Momentum: Exhibitions and Memory – a leading museum conference at the Estonian National Museum this autumn

Thursday, 22. aug 2024

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From 30 September to 2 October 2024, an international conference titled Momentum: Exhibitions and Memory will be held at the Estonian National Museum, bringing together exhibition specialists from several dozen countries around the world.

The ICEE annual conference lasts for three days and includes excursions to Estonian museums, during which the best exhibitions of the museums in Tartu, the European Capital of Culture, will be showcased. International guests will have the opportunity to explore the following exhibitions, among others: ‘Who Claims the Night?’, ‘Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives’ from the permanent exhibition ‘Encounters’ (ERM), ‘Europe Plays’ (Tartu Toy Museum), ‘The City Has a Story to Tell’, ‘The Art of Being a Child. Childhood in Tartu 1890–1940’, ‘KGB Cells’ (Tartu City History Museums) and ‘Hidden Worlds Expanding’ (University of Tartu Museum).

The conference will be conducted in English and will cover three main themes: exhibitions and memory, exhibitions and environmental impact, and exhibitions and innovative methods. Some workshops will take place within the exhibitions at the Estonian National Museum.

The keynote presentations will address critical issues for museums, such as how to consider visitors’ experiences, perspectives and values within exhibitions, even when dealing with highly sensitive topics. Olena Honcharuk, Acting Director of the Oleksandr Dovzhenko National Centre in Ukraine, and Miles Greenwood, Lead Curator at the International Slavery Museum in the United Kingdom, will reflect on how exhibitions shape (and reshape) community memory. The War Childhood Museum in Sarajevo has been praised for its ability to help understand how difficult times have affected children. The museum’s Scientific Director, Amina Krvavac, and researcher Lebogang Marishane from South Africa will share their approaches, dilemmas, and aspirations on how to create future memories through exhibitions. It will certainly be exciting to meet Taina Máret Pieski, the director of the Sámi Museum Siida, which won the European Museum of the Year Award in 2024. The museum, located in Inari, was also named Finland’s Museum of the Year in 2024.

The annual conference always includes an exhibition fair, showcasing industry knowledge and international travelling exhibitions, as well as meetings where curators, designers, technical and practical exhibition teams, and agencies can discuss and exchange experiences.

Introduction of keynote speakers, programme, and tickets.

The conference is organised by the Estonian National Museum, ICOM Estonia, ICOM ICEE and the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience.

ICOM ICEE is a subcommittee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) focused on the field of exhibitions, with over 1,000 members. ICEE members form a global network of museum professionals, exhibition agencies, and design firms that create and offer travelling exhibitions.

Contact
Kristjan Raba
Coordinator of Special Exhibition Projects
Member of the ICOM ICEE Board
Estonian National Museum
Kristjan.Raba@erm.ee