2010 International Committee for Regional Museums Annual Meeting Successfully Held in Shanghai

As a significant component of 22nd ICOM General Conference & 25th Plenary Session, 2010 Annual Meeting of International Committee for Regional Museums (ICR) kicked off in Shanghai, China on November 7, with over 60 representatives from 16 countries and regions all over the world attending.

The six-day meeting witnessed various meetings scheduled by ICOM General Conference as well as a two-and-a-half-day tour arranged by ICR to Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Shanghai Municipal History Museum, Shanghai Museum, QingPu Museum, Zhujajiao (an ancient town), etc. 

Chen Jianming attends the ICOM meeting.

(Chen Jianming: the vice president of Chinese National Committee of ICOM, vice president of Museums Association of China (MAOC),  vice chairman & secretary-general of Regional Museum Committee of (MAOC), director-general of Hunan Society of Museums and director of Hunan Provincial Museum)

On the morning of November 10, 2010 ICR Symposium was held at Shanghai Expo Center. Jane Legget, vice president of ICR and Han Yong, chairman of Regional Museum Committee of MAOC addressed the opening ceremony. Chen Jianming delivered a keynote speech titled “Regional Museums in China for Social Harmony: Experiences of Hunan Provincial Museum”, followed by speeches on the theme of “Museums for Social Harmony” made by Sheng Jianwu, director of Sichuan Museum, Liu Yuanming, director of Qingdao Municipal Museum, and other representatives from home and abroad.

That afternoon, ICR also convened the 2010 Plenary Session on summarizing the related work undertaken by the committee from 2007 to 2010, revising its Constitution and electing new director for the committee. Chen Jianming, director of Hunan Provincial Museum, won the election and unprecedentedly, became the first representative of regional museums in China that enters the leading group of the committee.

A group photo for representatives in 2010 ICR Annual Meeting

Hunan Provincial Museum, as the institution where secretariat of Regional Museum Committee of MAOC is located, has made every endeavor to organize, arrange and render services for this meeting, which won favorable review by all participants. Jane Legget acclaimed this meeting as the best one over the years.

A Brief Introduction of the Regional Museum Committee 

 (From China Cultural Heritage Net)

On December 18 of 2007, 27 regional museums gathered in Changsha，Hunan Province，and formally established the Regional Museum Committee under the Chinese Association of Museums, with its secretariat located in Hunan Provincial Museum. Now she has altogether 40 institution members including all provincial museums and some important municipal museums in China.

The Charter have clarified the activities of the Committee and pointed out that its responsibilities include: establish a nationwide professional exchange network for regional museums, organize research subjects and academic exchanges, and promote the development and prosperity of regional museums in China; strengthen academic coordination and cooperation with both Chinese and foreign museum fields, and organize and participate in academic activities at home and abroad; create a regional museum information center and a website, and edit and publish academic books, journals, newsletters and documents related to the field so as to promote the development of the discipline; provide related information, consultancy, scientific research and other services to parent government departments, other related departments and agencies, and the public, and offer advice and suggestions on the construction and development of regional museums; carry out continued education and training for members and regional museum staff, popularize museology and related knowledge, and upgrade the popularity and overall level of regional museums; safeguard the legal rights of members and regional museum staff, report their grudges and cries, and hold activities to serve members; organize award appraisals in the areas of regional museum construction, management, innovation, development and scientific research results, nurture and introduce outstanding talents, and promote the development of regional museums.

                                                                                                                                                                       Edited and translated by Hunan Provincial Museum