The Museology Seminar 2023 Call for papers, deadline 1st March

Museums are evolving as working places to keep up with the ever changing world around them. Museums and other actors in the cultural heritage field have to consider their working procedures and policies to answer the current themes, such as digitalization, economical challenges, ageing of population and sustainable development. Museum buildings, of which many were not originally designed for museum work, can create challenges in everyday museum work but also possibilities in providing special museum experiences. Museums too will be touched by the ageing of the population and new  professionals are graduating every year ready to confront any challenge thrown at them by the changing cultural heritage field. Society is addressing climate change and so should museums too by changing their practices to be more ecological. The importance of social and cultural sustainability in museum work should also be acknowledged, ensuring that museums are approachable to everybody.

We encourage professionals in all fields of cultural heritage to present their views on the themes and topics of the seminar. Statements from students are more than welcome too!

We are requesting statements on topics such as:

• Museum buildings - How does the history and architecture of the building affect working in the museum or accessibility e.g? How are they utilised in public programmes or other activities? What sort of meanings and possibilities does location provide for museum practice?
• Practice in museum and cultural heritage  - How work safety and ergonomics in the working environment are considered in upcoming projects and plans, e.g. in new museum buildings? How do different memory institutions collaborate with each other? How do changes in economic structures affect work in cultural heritage fields? What effects does digitalization have on cultural heritage work in the future?
• Sustainable development - How to execute and improve on sustainable development in museum and cultural heritage practice from the aspects of ecological, economical, social or cultural sustainability?
• Change of generation - How to prepare for the retirement of many museum workers in the near future? How to keep the same quality in museum practice when future working generations will be smaller than the previous ones? How tacit knowledge is transferred to future professionals in cultural heritage fields?
• “The new museum generation” - What are the employment prospects like for newly graduated professionals? What is the collaboration like between museums, other actors in the cultural heritage field and students now and in the future? How to make museums and working in cultural heritage fields more attractive?
• Have another idea? Make a suggestion!

We are requesting suggestions for speeches by March 1st 2023. Duration of the speeches is from 20 to 30 minutes and we have scheduled time for questions and conversation in addition to each speech. The languages used in the seminar are Finnish and English. The length of the suggestion should be approximately 250 words and the format either of a Word file or PDF.

We would also be glad to receive suggestions for panels, workshops, and other interactive activities. The suggestion should include:

• Event type
• Event name
• A short summary (250 words, format Word file or PDF)
• Organisers
• The duration of the event (maximum 90 minutes)
• To whom it is targeted for
• The functions, objectives and goals
• Special needs/required equipment

Suggestions for speeches and any questions about the seminar can be sent to museologianseminaari@gmail.com

The 27th annual Museology Seminar organised by the museology students in University of Jyväskylä Department of Music, Art and Culture Studies takes place on 20th to 21st April 2023. The seminar is held  at the university.

Corpus ry, the subject association of museology, literature, art history, and art education, is the organiser behind the seminar.

Best regards,

Organising team of the Museology Seminar 2023

Our partners: ICOM Finland and The Union of Academic Museum Employees

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