Dear reader,
Welcome
to our quarterly newsletter! Here you can read about the recent news and developments
of the International Heritage Cooperation programme of the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands
(RCE).
Do you
have any questions or suggestions? Please let us know.
Happy readings!
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| |  | Michaëla Hanssen © Paul Tolenaar |
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| | This Summer, Michaëla joined our team as Programme Director: "I
have a strong belief that things come your way when you are ready to receive
them. So I am very happy that I was there at the right time and in the right
place to become Director of the International Heritage Cooperation programme.
The
last three years I have led a programme at the RCE to
prepare the ratification in The Netherlands of the Faro Convention (The Value
of Cultural Heritage for Society). This convention asks to recognise the
central role of people and human values in the process of defining and managing
cultural heritage. It points to heritage as a resource for human development,
enhancement of cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue.
How
to use the great potential of heritage in societal challenges is also the focus
of the International Heritage Cooperation programme and I am very much
looking forward to explore this path further with our partners all over the
world." |
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| |  | Van Ostrande Radliff en Van Lindenhoutmuseum © Historic Albany Foundation | © Van Lindehoutmuseum |
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| | Heritage and urban development experts from the USA and the Netherlands
will meet again on 21 October to discuss the results of their final meeting about
Van Ostrande Radliff House in Albany (New York, USA) and Kinderdorp Neerbosch
in Nijmegen (NL). The last theme of this international expert meeting will
relate to restoration ethics, interventions and the use of (new) materials. Join us during this online public forum to learn more about
these two historic sites and the urban development challenges they face, and to
hear what the plans and solutions are for the restoration of these sites.
The online meeting takes place at 21 October from 15:00 through 17:00 (CET).
Click the button below for more information about the event. | | |
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| | Participants of the 2019 edition of the training Sharing Stories on Contested Histories © RCE |
| | Discussing global societal challenges while establishing networks with
other experts from around the world: twenty-four young professionals from our
programme’s partner countries will have this chance during the upcoming edition
of Sharing Stories on Contested Histories. They will join us during a two-week
online training programme in November, when they will explore together how they
can ethically engage with complex heritage to shape more equitable futures. This training deals with challenges in the field of
cultural heritage that are widely shared by bringing together professionals
from different countries and backgrounds to exchange perspectives and develop
new knowledge and practices together. Participants will discuss these topics
based on four case study museums: Muquifu (Belo Horizonte, Brazil), Museum
Multatuli (Rangkasbitung, Indonesia), Museum Sophiahof (The Hague, the Netherlands) and District
Six Museum (Cape Town, South Africa).
The RCE organizes this training course in close collaboration with the
Reinwardt Academy. In our December newsletter, we will give you an update on
the insights participants gained and exchanged during this course. | |
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| | | Casablanca was one of the UHS 7 case studies © Imad Dahmani |
| | Alexandria, Istanbul, Casablanca and Amsterdam: four historic port
cities that differ largely in history and development, in morphology and
context, in social and economic composition. Yet they share a global water
challenge. How to use history to understand current water issues? How to
protect the historic fabric against water threats, or how to adapt to them? How
to combine heritage management and water management in a planning strategy?
These were the key questions addressed during the 7th edition
of the Course on Urban Heritage Strategies (UHS), annually conducted by the
RCE, Erasmus University Rotterdam and TU Delft. At the end of August, the
participants presented their strategic action plans for the four case study cities, in
the presence of the Dutch ambassador for International Cultural Cooperation,
Mrs. Dewi van de Weerd.
The most striking conclusion to draw is that it was
precisely the differences between the case cities that were most fruitful in
finding local solutions. Differences urged the participants to reflect upon and
re-think their home situation. It made them think outside the box and helped
them find new answers to urgent matters. A most interesting conclusion, which
we will keep in mind for future activities. Currently the RCE and the Turkish
participants are discussing a follow-up on their findings in Istanbul. | |
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| | | Last August saw the reburial of the human remains of at least 184
individuals linked to a former VOC hospital in Simon's Town that was used from 1765 to
the beginning of the 19th century. The RCE has been involved ever
since the initial excavations in 2019. Together
with Leiden University, we coordinated
further analysis to unravel the possible origins of the persons found buried. Lab results, in conjunction with archaeological and
historical data, point strongly towards a
domicile in Europe for these individuals.
The reburial represents one of
the final phases in a concerted effort of archaeological
company ACO Associates, Simon’s Town Museum, the Netherlands Embassy, Leiden University and the RCE to bring these people to their final resting place. They now lie buried in the Old Burying Ground in Seaforth, Simon’s Town. In our December newsletter, we will give you an update about this project. |
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| |  | Delftware tiles in the City Palace Museum of Udaipur © RCE |
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| | During the
former policy period of this programme (2017-2020), the City Palace Museum of Udaipur in India contacted the RCE about a possible cooperation to conserve and promote a
shared legacy at Udaipur. Because of the covid-pandemic, the RCE had to wait until now to look
into this collaboration with India. The City Palace Museum is
housed within the iconic,16th century palace complex at Udaipur, the former
abode of the rulers of Mewar. The heritage in
question leads us back to a trade mission of the VOC, led by
Johan Ketelaar in 1711. The visit was depicted in
several paintings that are now in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and in the
Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
One of the results of these ties
between the two countries can be seen in Delftware tiles that are part of the
collection of the museum. In September, our colleague Yolanda Ezendam visited
the museum at the invitation of Prince Lakshyarai Singh (successor in the Mewar
dynasty), to discuss a possible collaboration on the basis of knowledge
exchange and to identify possible shared challenges. We will keep you informed
about the next steps of this collaboration. |
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| | | In October,
the RCE and the Reinwardt Academy will join the Museum Intensives Training Programme (MI) of the
Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Sri Lanka (MMCA Sri Lanka). MI is a
series of training programmes organized for Sri Lankan professionals in museums and
collection-based cultural institutions. The programme aims to catalyse
knowledge-sharing and professional development in under-explored areas in the
sector. The RCE and the Reinwardt Academy are working in partnership with MMCA to deliver the
first Museum Intensives focusing on audience engagement, strengthening cross-cultural
knowledge and expertise sharing between professionally engaged learning
organizations in Sri Lanka and the Netherlands.
This Museum
Intensives is supported by the Netherlands Embassy: “The Embassy is proud and
pleased to have partnered with MMCA Sri Lanka in this ground-breaking
initiative. Sri Lanka has a rich culture in terms of history and heritage and
contemporary and modern art. The MI will bring these two together, and engage
Sri Lankan and Dutch professionals. It will be a unique opportunity to
exchange, learn, and inspire. The project will help to strengthen the capacity
of Sri Lankan museum professionals to preserve and promote their culture and to
further engage current and future generations,” Tanja Gonggrijp, former
Ambassador for the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Sri Lanka. |
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| | | Covers of the first two publications |
| | The practice of painting conservation
has developed at an astounding pace. During a series of masterclasses and
conferences, organized in the period 2012-2020 by the Foundation for Cultural Inventory (SCI) in India, Russia and Cuba to mutually
exchange and deepen knowledge in relation to local contexts, it became apparent
that not all professional conservators seem to have access to current
information about this subject. The organizing parties - SCI together with SRAL –The Conservation Institute, the RCE, and Dutch embassies in the partner
countries of the International Heritage Cooperation programme – therefore decided
to create a series of six brochures on the conservation of paintings.
These brochures will be published online, and are accessible for professionals
who want to know more about the subject. The first two publications – Dirt and Dirt Removal and Varnish
Removal – are already available. | |
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| | | | The BlendEd Platform is
a joint initiative of the Faculty of Architecture at TU Delft (BK) and the
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS) at Erasmus
University, Rotterdam. The platform displays educational videos that cover a variety of topics
on urban development from both social science and design/planning perspectives.
One of the three topics covered is Heritage Values.
The RCE joined the
initiating parties by producing two of the videos on this topic. This
contribution resulted from the close collaboration the RCE has with both
institutes on the theme of Urban Heritage Strategies (UHS) as conducted within
the International Heritage Cooperation programme. The videos will not only be used as the starting point for new interdisciplinary classes between the
two academic institutes but they will also serve the RCE’s international
hands-on projects.
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| | | | This is the newsletter of the
International Heritage Cooperation programme of the Cultural Heritage Agency of
the Netherlands. Our programme follows from the International Cultural Policy
Framework 2021-2024 of the Dutch government. Other organisations executing the
national International Heritage Cooperation programme are DutchCulture, the
National Archives of the Netherlands, KIEN and the Embassies of the Netherlands
in the partner countries. For more information on their activities, see their
respective websites.
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.JPG?v=20220914113954 "Blended")
