[Commlist] CFP:International Conference Relevance

*RELEVANCE*

*60th Annual Conference of the Estonian National Museum*

5.-7. May 2020 in Tartu, Estonia

Organiser: Estonian National Museum

Keynotes: Jette Sandahl (Denmark), Nancy Proctor (USA)

Conference Webpage: http://enmconferences.ee/relevance-2020

/A good museum is one which I come out feeling better than when I went in. /

Kenneth Hudson

This quote from Kenneth Hudson sets up a discussion on the relevance of 
museums in the context of museum audiences, approaching museums as means 
 of communication.

A good museum is primarily one which provides good service to its 
visitors, interpreting widely the usefulness of a museum for the community.

The number of excellent museums is increasing. Yet across Europe, 
different studies indicate that the numbers of cultural and arts 
audiences are dropping,

despite innovative approaches to cultural services and continuous 
professionalization of cultural organisations. Are cultural institutions 
 still relevant?

Apprehending its responsibility as the recipient of the Kenneth Hudson 
award (EMYA, 2018), the Estonian National Museum dedicates its 60th 
annual conference

to the relevance of contemporary museums, looking for the formula to the 
 ‘good museum’, delivering exceptional quality to the public.

The ENM received the award for its complete renewal of the museum both 
in terms of facilities and content. The museum deals with complex and 
controversial histories

in order to create a cultural dialogue that brings the past together 
with the future. With the museum’s renewal, we set out on a path that 
engages different people and opinions

and makes history multivocal. As the jury put it, the ENM’s dialogical 
approach to everyday life and oral histories has renewed the meaning of 
the national museum.

The approach for museum renewal at the Estonian National Museum was set 
in a particular societal context and with particular expectations.

We would like conference speakers to contribute to this discussion, 
focusing attention on the particular contexts in which contemporary 
museums operate.

What are the key issues in retaining relevance, and why? We are open to 
different approaches as well as contributions that are original in their 
 agenda-setting.

The relevance of the museum has undergone a strong shift towards the 
economic imperative: measuring audience figures and assessing quality of 
 the service,

using integration of business and management models in interpreting and 
communicating impact. Although these approaches can be helpful for 
evaluating organisational goals

and the position in the market of cultural services, they alone are 
insufficient in understanding the values and giving meaning to the museum.

What is needed is an exploration and a valuing of what culture actually 
does and how it affects the contemporary public sphere. The cultural 
dimension plays a fundamental role

in the process of creating quality in different ways, not only in the 
framework of economics. The artful, experimental, people-centred, 
inspirational and intellectually honest museum

makes people feel welcome and has the potential for immense social and 
cultural value.

The social relevance of the museum is intertwined with public trust. 
They are among the most trusted institutions, addressing important 
issues of the current era.

Access to, and the transparency of, the organisation are also relevant: 
public trust is essentially about providing access.

Relevance is a basic quality of audience development and relationship 
building, present in all core museum functions. A number of other 
significant aspects

contributing to the relevance and quality of the museum, which we see as 
 worth discussing on the occasion of the 60th annual conference, are:

-  Museums are perceived as spaces where one can spend leisurely and 
educational time, but are they also expected to be public and civic 
spaces, meeting places for people of all ages?

- Is it more important that museums tackle burning social issues and 
ethical questions,

    or are they more relevant as places that first and foremost 
promoting the well-being of their audiences?

- How should museums best serve both those who want museums to take a 
stand for social issues,

    and those who are perhaps uncomfortable about being confronted with 
 sensitive or political subjects?

- Should museums take some risks in order to perpetuate the myth that 
the knowledge they present is objective?

    What is the status of scientific knowledge production at museums 
and  does this knowledge contribute to the relevance of the museum?

- In order to remain relevant, do collections need more openness and 
collective contributions,

    or should they be thoroughly framed and secured by the established 
boundaries of scientific disciplines to increase the value and potential 
 of knowledge protection?

- Should museums have an environmental conscience and a commitment to 
sustainability?

- What kinds of approach have you applied in your museum practice to 
finding relevance?

    How do you know whether you have been successful or have failed? 
How  do you find out what is missing?

- Is there a difference between success and relevance?

We welcome paper proposal from both museum professionals and academic 
researchers.

The conference language is English.

Please submit your abstract of 300 words for a 20‐minute paper, along 
with a short CV, by November 20, 2019 to: (conference /at/ erm.ee) 
<mailto:(conference /at/ erm.ee)>

The conference fee covers attendance at all sessions, lunches and 
coffee/tea breaks during the conference, the welcome reception, and 
conference materials.

The date and venue of the conference is May 5-7 2020, at the Estonian 
National Museum, Tartu, Estonia.

Notification of acceptance: December 3, 2019

Deadline for registration and conference fee payment: March 30, 2020

Early bird – 1.03.2020

We expect to publish an edited collection based on a selection of the 
papers presented at the conference.

Conference event on facebook: 
https://www.facebook.com/events/977916072559237/

Conference Committee:

Dr Pille Runnel, Estonian National Museum

Agnes Aljas, Estonian National Museum

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