As repositories of historical evidence and historical memory, experience, expertise, skills and tastes of bygone eras, museums have been the most valuable source and tool for the development of national identity at all times. Perceiving oneself through history, tangibly manifested in heritage, helped peoples to reveal and consolidate their internal unity. Experts from around the globe are going to debate whether museums retain this mission today or whether their role has changed under the impact of modern global processes. Are there any examples, at local or international scale, of successful heritage conservation projects that address current challenges and threats? The discussion will also touch upon issues related to the contemporary museum audiences: how political, technological, educational and other processes affect their ability to perceive museum values and how museums react to this in their practice of interacting with their guests: new approaches to educational programs, game techniques, application of innovative technologies. Ultimately, the most significant place in the discussion will be given to the topic of museums located in historical buildings - monuments of cultural heritage. Supposedly, the experience of Saint Petersburg — the General Staff, the Marble Palace, New Holland, the Exchange — will be discussed. Challenges and prospects for the popularization and actualization of historical and cultural heritage for museums; preservation and realization of historical and cultural heritage by means of museums.
Speakers:
- Linda Apiyo Mboya, President of the National Committee of ICOM Kenya, Grant Coordinator of the Office of National Repositories and Research National Museums of Kenya (Kenya);
- Shirin Melikova, Director of the National Museum of Art of Azerbaijan (Azerbaijan);
- Yulia Kupina, Director of the Russian Ethnographic Museum;
- His Excellency Jamal al-Moosawi, Secretary-General of the National Museum of the Sultanate of Oman (Oman);
- Ekaterina Savishchenko, Deputy Head of the "General Staff" Department of the State Hermitage Museum;
- Muhammad Nazir Awad, General Director of the General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums of the Syrian Arab Republic (Syria);
- Aibek Sydykov, Director of the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Kazakhstan);
- Her Excellency Shaikha Mai Bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, Founder and Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Sheikh Ibrahim bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa Center for Culture and Research;
- Nikola Selakoviс, Minister of Culture and Information (Serbia).