*apologies for cross posting*
2020 Working Internationally Conference: Can museums and galleries save UK diplomacy? Soft power in turbulent times.
Tickets are on sale for the 2020 Working Internationally Conference on Thursday 12 March at Leeds Art Gallery. ICOM UK and NMDC members can book tickets at the special price of £49 (regular tickets are £79). There are a limited number
of tickets for students at £29 (only 7 tickets remaining).
To view the full programme and book tickets, visit
https://wi2020.eventbrite.com
The UK lost its #1 ranking in this year’s Soft Power 30 index. Why? Brexit and the internal turbulence that has dominated headlines and shifted time and energy away from international diplomacy.
According to the authors of the index, the UK clung to the #2 spot due to its high performance in the ‘engagement, culture, education, and digital’ categories, which made up for a lacklustre performance in the government and enterprise categories.
As Brexit rumbles on, the 2020 Working Internationally conference will examine the role museums and galleries can play in supporting UK soft power. The 2017 report
Britain’s Global Future: Harnessing the soft power capital of UK institutions
made a powerful case for the role of museums in promoting the nation’s cultural values and contributing to its economy. Recognizing the international significance of culture, the Mendoza Review looked at how museums might support soft power and
the British Council published research in 2018 that showed that what people love about a country are not products of governments but of people and institutions like museums.
The 2020 Working Internationally Conference will examine the variety of ways in which museums and galleries create and influence soft power. We will hear from a range of representatives from
museums and galleries, government agencies and NGOs to understand the interplay between policy, business and culture in the shaping of diplomacy. The conference will also explore the relationship between soft power and museum sector issues such as decolonization
and digital engagement.
Each session will include time for questions and comments from the audience to make the conference as participatory as possible. There will be time for networking during registration, lunch
and afternoon break.
The conference will open and close with a panel of UK and international speakers who will set the scene at the start of the day and look at where we go next at the end of the day. The discussion
panel includes Helen Jones, Director of Global Engagement and Strategy at the Science Museum Group; Kate Arthurs, Head of Arts at the British Council; Andrew Mackay, Director of Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery; and Lone Britt Christensen, Cultural Attaché,
Embassy of Denmark in the UK.
Terry Simote Nyambe, Assistant Curator, Livingstone Museum, Zambia and ICOM Executive Board member will be in conversation with Tonya Nelson, Chair of ICOM UK about restitution and decolonisation
through the lens of soft power.
Dr Natalia Grincheva, author of Global Trends in Museum Diplomacy and Museum Diplomacy in the Digital Age will speak about digital soft power.
Nick Marchand, Head of International at the V&A (formally at British Council China) will join Paul Brummel, Head of Soft Power and External Affairs Department at the FCO for a conversation that
looks ahead to soft power in the next decade.
Cat Lumb, Producer: Jallianwala Bagh 1919: Punjab Under Siege | Secondary and Post-16 Co-ordinator (Humanities/Arts), Manchester Museum will share her learnings on the practicalities of developing
an international partnership project.
The Working Internationally Conference is organised by ICOM UK and NMDC with support from the British Council.
Dana Andrew
Executive Director (part-time)
ICOM UK
T: +44 (0)3330 143 875 (UK landline)
M: +44 (0)7813 062 607 (UK mobile)
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