The Art and Culture Development Foundation under the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan, together with the British Council and Goldsmiths University (UK), conduct a long-term program on museum management in Tashkent. On September 16, the fourth cycle of the course started in the building of the Republican Children's Library. Over the course of five days, participants will study the educational component of museum activities in detail.
The course participants were happy to meet again, because the first course of Museum Management began back in December 2018. The course itself is designed with an emphasis on improving the administrative structure of museums in Uzbekistan and improving the quality of services for visitors. The course program was built on the experience of museum workers in the UK and includes the study of the best international practices in museum management, project management, as well as marketing and communication.
The course was attended by specialists from museums and departmental institutions of Uzbekistan. Representatives from the State Museum of Applied Arts of Uzbekistan, the State Museum of Arts named after I.V. Savitsky (Karakalpakstan), the State Museum of Arts of Uzbekistan, as well as the Art and Culture Development Foundation under the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the State Institute of Arts and Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan all participated in the course.
Jamilya Gulyamova, Deputy Director of the British Council in Uzbekistan:
- Museum Management courses from the very beginning were exciting. I am glad that the audience is consistently delving into the knowledge that our trainers from Goldsmiths University pass on to us. This time, the course focuses on the study of the educational component of museum activities. I want the cultural workers who are listening to the course to be able to get as many practical skills as possible in order to introduce these programs in the calendar plans of museums in Uzbekistan in the future. Since the course is nearing completion, we soon plan to hold a symposium where participants will be able to tell what specific programs they have already developed for their museums and what they plan to implement in the coming years.
According to the course lecturers from the UK who have presented theoretical material, the classes will cover “working” knowledge and that which is applicable in practice. Participants will be able to apply the acquired knowledge gained in the lectures when drawing up the calendar plans of museums for the next year.
Sylvia Lahav, a lecturer at Goldsmiths University in the Department of Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship, UK:
- I am glad to see the listeners of our course again. I would like to thank the organizers for their cooperation and partnership. The participants have already learned a lot during the previous training course in the Museum Management program, and in the final cycles I want to listen more to the participants themselves. Over these five days, we will study the issues of the educational function of museums in-depth and will carry out tasks that allow participants to develop their programs and implement ideas that they can apply in their work.
Virginia Button, Director of the Falmouth School of Art, UK:
- It's nice to see all our participants again, as well as to watch their growth. In our current cycle of the course, we will consider the actions that can be taken within the walls of the museum to conduct educational programs in an informal way so that museum visitors are not bored. It is nice to see that the participants are actively involved and are sharing their projects that they have already been able to implement, thanks to the knowledge gained in the course.
Sylvia Lahav and Virginia Button opened the Museum Management Course in December 2018 and conducted the first five-day cycle of the course for the audience in Uzbekistan. The initial acquaintance of the speakers with the local museum environment showed that the country has great potential for the development of museums and galleries, as can also play a role in the development of tourism.
The Museum Management course will end on September 20.
