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Museum Communications at a Crossroads: Empowering Our Communities in Times of Change and Crisis
A joint conference from ICOM Marketing and Public Relations, ICOM Georgia, and Tbilisi Museums Union, with Academia Europaea Tbilisi Regional Hub and Georgian Museum of Fine Arts
4 – 7 December 2024
Georgian Museum of Fine Arts, Tbilisi, Georgia

3-4 December

Everything in a Museum Communicates Workshop takes place at other venues.

Wednesday, 4 December

15-19:00 On-site Registration and Check-In:
Georgian Museum of Fine Arts
Address: 7 Shota Rustaveli Avenue

Pop-Up Exhibition Viewing:
Traditions of the Great Lakhvi Valley: Village Kekhvi

Walking Tours:
4 pm – Georgian Museum of Fine Arts
5 pm – Nearby museums and historic landmarks

19:30 Opening Reception for Conference/Closing Reception for Workshop
Welcome Remarks by Representative of Georgian Fine Arts Museum

Thursday, 5 December

9:00-10:00 Welcome Coffee & Registration 

10-10:30 Opening Remarks
Lana Karaia, Chair, ICOM Georgia
Dr. Nini Sanadiradze, General Director of Tbilisi Museums Union
Deborah Ziska, United States; Chair, ICOM MPR, introduces
Eavan Cully, Cultural Attaché, U.S. Embassy, Tbilisi

10:30-11:30 Keynote Session

GNM: At the Nexus of Culture, Science, and Exploration – Building Brands on Our Biocultural Heritage
Professor Dr. David Lordkipanidze, General Director of the Georgian National Museum; Academic Director of Academia Europaea Tbilisi Regional Hub
Moderator: Natia Khuluzauri, Georgia; Board Member, ICOM MPR

11:30-13:00 Session One | When Digital Projects Foster Dialogue, Collaboration, and Community Engagement 

Moderator: Niloofar Yazdkhasti, Iran; Vice Chair, ICOM MPR

Transformative Frameworks for Sustainable Futures: The Role of Curators as Systems Designers in the 4th Industrial Revolution
Christiana Kazakou, Greece/UK

Examining Place and Action Memories through Experience and Games
Ebru Güç, Turkey

Harnessing Data Tracking for Museums: Promoting Civic Engagement and Innovative Communication
Manuel Scortichini, Italy

From Artifacts to Experiences: Transforming Museums into Interactive Centers
Alok Bhasin and Puja Anand, India

Enhancing Inclusivity and Dialogue in Museum Theatre Through Digital Transformation
Foteini Venieri, Greece

13:00-14:00 Lunch at Museum / Video projection on stage

Intangible Heritage of Occupied Didi Liakhvi Valley – Georgia (Total 18:00)
Accompanies exhibit on display: Traditions of the Great Liakhvi Valley: Village Kekhvi)
The four video sketches (Wrestling, Fishing, Beer brewing, Angels Day) were designed to preserve the intangible cultural heritage of the occupied Tskhinvali region.
The project is organized by the National Committee of Blue Shield of Georgia and supported by a grant from the U.S. Embassy. https://theblueshield.org/intangible-heritage-of-georgia/

Shadows and Walls: Hanenko Museum During War – Ukraine (36:37)

In the documentary short film, an empty museum is documented, where tours, concerts, exhibitions, and performances used to take place. Museum staff share how the museum continues to operate during the war and describe the initial days/months of the full-scale invasion. Production: MIR&CO PRODUCTION. This film was created with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Fund. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQmGF9OvI80&t=757s

14:00-15:30 Session Two – Museum Initiatives in Conflict Zones

Moderator: Deborah Ziska, United States; Chair, ICOM MPR

Engagement in Museums Dealing with Difficult Pasts: A Focus on Conflictorium and Partition Museum
Aakanksha Tated, India

Documentation and Data Transparency as a Safety Policy
Dariia Sukhostavets, Ukraine

Didi Liakhvi Museum-Reserve as a Symbol of Unity for Displaced Communities
Mariam Lomsadze and Salome Kasabishvili, Georgia

Building Bridges: Collaborating with Museums and Community Centers to Safeguard Intangible Cultural Heritage of Displaced Communities
Tamari Sopromadze, Georgia

15:30-16:00 Coffee Break

16:00-17:30 Session Three – Fostering Purpose 

Moderator: Natia Khuluzauri, Georgia; Board Member, ICOM MPR

Museum Branding with Purpose – Stand Out for What You Stand For
Cecilia Martin Abad, Spain/UK

Strategies and Practices to Overcome the Obstacles that Museum and Science Centres Face in Advancing Sustainable and Regenerative Development
Divyeshkumar Gameti, India

From Soviet Memory to Banksy, Contemporary Street Art Icon
Nino Akhvlediani and Marika Babunashvili, Georgia

On the Construction of the ‘Universal’ Audience in Artistic Communication
Timothy deVries, Canada

Effectiveness of the Exhibition’s Communication Technologies: Vera Pagava Exhibition
Anna Verulashvili, Georgia

17:30-18:00 Everything in a Museum Communicates – Workshop Takeaways

ICOM MPR Board Members
Natia Khuluzauri, Georgia, and Luis Marcelo Mendes, Brazil

Instructions for the Second Day
Lana Karaia, Chair ICOM Georgia

Friday, 6 December 

9:00-10:00 Coffee

10:00-10:15 Welcome and Opening Remarks

Host: Lana Karaia, Georgia, Chair ICOM Georgia
Remarks: Deborah Ziska, United States, Chair MPR

10:15-11:30 Keynote Session

How far does your tolerance go?
Maria Vlachou, Executive Director, Acesso Cultura/Access Culture, Portugal
Moderator: Luis Marcelo Mendes, Brazil; Board Member, ICOM MPR

11:30-13:00 Presentations and Debate – Communicating Social Justice in the Culture Wars

Communicating Social Justice in the Culture Wars
Anna Cornelius, United Kingdom

Guardians of Democracy: How Tbilisi Museums Union Inspires Responsible Action and Fosters Democratic Values
Nini Sanadiradze, Georgia

Addressing the Rise in Right-wing Extremism in Museum Education
Michaela Smidová and Eliška Pekárková, Czech Republic

13:00-14:00 Lunch at Museum 

Videos:
Shadows and Walls: Hanenko Museum During War – Ukraine (36:37)
Intangible Heritage of Occupied Didi Valley – Georgia (18:00)

14:00-15:30 Session Four – Building Community Resilience

Moderator: Anna Dentoni, Italy, Board Member, ICOM MPR

The KBR Museum’s Journey Toward Accessibility in a Heritage-Listed Building
Carolien Mertens, Belgium

Museums as A Mechanism for Community Integration
Emma Loosley Leeming, UK, Mikheil Tsereteli and Darejan Dzotsenidze, Georgia

Empowering Crisis-Affected Communities through Museum-Based Initiative in Iran
Mohammad Hekmat, Iran

Connecting Past and Present: The Iran Dolls Museum’s Engagement with Women’s Rights and Community Dialogue
Niloofar Yazdkhasti, Iran

Empowering Communities through Sustainable Museum Practices: A Response to Global Challenges
Md. Arafat Ali, Bangladesh

15:30-16:00 Coffee Break

16:00-17:30 Session Five – Safe Spaces in Museums

Moderator: Carolien Mertens, Belgium; Board Member ICOM MPR

Affective Strategies to Achieve Safe Spaces in Museums: Citizen Labs in Mexico
Jessica Ramírez Rivera, Mexico

Embracing a Mixed Pricing Strategy to Overcome Financial Barriers for Museum Visitors Amid Inflation
Lingjun Li, United Kingdom

Cháke Bicho, MuCi’s Exhibition that Promotes Environmental Education to its Community
María Amalia Brítez Rodríguez, Paraguay

Huella M: Model Framework for Sustainable Museum Management
Julio González Liendo, Colombia

People Make Museums: Artequin Museum
Roberto Torres, Chile

17:30-18:15 Breakout Groups and Takeaways 

Cecilia Martin Abad, United Kingdom, will open a discussion about what we learned, what else we would like to know, and the most significant takeaways.

18:15-18:30 Travel Grantees – What we experienced and will use back home

Moderator: Deborah Ziska, United States; Chair, ICOM MPR

Dariia Sukhostavets, Ukraine
Vladyslava Dermanska, Ukraine
Maryna Kutsenko, Ukraine
Mohammad Hekmat, Iran
Niloofar Yazdkhasti, Iran
Maria Amalia Britez Rodriguez, Paraguay
Jessica Ramirez Rivera, Mexico

Closing Remarks
Lana Karaia, Chair ICOM
Deborah Ziska, Chair, ICOM MPR

Saturday and Sunday, 7-8 December