The EXARC Board consists of the following people, elected by the Annual General Meeting.
Chair: Dr Peter Inker
chair@exarc.net
Member of ICOM: Yes
Period: 2019-2024
Peter Inker is the Director of Historical Research at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, home to the largest outdoor living history museum in the United States. He began his academic career as an archaeologist, with a research concentration in Migration Period culture change identifiable through metalworking techniques. His recent work has been in museum and heritage environments, including working with virtual and augmented reality. Currently he is leading Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s historians in developing new frameworks for understanding the past and ways in which we can connect scholarly research with a public audience. He writes for both scholarly and public audiences. He is Chair of EXARC, and a board member of Rumsiskes Market Town museum, a museum planned to show how residents of Eastern European towns coexisted before the Holocaust.
Vice-Chair: Dr Julia Heeb
vice-chair@exarc.net
Member of ICOM: Yes
Period: 2019-2024
After completing my AHRC-funded M.A. in Experimental Archaeology at the University of Exeter in 2006, I knew that I wanted to work further in the field of Experimental Archaeology. In November 2007, I co-organized the second Experimental Archaeology Conference at Exeter University after receiving an AHRC grant for my PhD at the same institution. After two maternity breaks, I finished my PhD on an experimental approach regarding the shafthole copper axes from southeastern Europe in 2012. Between 2012 and 2015 I worked freelance based in Berlin, offering research and educational services for museums and translations of academic texts. In March 2015 I started working at the Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin in the Archaeological Open-Air Museum "Museumsdorf Düppel" and the archaeological collections. I am responsible for the archaeological collections, general research, exhibitions and experimental archaeology.
Secretary: Prof. Dr Javier Baena Preysler
secretary@exarc.net
Member of ICOM: No
Period: 2019-2024
Javier Baena is professor of Prehistory and Archaeology who teaches on several issues at different universities of Spain, particularly at the Universidad Autónoma of Madrid (UAM, Spain). Through his work teaching Experimental Archaeology at UAM since 1990, he has supported and promoted different Experimental centres in Spain, such as the Museo de los Orígenes (Madrid), La Algaba (Málaga), Carex (Burgos), etc. Cumulatively, his work provides a body of scientific knowledge and experience for future generations of Spanish archaeologists. He is editor of the Boletin de Arqueología Experimental (http://www.uam.es/otros/baex/), and is one of the organisers of international experimental archaeology conferences in Spain. He is the vice-chair of the Spanish Association of Experimental Archaeology, is responsible for the Experimental laboratory at UAM (https://es-es.facebook.com/Ar
Treasurer: Dott.ssa Maura Stefani
treasurer@exarc.net
Member of ICOM: No
Period: 2021-2026
In 2007 I obtained a bachelor's degree in Conservation of Cultural Heritage, specializing in Prehistoric Archeology and in 2010 a master's degree in Conservation of Archaeological Heritage at the Ca 'Foscari University of Venice. On both occasions I have discussed theses dedicated to the analysis of faunal remains in prehistoric contexts. I took part in several university excavations (especially University of Ferrara) in Northern Italy and I was part of a professional firm involved in archaeological surveys and excavations. Since 2009 I have been working in Parco Archeologico didattico del Livelet, an open-air museum in Italy. Initially involved in guided tours and workshops, since 2012 I have been in charge of coordinating the structure, working for UNPLI Treviso, the association that manages it.
Heritage Education and Interpretation: Annemarie Pothaar BA MA
A.Pothaar@exarc.net
Member of ICOM: Yes
Period: 2023-2025
Ms drs Annemarie Pothaar (1977) Master of Arts in Heritage Education & Interpretation. After studying a bachelor degree of Leisure Studies in Rotterdam NL, Annemarie finished her Master of Arts degree (2001) in the UK at Newcastle University and was supervised by Dr. Peter Stone, one of the UKs leading specialists in heritage education. Since then she has worked for a national park, historical museums, archaeological open-air museums and the Dutch Royal Armouries. Annemarie is a visitor experience and interpretation developer, specialising in engaging visitors through a variety of interpretive techniques and encouraging learning in informal and formal heritage encounters. She is charmed by the use of live historic costumed interpretation, but makes use of the full possibilities of the interpretive mix, to find the right medium for each situation. She uses the latest insights and methodologies on cultural heritage-, intergenerational- and family learning to develop informal learning solutions. Her motto is engage, relate, reveal from Freeman Tilden. In her time off, you can find her in museums and heritage sites, performing live historic costumed interpretation and visiting international museums and heritage sites to get new ideas and compare best practices. Continuous professional development is very important to her and Annemarie plays an active role in European partnerships programmes by sharing knowledge and hosting workshops. Currently Annemarie is working towards the Associateship of the Museum Association.
Board Member: João Carlos Moreno de Sousa PhD
Member of ICOM: No
Period: 2024-2026
João Carlos Moreno de Sousa (Bogotá, 1989) (mostly known as JuCa) studied archaeology at Institute of Prehistory and Anthropology of Goiás, in the Pontifical Catholic University of Goiás (BR). He obtained a Master’s Degree at the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, University of São Paulo (BR). In 2019, he obtained a PhD at the National Museum, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (BR), and part of his PhD was carried out in the University of Exeter (UK), working closely with Bruce Bradley at the Laboratory of Experimental Archaeology. The Masters’s Degree and the PhD projects were both funded by CAPES. Since 2019, he holds a post-doctorate position at the Laboratory for Human Evolutionary Studies, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo (BR). His research project is funded by the São Paulo Foundation for Research (Fapesp). His research focus is lithic technology and replication of lithic collections, through experimental archaeology. Most of his work is centered on the Paleoamerican/Paleoindian cultures, although he has been regularly part of projects dealing with lithic industries from different periods in the Americas and Europe. He is currently involved in the analysis and replication of lithic tools from hunter-gatherers from Southeastern and Southern Brazil.
Board Member: Andrea Mariani PhD
Member of ICOM: No
Period: 2024-2026
Andrea Mariani earned a MA in History at Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy and a Ph.D. in History at Porto University, Portugal. He is also an integrated researcher of CITCEM (FLUP). He has been a member of Association for Protection of Heritage, Archaeology and Museums of Vila do Conde (APPA-VC) - an EXARC member - since 2019, and is currently a board member. He is also one of the founders of Teuta Brig (2004) and then of the APS Popolo di Brig (2007, Vimercate, Italy) where he is the secretary, the chief of Public Relations and Logistics; Coordinator of Bardomagus (archaeo-music project) and Brig Beer Project; Coordinator for events abroad. He is member of Gruppo di Ricerche Archeostoriche del Lambro (Biassono, Italy), and is an integrated resercher for the Centro de Investigação Transdisciplinar «Cultura, Espaço e Memória» (FLUP, Portugal), being a member of the Territory and Landscape research group. Since 2022 he has worked in the Casa de Mateus Foundation (www.casademateus.pt), in Vila Real, Portugal as a researcher and archivist ad interim. Besides being a medievalist, he is interested principally in experimental archaeology (dyeing, beverage, food, historical marches), continental Celts, Ligurians and Castreja Culture, and has been a re-enactor since 2002.
