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Cincinnati hosts international museum conference Oct 14-18

CINCINNATI – Cincinnati is hosting a joint conference for the International Council of Museums (ICOM) October 14-18. The conference, Memory Building: Engaging Society in Self-Reflective Museums, is a meeting of ICOM’s International Committee of Memorial Museums in Remembrance of the Victims of Public Crimes (ICMEMO) and the International Committee for Architecture and Museum Techniques (ICAMT). Conference sessions are open to the public.

The ICMEMO/ICAMT conference will feature a series of keynote speakers and sessions across the city led by local and international schools and museum professionals. It comes to the United States at a complex political time to explore the topic of engaging societies in self-reflective museums.

“With a rich cultural history and a world-class cultural scene, Cincinnati is an apt venue for a discourse on the role of museums in social dialogue” says Karen S. Franklin, ICMEMO Past Chair and 2017 Conference Chair. “Our participants, memorial museum professionals and architects from all over the world – from Japan and Nigeria to the Dominican Republic – will find the city’s institutions reflect a view to the future while reflecting upon historical moments of change.”

Among the museums and organizations hosting sessions and events are the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Holocaust and Humanity Center, Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives, Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati Art Museum and Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza. Conference participants will also take tours of the Plum Street Temple and Union Terminal.

“The purpose of the Holocaust & Humanity Center aligns with the aims of the International Committee of Memorial Museums to foster responsible memory of history that furthers cooperation and peace,” said Sarah Weiss, executive director of the Holocaust & Humanity Center. “We look forward to welcoming colleagues from around the globe as we grapple with ways in which to connect complex histories with creating a better world. At a time of rising hatred and violent extremism around the globe, the lessons of history are needed now more than ever.”

The ICMEMO/ICAMT conference highlights Cincinnati’s vibrant cultural scene and the leading role its museums play in understanding the impact of social injustice in the past and the complexities of confronting present and future attempts to oppress other people. The 2017 conference marks the first time the ICMEMO conference has been held in the United States.

“As a national museum focused on the extended impact of racism and slavery in contemporary American society, it is a real privilege to host leaders of museums with missions that parallel that of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center,” said Dan Hurley, interim president of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. “Our staff looks forward to a healthy exchange of ideas that can strengthen our impact as a museum inspired by freedom seekers from the past and committed to improving our society for the future.”

Click here for a full list of sessions.