Roundtables

Roundtables offer the chance to approach key topics in a broader perspective. Short keynotes presented by speakers on stage will serve as points of departure for a joint discussion with the audience.

Roundtable 1

Collaborative Practices: Cross-encounters between Art and Science in University Collections

The roundtable “Collaborative Practices”, hosted by the Albertinum of Dresden State Art Collections (SKD), is dedicated to the potential that lies in artistic-scientific collaboration. Internationally renowned artists, distinguished researchers and prominent experts from the field of university collections will discuss how artistic practice and transdisciplinary engagement with university and museum collections can expand and transform knowledge and the history of knowledge.

with
Lena von Goedecke (SchauflerLab@TU Dresden, Germany)
Matthew McGinity (TUD Dresden University of Technology, Germany)
Volker Wissemann (Gießen University / Gesellschaft für Universitätssammlungen e.V., Germany)

welcome remarks by
Hilke Wagner (Director, Albertinum - Dresden State Art Collections, Germany)

chaired by
Veronika Liebl

Roundtable 2

Difficult Heritage: Provenance and Restitution

“Repatriation/Restitution/Return of items from (university) museums and collections is -slowly but surely- becoming normalised. Many returns come with claims of additional value over and above a mere transactional nature of transfer of ownership of items or the repatriation of human remains. But what is it that we return beyond the items and the documentation, intellectual property rights and possibly knowledges associated with them? People speak about building relationships, about restoring dignity, about transferring power to recipient communities and more. But are we? And to whom? The panellists will critically reflect on current praxis.

with
Prof Dr. Wayne Modest (Director, Wereldmuseum, The Netherlands)
Prof. Dr. Gilbert Lupfer (Chair, Lost Art Foundation, Germany)
Neil Curtis (Head of Museums and Special Collections, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK)

chaired by
Steph Scholten

Roundtable 3

Shaping Transformation: Future Perspectives for University Collections and Museums

University museums and collections are among the world's great cultural treasures. They are the means and starting point for many research projects, and often constitute an integral part of universities' educational work. As part of the academic system, they are subject to complex processes of change and transformation that deeply affect their content and use.

Against this background, the usability and impact of university collections depends heavily on a number of factors, both internal and external. Their value as a resource, and the need for their preservation, are constantly being reassessed, even questioned. This presents those charged with safeguarding them with a series of questions: How can they actively shape these processes and, at best, benefit from them? How can university collections and museums position themselves as an infrastructure for knowledge, both old and new, in environments that are becoming increasingly difficult to navigate?  

The third and last roundtable of the 2024 joint annual meeting of ICOM-UMAC and UNIVERSEUM will look back at the conference to identify and trace the overarching themes and urgent challenges colleagues in the academic heritage sector are facing today. Opening thoughts by the heads of the three organizations behind the event will open a space for a joint discussion with all participants.

with
Kirsten Vincenz, Office for Academic Heritage, Scientific, and Art Collections at TUD Dresden University of Technology (Germany)
Andrew Simpson, ICOM-UMAC / Macquarie University, Sydney (Australia)
Sébastien Soubiran, UNIVERSEUM European Academic Heritage Network / Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg (France)

chaired by
Marta Lourenço