Symposium on cultural heritage management

Public-Private Partnership in the Management of Cultural Heritage
    Assets: a European Challenge International Seminar on the
    occasion of the German Presidency of the EU Council 2007

National Museums Berlin, Museum / Dahlem
Berlin
15-16 June 2007

While the attention given to cultural heritage by Government and
media has never been greater than at present, paradoxically, there
are strong indications of declining direct Government support for
those public institutions responsible for conservation practice and
teaching.

In the field of cultural heritage management, Public-Private
Partnerships (PPP) appear a promising perspective to balance
increasing pressure of market forces on the one hand and governments
responsibilities in protecting public values on the other hand.

The international trend of privatizing public services also concerns
the conservation of cultural heritage as a public value. It has
become obvious that the State's capacities as a safeguarder and
provider of public services are, at least in financial terms,
limited. This new situation is reflected in reduced funding support
for conservation institutions.

In some cases, to cope with the rising costs of managing the
increasing number of museums, heritage monuments, sites and the
like, private investments and sponsorship are evidently providing
necessary support. So far, the tendency of privatizing state-owned
cultural heritage has resulted in an increase in the contracting out
(outsourcing) of conservation projects to the private sector.

At all these levels, despite the high quality of individual project
work that can result and the opportunities for the development of
Public-Private-Partnership in this field, there are still some
concerns about policies to be adopted.

At the international seminar in Berlin, experts and decision-makers
will come together to discuss the current state and future
perspectives of Public-Private Partnerships in the management of
cultural heritage assets in Europe. The focus will be on the
privatisation of conservation, which has a number of implications at
the level of Governments' responsibilities towards heritage
conservation, with respect to the professional training and
employment of conservators and regarding fundamental issues such as
documentation and maintenance work.

The following topics will be addressed:

    Analysis of the current situation: successful models of
    Public-Private Partnership in Conservation and Site Management
    (case studies)

    Discussion on issues raised in both Public and Private
    Conservation and Site Management (Economic Aspects, Technology
    Transfer, Tourism and Private Sector Involvement, Quality
    control of outsourced works, Conservation and Conservation
    Science as assets for European competitiveness )

    Implications of Private-Public Partnerships (Legal, ethical,
    professional implications of privatization in conservation and
    cultural heritage management, Aspects of training and teaching -
    employment prospects for conservators )

On June 16, 2007 round table discussions focusing on the above
topics will provide opportunities for exchange between lecturers and
workshop participants. Papers are accepted. Some of them will be
selected for oral presentation; the remaining ones may be presented
as posters. Papers and outcome of the Seminar are supposed to be
subject to publication.

Registration fee: 100 Euro, students discount 50 Euro. The fee
covers information materials, assistance to the sessions and coffee
breaks. After May 15, 2007 the registration fee will be 150 Euro.

Information:

    Eveline Weilert
    +49 30 32 67 49 19
    Fax: +49 30 32 67 49 12
    e.weilert [at] smb__spk-berlin__de

    German: <URL:http://www.smb.museum/rf>
    English: <URL:http://www.iccrom.org>

Deadline for Abstracts May 15, 2007

Working language: English. Kindly note, that no simultaneous
translation will be provided.

Participation: The Workshop is open to everyone. The subject matter
is of particular interest to museum, conservation and tourism
professionals involved in decision and policy making with respect to
the management of cultural assets. A certificate of attendance will
be granted.

Organization: Rathgen Research Laboratory with the National Museums,
Berlin in collaboration with the International Centre for the Study
of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM ),
Rome in cooperation with the German Commission for UNESCO and the
Getty Conservation Institute. It is supported by the Foreign Office
of the Federal Republic of Germany on the occasion of the German
Presidency of the EU Council 2007.

Stefan Simon
Direktor
Rathgen Forschungslabor
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Schlossstrasse 1A
D - 14059 Berlin
+49 30 3267 4910
Fax: +49 30 3267 4912


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 20:49
                  Distributed: Friday, April 13, 2007
                       Message Id: cdl-20-49-015
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