Cherishing our Cultural Heritage - How to make the most of the public’s passion for their cultural heritage

With a steady increase in museum visits and attendance at cultural heritage related events, it is safe to say that the general public loves their cultural heritage more than ever. The public regularly support restoration projects and volunteer to be involved in safeguarding and enhancing cultural heritage to a higher extent. To capitalise on this public enthusiasm is of gain for everyone; from the general public to culture professionals. Ways to involve a passionate public with cultural heritage will be the focus of the conference “Cherishing our Cultural Heritage", organised by NEMO, ICOM France and ICOMOS France from 22-23 May 2018 in Dijon, France.

Involvement of an enthusiastic general public can be beneficial to the cultural sector when professionals know how to work with committed citizens. The goal of the “Cherishing our Cultural Heritage” conference is to identify and acknowledge the role played by public enthusiasts in the valorisation of our cultural heritage. Guidelines for a constructive relationship between the public and professionals will also be discussed over two days, covering questions such as:

• How can we validate public expertise?
• What basic skills are required before any concrete action in the field of cultural heritage can be envisaged?
• What training do museum professionals need to supervise the participation of members of the public?
• How can we bring the resources of the public to bear on private initiatives and how can we characterise their participation?
• How can we exercise our scientific and legal responsibilities?

Programme

On 22 May study visits to different museums and sites will be offered.

On 23 May NEMO and ICOM France will present European good practice examples of professionals working together with the public.

On 23 May ICOM France and ICOMOS France will discuss similarities and differences between museums and monument practices based on the professions architects, restorers and guides.

The conference is free of charge and the general public is welcome to attend. Note that most workshops and presentations will be held in French.