Digital Technologies – Digital Museum Templates – Digital Repositories – Cultural Diversity – Intangible Heritage – Stakeholder Communities – Governance – Networking – Advocacy – Community Heritage Action – International and National Legal Instruments – Code of Ethics

Introduction

The Annual ANU Asia Pacific Week Heritage Workshop in 2006 will focus on the Pacific Island countries in partnership with a number of national and international professional and research organisations. This is a week long program of activities, (here after PMSHD), designed to bring together researchers, especially museum, art museum and heritage professionals who have a strong applied interest in the Pacific Island countries. The directors of Museums and Cultural Centres from Pacific Island Countries will participate and an additional ten places are available as part of a research and professional development program for curators, conservators and other heritage professionals who have a current applied project in the planning or implementation in their respective museum, art museum, library, archive or other heritage institutions.

PMSHD is a follow up to a number of related activities and symposia including the recent February and July 2005 meetings, where representatives of the Sustainable Digital Repositories Project (The ANU, The University of Queensland, National Library of Australia and the State Library of NSW), UNESCO Apia Office, Pacific Island Museum and Cultural Center delegates, Pacific Island Museums Association, International Council of Museums (ICOM) and the Sustainable Heritage Development Programs, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies (RSPAS), the ANU, came together to agree to establish an innovative and interactive networking mechanism between the Pacific Island Countries, including piloting the digitisation of Pacific heritage collections using the ANU D-Space facility. PMSHD is organised through the Pacific Asia Observatory for Cultural Diversity in Human Development. This activity maximises on one of the world's largest centres of teaching and research resources available at the ANU, and at allied institutions. The ANU has over 60 Pacific Islands specialists across a diverse range of disciplines within the humanities and social sciences on its academic staff.

The Pacific Museums in Sustainable Heritage Development Workshop is proudly supported by the International Centre of Excellence in Asia-Pacific Studies and The Commonwealth Association of Museums.

Program

The PMSHD Workshop 2006 will showcase the work of Pacific cultural and museum leaders, artists, scholars, other museum and heritage workers. In addition to state of the nation presentations the overall framework of the workshop will have three cross cutting themes – digital technologies – cultural diversity – human development:

• Museums, Digital Technologies, Digital Repositories and D-Space
• Template for a Digital Museum
• Sustaining Cultural Diversity through Museums
• Governance and strengthening civil society through museums
• International Instruments and Heritage Protection – Heritage Law
• Customary Law and the Model Pacific Law
• Ethics and museums in small island countries
• Current issues in the conservation, presentation, interpretation and management of Pacific art, material culture and documentary heritage

During the PMSHD Workshop

• Panels will be chaired and facilitated by senior ANU scholars, Visiting fellows and Directors of Pacific Island Museums and Cultural Centres
• Research and Professional Development Program participants will have an opportunity to present papers on work in progress and key research concerns
• Discuss work in progress and receive feedback
• Develop and reflect on ethics and techniques for collecting, exhibiting and conducting effective fieldwork in the Pacific;
• Address cultural and heritage challenges for Pacific Islands museums and heritage institutions today;
• Draw on the ANU's Pacific resources and the expertise of specialist librarians and also the resources of the National Cultural Institutions in Canberra.

Program includes public lectures, film screenings and cultural performances.

Awards

In addition to participation certificates, an award will be offered for the best museum research project proposal.

Lead Faculty

• Digital Technologies - Dr Bill Cope, Convener, Digital Heritage Course, Sustainable Heritage Development, RSPAS, The ANU and Director, Common Ground Group; Liam McGee, Programmer, CommonGroundGroup; Professor Robin Stanton, Pro Vice Chancellor, The ANU; Dr Ramesh Sankaranarayana, Associate Dean (UG), Department of Computer Sciences, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, The ANU.
• International Heritage Law and Instruments - Professor Lyndel Prott, former Director of the Division of Cultural Heritage, UNESCO and Convener of International Heritage Law, Sustainable Heritage Development, RSPAS; and Professor Patrick O'Keefe, Founding President of International Heritage Law Society and Co-Convener of International Heritage Law, Sustainable Heritage Development, RSPAS; Bryan Hanley, International Committee for Museum Security, ICOM and criminal art detective
• Cultural Diversity and Intangible Heritage - Professor Darrell Tryon, Chair, Asia Pacific Week 2006 and Deputy Director, RSPAS; has led several research projects dealing with museums and cultural projects in the Pacific; Professor Margaret Jolly, Head of the Gender Relations Centre, RSPAS; Professor Amareswar Galla, Directory of Sustainable Heritage Development Programs RSPAS.
• Code of Ethics and Governance - Bernice Murphy, Chair of the Ethics Committee, ICOM; Patricia Sabine, National President, Museums Australia; Leon Paroissien, Founding Director of Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney; and Professor Amareswar Galla (facilitated the drafting of the Code of Ethics for the Museum Association of the Caribbean) Vice President, ICOM.
• Pacific Museum Directors Leadership Group - Lawrence Foanaota, Director of National Museum & Cultural Village and President, Pacific Island Museums Association; Ralph Regenvanu, Director, Vanuatu Cultural Centre and Museum; Timaima S Buadromo, Director, Fiji Museum; Faustina K. Rehuher, Director, Belau National Museum; Simon Poraituk, Deputy Director, National Museum and Gallery, Papua New Guinea; and Robin Hekau, Project Development Officer, Department of Community Relations, Niue.
• Cultural Diversity, Museums and Heritage in Sustainable Development - Professor Amareswar Galla, Director, Sustainable Heritage Development, RSPAS; Professor Tom O'Regan, Convener, Museum Studies, University of Queensland, Brisbane; Dr Susan Cochrane, Fellow, University of Queensland; and Dr Max Quanchi, Queensland University of Technology.
• Sydney coordination - Con Gouriotis, Director of the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre and Liverpool Regional Museum; and Lenore Lindsay, New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service.
• UNESCO - Mali Voi, Cultural Adviser, UNESCO, Apia Office
• Conrad Gershevitch, National Director FECCA, Responsible for the Pacific Island Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia
• The Pacific Plan - Respective High Commissioners and Ambassadors

Participants

• Directors of Museums and Cultural Centers in Pacific Island Countries
• Curators and heritage professional with a work or project commitment in Pacific Island countries
• Advanced research students from all disciplines who are working on Pacific Museums and Heritage

Expressions of interest for the Research and Professional Development should contain the following information:

• Name and contact details including email, postal address and telephone number
• Current institutional affiliation and museum, art museum or heritage project area
• Name of supporting institution
• Anticipated project completion date
• Brief outline of your curatorial or research project (1-2 paragraphs)
• Title of presentation (20 minutes)
• Whether you require on-campus accommodation
• Whether you require halal or vegetarian food

NB. There is a cost involved for the Professional Development participants.

ANU Asia Pacific Week

The 2006 PMSHD is to be held in conjunction with summer schools in Chinese Studites, Thai Studies, Indonesian Studies, Korea Studies, Pacific Island Studies, Japan Studies, South Asia Studies and Asia-Pacific Defense Studies. The Asia-Pacific week will feature special events such as keynote speeches, films, performances and exhibitions. Participants at the CSGSS will interact with participants from other summer schools in a number of collective activities.

Contact

For further information:
Emily Edwards
Administrator
Pacific Asia Observatory for Cultural Diversity in Human Development
Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies
H.C. Coombs Building (9)
The Australian National University
T: 61 2 6125 8058
F: 61 2 6125 2977
Email: unesco@anu.edu.au
W: http://rspas.anu.edu.au/heritage
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