelings in different people because they may associate different meanings with them. This poses challenges to heritage interpreters and puts a high responsibility on their shoulders.

Several aspects matter to heritage interpretation when contemplating ‘diversity’:

• the diversity of the heritage phenomena, tangible or intangible, such as artefacts in a collection, traditions around a site or biodiversity of a protected area;
• the diverse perspectives of historic stakeholders to whom heritage features are meaningful for different reasons;
• the diversity of subject areas such as social history, history of arts or of technology, or the biology of species, ecosystems approach or evolutionary perspectives;
• the diversity of contemporary stakeholders involved in heritage communities affected by heritage management and interpretation;
• the diversity of people visiting heritage sites with different knowledge, experiences, beliefs, values systems, world views and identities;
• and, last but not least, the diversity of interpretations by professional interpreters.

1 March 2019: Deadline for the submission of abstracts

Visit the website for further details

The International Journal of Intangible Heritage is a refereed academic and professional journal, published annually in English and Korean and dedicated to the promotion of the understanding of all aspects of intangible heritage worldwide, and to the communication of research as well as examples of good professional practice.

The journal is actively seeking submissions from anyone engaged in the field of ICH for Volume 14. Submission deadline is 31 January 2019.

 Read the full call and submit on their website.

Thank you to Gabriel Caballero for providing the following photos of ICICH members at the recent 2018 ICOMOS General Assembly and Advisory Committee and Scientific Symposium in Buenos Aires, 4-8 December.

View the ICOMOS-BUE Assembly Website

Access the Assembly’s Working Documents

Read about the Buenos Aires Declaration

ICICH members enjoying a meal at ICOMOS-BUE 2018

Museo de Arquitectura y Diseño

ICICH Annual General Meeting Chair, Angel Cabeza

ICICH Annual General Meeting, Marilyn Truscott

ICICH Annual General Meeting attendees

ICICH Annual General Meeting attendees

UNESCO is transmitting a live webcast of the 13th session of the Intergovernmental Committee, available on their website and YouTube channel.

The thirteenth session is taking place in Port Louis, Republic of Mauritius, from Monday 26 November to Saturday 1 December 2018. Over the six days, the twenty-four States Members of the Committee, elected by the General Assembly of the 2003 Convention, are to discuss a number of issues that are important for the safeguarding of living heritage around the world.

Please see the UNESCO ICH website for further details, including copies of the agenda, documents, and all recordings.

From 27 to 31 May, 2019, the Taiwan International Institute for Water Education in cooperation with ICOMOS Netherlands and the Centre for Global Heritage and Development of The Netherlands will organize the international conference ‘Water as Heritage’, that will take place in Chiayi, Taiwan – named Formosa since the 16th century – a beautiful island on the Pacific rim as a gateway of Asian continent.

Among the five themes, ICICH will cooperate with CIRAT (Centro Internacional de Água e Transdisciplinaridade, Brazil) about the “Worldvision and Water” panel. 

If you would like to join the panel, please register through the website. Then, you will be requested to submit an abstract (max 500 words) for an article or a poster. 

Visit the conference website: http://www.water-as-heritage2019.org.tw/

Guest Editor: Pamela Jordan

The journal Change Over Time: An International Journal of Conservation and the Built Environment, published by the University of Pennsylvania Press, invites abstract submissions for the Spring 2020 issue.

26-28 October 2018

A major happening around the arts of oral tradition (dance, music & storytelling), craftsmanship and intangible heritage will be held at Domaine Cataraqui in Quebec City on October 26th, 27th and 28th. The 2018 Living Heritage Gathering is open to all and will bring together community leaders: artists, artisans, cultural workers, speakers, institutional and government partners, researchers and more. The event is an opportunity to promote networking, highlight the activities of organizations and produce deliverables useful for the community and for decision-makers. More than 35 free cultural activities are also on the program of La Folle Bastringue!

Watch for complete programming at www.patrimoinevivant2018.org

Un grand happening autour des arts de tradition orale (danse, musique & conte trad), de l’artisanat et du patrimoine immatériel se tiendra au Domaine Cataraqui à Québec les 26, 27 et 28 octobre prochains. Le Rassemblement patrimoine vivant 2018 est ouvert à tous et ralliera les forces vives du milieu : artistes, artisans, travailleurs culturels, conférenciers, partenaires institutionnels et gouvernementaux, chercheurs et plus. L’événement est l’occasion de favoriser le réseautage, de mettre en valeur les activités des organismes et de produire des livrables utiles pour le milieu et pour les décideurs. Plusieurs activités culturelles gratuites sont également au programme de la Folle bastringue!

Surveillez la programmation complète à www.patrimoinevivant2018.org

Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage through technical and vocational education and training (TVET)

29 October to 7 November 2018

Moderated by Panas Karampampas and Wouter de Regt

From 29 October to 7 November, 2018 the Intangible Cultural Heritage Section and UNESCO-UNEVOC will co-host a virtual conference on ‘Integrating the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in technical and vocational education and training (TVET)’. The conference, which comes under the new programme on ‘Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in formal and non-formal education’, will explore the links between ICH and TVET.

The conference will be held on the UNESCO-UNEVOC TVeT Forum: an online discussion board where people from around the world can share information and knowledge about different aspects of TVET. Participants in the conference can read and post comments on the discussion boards—over the 10 days of the conference they can participate as much or as little as they like, logging in whenever suites their schedule.

Learn more and sign up on the website