In preparation for the 25th International Council of Museums (ICOM) General Conference taking place this September in Kyoto, a series of discussions and exchange of ideas on museum-related issues will be held in Taiwan from June through August.
Titled "ICOM x Kyoto," the four-part program is being organized by the Taipei-based Chinese Association of Museums (CAM), National Taiwan Museum, and The Cultural Taiwan Foundation. All lectures will be hosted by the National Taiwan Museum's Land Bank Exhibition Hall in Taipei.
Dedicated to the future and professional development of museums, the first event was held on June 5 and featured guest speakers Kenji Saotome from the International Council of Regional Museums and Darko Babic of ICOM's International Committee for the Training of Personnel.
Other upcoming events include July 5 presentations on Kyoto's historic environmental and cultural assets by heritage preservationists Li Chien-lang (李乾朗) and Huang Shih-chuan (黃士娟); a July 26 introduction to the unmissable museums of the Keihanshin region encompassing Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe by museum expert Huang Jan-yen (黃貞燕); and an Aug. 9 orientation for those who are presenting their papers at the Kyoto conference.
The triennial ICOM General Conference in Kyoto will host some 3,000 participants from around the world from Sept. 1 to 7 under the theme "Museum as Cultural Hubs: The Future of Tradition." Many museums from Taiwan hold ICOM membership and will be in attendance, including the National Taiwan Museum that plans to share over 50 research papers and memorabilia items like exhibition posters.