Between Mobility, Control, and Social Transformation

In March 2020, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art from Rijeka published the reader Between Mobility, Control, and Social Transformation, thus bringing to an end the four-year EU project Risk Change—an interdisciplinary project dealing with the topic of migration. It is a valuable publication featuring texts by experts from various fields of work, who covered this complex topic in their theoretical or practical work.

As part of the Risk Changes project, the Museum addressed the themes of migration (temporary and forced), escape, and the formation of prejudices about foreigners and newcomers through group exhibitions and art residencies, which are documented in this publication. Also, round tables, symposia, cinema screenings, and workshops were organized, and research was conducted to verify the accuracy of the statement about the openness and multiculturalism of Rijeka, which is discussed in this book by Barbara Matejčić and Drago Župarić-Iljić. The Museum's curators Ksenija Orelj and Sabina Salamon, wrote about the project itself, mentioning how someone spray-painted over the banner placed on the facade of the Museum that had the motto of the project.

The reader records research and anthropological fieldwork conducted by Igor Petričević while volunteering at the Porin Hotel, the main reception center for asylum seekers. In addition to having the opportunity to meet asylum seekers, and talking to a resident of Dugave, he recognized the emergence of "compassionate xenophobia" among the local population. One of the texts contains notes on the ethnographic research conducted in 2016 at the Winter Reception and Transit Center of the Republic of Croatia in Slavonski Brod by Marijana Hameršak and Iva Pleše from the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Research. Despite approval and accreditations, only quick space scans and interviews with management structures were allowed, but not with volunteers or migrants. Researchers, however, managed overtly to record some things.

Moving away from the topic of the migrant crisis, the guest curators of the first exhibition—Irena Bekić and Duga Mavrinac—wrote about the issue of temporary (so-called circular) migrations. In his text, Željko Senković presents a philosophical-theoretical overview of the topic of migration, and CJ Stephens writes about the experience of the Other from a psychoanalytic perspective and the relationship between the internal psychic space and external social and political spaces. Dragan Markovina addressed the topic of (lost) multiculturalism and nationalism of the Balkan-Mediterranean area as well as the prejudices of Western Europe regarding that area. Manuela Bojadžijev spoke about the migration policy of the European Union and the "impossibility of the European citizenship concept." 

The reader Between Mobility, Control, and Social Transformation is available online.

NEMO releases initial report on museums in the time of the coronavirus

Following the closure of museums worldwide, NEMO has been surveying museums in Europe on the impact of COVID-19, especially regarding the loss of income, but also on what has been described as "unprecedented creative digital use and engagement with and through culture in the world."

NEMO's initial report presents analyzed data from over 650 museums from 41 countries that have so far participated in the survey. That includes museums from all 27 EU member states, from 9 member states of the Council of Europe, and also museums in the USA, Philippines, Malaysia, French Polynesia, and Iran. 

The short survey (it doesn't take more than 5 minutes to fill) is open until 17 April 2020, and NEMO encourages museums to take part. The data collected will serve to advocate for support to museums and to help them exchange and learn from each other.

Also, NEMO has put together an overview of initiatives of museums, who, despite being closed, are continuing to provide a variety of digital services and support the public in these tumultuous and uncertain times.

ETERNAL WATERS: LIFE & BEAUTY -  The Croatian Contribution to the European Heritage

(The Croatian Conservation Institute, 2020)

If you want to find out more about Croatia we highly recommend ETERNAL WATERS: LIFE & BEAUTY: The Croatian Contribution to the European Heritage. The book has been published only recently by the Croatian Conservation Institute and is entirely available online.

Renowned experts from various fields of expertise selected the best examples of natural and cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible. This anthology includes some hundred architectural gems, artistic masterpieces, customs, and artifacts from a vast treasure trove of Croatian folklore and tradition, and nature areas of exceptional beauty and ecological value (national parks, geoparks).

The contents of the book are divided into five chapters, according to five Croatian regions surrounded by rivers and the sea, making water the connecting thread. Each subject is represented by an excellent photograph and accompanied by texts in Croatian and English.

A short promotional video is also available online.

After the COVID-19 outbreak paralyzed normal life in Europe and around the world, museum organizations such as ICOM and AAM have put together some useful ideas, information, and recommendations for museum professionals. The focus is on implementing strict measures to help contain the spread of the virus while considering alternative ways to engage with the public and continue to work under these unprecedented circumstances. Also, the Network of European Museums Organization (NEMO) is at the moment gathering information about how museums are dealing with the coronavirus. If you want to participate in the online survey, click here.

If you want to use your time for learning, check out these free online courses by the Museum of Modern Art and the American Museum of Natural History  via Coursera.

NEMO is inviting museum workers to join their free webinar Creative Europe What's in it for museums? scheduled on 15 April 2020 at 11:00 CEST. The webinar is limited to 100 participants. You can register by 14 April. You can find all previous webinars on NEMO's YouTube channel.

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