Newsletter Sharing Heritage Expertise Online version Sharing Heritage Expertise No.4, July-September 2018 After a warm summer break, we welcome you back to our newsletter! In this edition, you will learn about the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands’ publication on Assessing Museum Collections and about our partner, Heritage & Architecture at TU Delft. Throughout the summer, the Shared Cultural Heritage programme has been very busy with its collaborative work across the world – you can read all about our projects and activities at the end of this issue! Assessing a museum collection: the matter of value 2018 marked the end of the long and complex process of deaccessioning the Nusantara Collection, from the former Museum Nusantara, in the Netherlands. It was prolonged and complex due to the colonial origins of the collection and the fact that such a large-scale relocation process had never been carried out until then. To do so, it was necessary to carry out an extensive valuation of the collection, a process in which the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE) played a central role. With this experience as a backdrop, our feature article focuses on a method developed by experts of the RCE that enables a clear and thorough appreciation of the value of museum collections, thus allowing professionals in the field to make reasoned decisions. A document entitled Assessing Museum Collections. Collection valuation in six steps has been published on the RCE’s website and it functions as a practical guide, where this approach to valuation is explained in detail. Read the article here Meet our partner, Heritage & Architecture at TU Delft The transformation of cities and buildings is one of the main themes within the field of architecture today and an appropriate balance between old and new is essential for contemporary design in architecture. The section for Heritage & Architecture (H&A) at the Faculty of Architecture of Delft University of Technology (TUDelft) studies and explores the architectural and technical challenges we face in the conservation and transformation of existing architecture, including those buildings of cultural and historical significance. H&A is a natural partner for the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE) in academia because of its knowledge and experience on transformation processes within the field of architecture. The RCE and TU Delft have a long history of exchange and collaboration, and have joined forces for several projects concerning training and/or consultancy in South Africa, Brazil, Suriname, Russia, Indonesia and Japan. The most recent example was the Shared Heritage Studio Bandung (Indonesia), featured in our previous newsletter. If your organisation would like to get in touch with TU Delft’s Heritage & Architecture, to discuss possible partnerships, request training programmes or expert advice, please contact Alexander de Ridder (alexander.deridder@tudelft.nl). WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW? Collections Shared Cultural Heritage Training ‘Sharing Contested Histories’\\ 3 – 14 December \\ In cooperation with the Reinwardt Academy (Amsterdam University of the Arts), the RCE (Arjen Kok and Rianne Walet) will organise a training on the engagement with and presentation of shared cultural heritage topics that might be considered as being ‘contested’. 22 experts from different Shared Cultural Heritage partner countries (Australia, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Suriname and the United States)will reflect on these topics together with professionals from several Dutch museums. By using the concept of storytelling, this training will explore themes regarding open communication and multi-perspectivity in order to present cultural heritage from different angles. Those interested in participating in this training can still apply! Upcoming heritage experts and academics who have experience in the shared cultural heritage field, are working with contested histories and meet the requirements are welcome to send their CV and motivation letter to Rianne Walet (r.walet@cultureelerfgoed.nl) before 24 September 2018, 8 AM. For more information on learning objectives and requirements, please contact Rianne. Capacity Building for Museum Professionals in Yogyakarta, Indonesia \\ 16 – 19 July \\ Project supported by the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic Indonesia, the Embassy of the Netherlands in Indonesia and the RCE (Alexandra van Kleef) \\ Dutch trainers from the Reinwardt Academy, Heritage Hands-On and TiMe Amsterdam worked together with the Universitas Gadjah Mada (Yogyakarta), the University of Indonesia (Jakarta) and many Indonesian museum professionals towards a capacity building programme aimed at improving Indonesian museums, in order to increase museums’ income and number of visitors in the next five years. The participants of this workshop included 30 museum directors and museum staff from all over of Indonesia. This was the first of a series of workshops that will continue until 2020, following the inception mission which took place in January 2018 and established this long-term capacity building programme. Sharing knowledge on the conservation of museum collections between the Netherlands and South Africa \\ 16 – 18 July \\ Training organised by the South African Museum Organisation (SAMA) and the RCE (Alexandra van Kleef), with the support of the Embassy of the Netherlands in South Africa \\ The first phase of a Train-the-Trainer programme took place in Durban (South Africa) with museum professionals that aim to specialise in conservation and share this expertise with other professionals. 16 motivated trainees from different South African institutions and four trainers from the RCE, the Rijksmuseum, the University of Amsterdam and Helicon Conservation Support worked on the basics of conservation and risk management, as well as on trainer skills. Five more sessions over the next three years will cover different kinds of materials, such as paper, metal and wood. Exploratory Mission – Masterplan Railway Museums Indonesia, Ambarawa \\ 7 – 12 July \\ RCE (Ben de Vries) and TiMe Amsterdam (Max Meijer) \\ This mission was requested by the Preservation & Architecture Unit of the state-owned Indonesian Railway Company (PT. Kereta Api Persero) in Jakarta. It is part of a trajectory towards a masterplan which focuses on an integrated approach to the revitalization of the most important railway heritage sites in Indonesia, which tell fascinating stories about its 150-year-old railway history. It concerns the following museums and their collections: the former head-office of the Nederlandsch-Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij (Lawang Sewu) in Semarang, the National Railway Museum in Ambarawa, the Railway Museum and memorial site in Bondowoso and the Railway Museum of the mining city Sawah Lunto on Sumatra. Further information: https://heritage.kai.id Heritage & Spatial Planning Event Reuse, Redevelop and Design in Russia \\ 20 September – 31 December \\ Organised by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Moscow and supported by the RCE \\ Based on the RCE’s book and exhibition Reuse, Redevelop and Design, Eva Radionova has curated an exhibition and a documentary under the same title. The event consists of a travelling exhibition that includes the documentary, and which will be surrounded by several debates and workshops. The event will open in Moscow on 20 and 21 September. The debates and workshops will be attended by the RCE and by several Dutch restoration architects on the invitation of the Dutch Embassy. Later this year, the exhibition will travel to St. Petersburg and possibly to other cities. Indonesian Trading Network Programme, the Netherlands \\ 17 – 21 September \\ Peter Timmer, Dré van Marrewijk, Jean-Paul Corten (RCE) \\The RCE will receive 10 officials from the Indonesian Ministries of Culture, Public Works and Land Use. The workshop is organised with several Dutch institutes and experts and is part of a long-term collaboration between the two countries. The topic of this collaboration is integrating heritage conservation in urban management and planning policies. The upcoming workshop will focus on the needs of the (to be) nominated World Heritage Cities in Indonesia, some of which share a colonial past with the Netherlands. Next year’s programme, to be held in Indonesia, will follow-up on the outcomes of this year’s workshop. Training – Urban Heritage Strategies for Sri Lankan Professionals, the Netherlands \\ 20 – 31 August \\ Organised by the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam and the RCE (Jean-Paul Corten and many others), and supported by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Sri Lanka \\ Requested by the Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development of Sri Lanka, 17 governmental officials attended a tailor-made Training on Urban Heritage Strategies in Rotterdam. The main goal of this two-week training was to build capacity within urban heritage management. Visitors Programme – Architectural Archives in South Africa \\ 2 – 6 July \\ Through a joint Visitors Programme between the RCE (Alexandra van Kleef, Peter Don, Jean-Paul Corten) and DutchCulture, four archival experts from South Africa were invited to the Netherlands. The topic of their visit was the management and conservation of architectural drawings. During their explorative meetings with several Dutch institutions and experts, the South African team was able to define a future cooperation between the two countries on this topic. In 2019, the team will organise a platform in South Africa to address the current urgencies in their institutions, and Dutch experts will be invited to share their knowledge and experience. Maritime Archaeology Search for the Kanrin Maru shipwreck \\ This September, the Maritime Programme of the RCE (Leon Derksen) will rejoin forces with Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology for a renewed effort to search for the Kanrin Maru shipwreck. An extensive report is planned for the next issue of this newsletter. Rooswijk shipwreck 2018 expedition \\ 15 June – 12 August \\ The Rooswijk excavation project has come to an end. After 100 dives this summer, the RCE and its British colleagues from Historic England and MSDS-Marine were able to excavate the galley, as well as parts of the hull and deck. It was possible to collect objects from the constable room, food and drink storage rooms, various huts behind the mast and the cargo. Historical research is being done simultaneously; the combination between the two disciplines – archaeology and history – continues to produce a wealth of information about the ship and the wreck. Conservation of the artefacts, historical research and writing up the project will take another few years. You can follow it on https://www.maritime-heritage.com. Netherlands and Cuba sign Memorandum of Understanding on maritime heritage in Havana (Cuba) \\ 11 July \\ The National Council of Cultural Heritage of Cuba (CNPC), agency of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Cuba, and the Maritime Programme of the RCE will henceforth work closely together on research, management and protection of maritime heritage in Cuban waters.In 2017, the Dutch minister of Education, Culture and Science had agreed on this with her Cuban colleague. These agreements are now established in detail in the MoU, and concern the mapping of Dutch shipwrecks and focus on the maritime heritage that both countries share. This involves exchanging and sharing data, conducting maritime archaeological research and protection, underwater cultural heritage management training, as well as increasing awareness and public support. Information Sharing Heritage Expertise is the newsletter of the Shared Cultural Heritage Programme of the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands. This programme follows from the International Cultural Policy Framework of the Dutch government. Other organisations executing the national Shared Cultural Heritage Programme are DutchCulture and the National Archives of the Netherlands, and the Embassies of the Netherlands in the 10 partner countries. For more information on their activities, see their respective websites. For more information, please visit our website (English and Dutch) or contact the editor, Sofia Lovegrove (lovegrove.sofia@gmail.com). We welcome comments and suggestions regarding the content of our newsletter. Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands Smallepad 5 | 3811 MG Amersfoort Postbus 1600 | 3800 BP Amersfoort The Netherlands +31 (0)33 – 421 7 421 info@cultureelerfgoed.nl www.culturalheritageagency.nl                                                                Forward this newsletter to a friend Is this email forwarded to you and would you like to receive this newsletter? Subscribe here.  Change your preferences or unsubscribe from this newsletter.