REPORT ON THE ANNUAL JOINT CONFERENCE IN YEREVAN, ARMENIA, OCT. 23-26, 2024 - ICTOP

REPORT ON THE ANNUAL JOINT CONFERENCE IN YEREVAN, ARMENIA, OCT. 23-26, 2024

The international conference “Museum Professionalism and Ethics in Challenging Times” commenced on October 23, 2024, at the History Museum of Armenia.

The ancient charming city of Yerevan hosted this event, situated in a region suffered by genocide and war, yet still magnificent and captivating, with its pleasant natural surroundings, enchanting architecture, and delightful cuisine and wineries.

This joint conference, organized by ICTOP and IC ETHICS, was made possible through the collaboration of the Armenian History Museum and ICOM Armenia. Speakers from various countries, including Armenia, England, Germany, India, Iran, Italy, Lebanon, Macedonia, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, and the UAE, participated in the event.

Today, the world faces numerous challenges. Ongoing conflicts continue to devastate different territories, while inequality and class divisions are on the rise. Each year, more immigrants seek better opportunities in wealthier countries.

Additionally, environmental pollution poses a threat to both human life and other species, and climate change, mismanagement of water resources, desertification, deforestation, and pandemics cast a shadow over societies worldwide.

In the complex contemporary conditions, this conference explored a crucial question: How do these daunting universal crises impact our moral behavior? Furthermore, how should museums uphold their professional and ethical standards in such challenging circumstances? Over five sessions, the conference speakers addressed critical issues within this context.

By engaging in discussions, they shared their experiences regarding ethical behavior in times of crisis. As museum curators and university professors, their insights were rooted in practical and objective experiences.

The third day of the conference included a specialized workshop at Yerevan State University, where several groups of university students, guided by various speakers from the conference, examined the professional challenges and ethical dilemmas faced by contemporary museums. The day concluded with a closing ceremony at the Ararat Museum, where participants were warmly hosted.

On the fourth day, two tours were organized for conference guests, allowing them to visit notable museums such as the Genocide Museum, Matenadaran and Tsitsernakaberd, as well as historical sites including Garni and Geghard, and the remarkable city of Etchmiadzin. Among the strengths of this conference were the effective management by ICTOP and IC ETHICS board members, and the warm and kind hospitality provided by the Armenian History Museum and ICOM Armenia.

(Report by Dr. Sadreddin Taheri, recipient of the ICTOP 2024 Young Professional Grant)

(Lina Tahan(ICEthics Chair), Rita Capurro (ICTOP Chair), Davit Poghosyan(History Museum of Armenia Director), Hayk Mkrtychyan(ICOM Armenia Chair))

Submission Committee (Cheeyun Kwon, Lina Tahan, Andrea Kieskamp, Rita Capurro)

Day 1 & 2: The conference featured 13 international and local speakers who presented on a variety of topics. Among them were:

Sadreddin Taheri (Iran) – Ethical and Professional Narratives in Genocide Museums
Zohreh Soltanmoradi (Iran) – Demonstrating Professional Conduct by Museum Curators in Addressing the Water Crisis
Bareez Majid (Netherlands) – Contested Memory, Power, and Record-Keeping in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Cvetanka Vuchkovska-Mitovska (Macedonia) – As We Learn, We Change. As We Change, We Progress
Kathrin Pabst (Norway) – Revising the Code of Ethics of ICOM
Rita Capuro (Italy) – Displaying Human Remains in Museums: Museum Professionalism and Ethical Issues Around the Display of Estorre Viscoti’s Body at the Museo e Tesorodel Duomo di Monza, Italy
Katerina Laina (UK) – Introducing The Book-Trouser Project – Where There is a Will There`s a Way ! ?
Alvard Grigoryan (Armenia) – The Use of Collaboration and Synthesis Technologies in Crisis Situations
Gevorg Orbelyan (Armenia) – The Role of Information Technologies in Advancing Museum Development in Yerevan
Marina Khachmanukyan (Armenia) – Theatricalization as a Form of Museum Communication
Karine Rafaelyan (Armenia) – The Possible and the Impossible in Derenik Demirchyan’s House-Museum
Lianna Gevorgyan (Armenia) – Modern Problems of the Protection of Museum Objects
Astghik SImonyan (Armenia) – Features and Problems of Packaging, Transporting and Evacuation in Armenian Museums. Strategies in the Field of Cultural Heritage: Challenges and Recommendation

Keynote Speeches:

1. Hamlet Petrosyan (Armenia) – War, Museum, and Professional Ethics in the Context of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Conflict

2. Kathrin Pabst (Norway) – Be Prepared and Know Your Values! How Professionalism and Ethics Can Ease the Burden

3. Lluis Bonet (Spain) – Skills strategies in the field of cultural heritage: challenges and main recommendations

(Kathrin Pabst) (Lluis Bonet)

A conference proceeding will be published soon with the presented papers. The conference was highlighted by the First Public Channel of Armenia.

Day 3: Workshop at Yerevan State University, Annual Meeting, and Closing Reception

A workshop for 50 students was carried out by the ICTOP and ICEthics board members at the Yerevan State University. Students in groups of ten each were asked to list up the challenging issues for museums in Armenia, and the following Q&A sessions provided learning opportunities for the students mostly coming from humanity faculties. The Chair of Blue Shield Armenia spoke about the role of the organization in times of crises. After the workshop, two students decided to become ICOM members.

(Workshop with students at Yerevan State University)

The ICOM ICTOP annual meeting and general assembly fostered discussions on future directives. Oystein Froiland, a long-time member of ICTOP, presented a gift to Davit Poghosyan, Director of the History Museum of Armenia, a portrait drawing of Fridtjof Nansen, a Norwegian statesman and explorer, who provided refugee travel documents known as the “Nansen passport” to many Armenians from 1922 to 1938. The Nansen International Office for Refugees was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1938.

(Oystein Froiland presenting the Nansen portrait to David Poghosyan)

The closing ceremony was hosted at the ARARAT Museum, the legendary Armenian brandy established in 1887, underscoring Armenia’s rich heritage.

(Closing Reception at the Ararat Museum)

Study Tours

The conference concluded with study tours focusing on different cultural and historical sites, allowing participants to explore Armenia’s museum landscape firsthand.

This gathering exemplified the global museum community’s commitment to addressing ethical dilemmas and advancing professionalism during times of uncertainty, offering a platform for dialogue, knowledge exchange, and collaborative solutions. Now the organizers are receiving the papers for the special edition of Proceedings of History Museum of Armenia.

For the full program, click the link below:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1W9dxJSpq3DyjgwmhBNgSXuJtGxO_ugAE/view?usp=sharing