Simon O'Connor’s Post

Researchers believe they have found the wreck of the HMS Stephen Furness, a ship that’s been lost to the bottom of the Irish sea along with over 100 crew for more than a century, after it was sunk in WWII. With AHRC funding, the Unpath’d Waters project was able to locate the shipwreck by combining resources and new data through a digital ‘hyper network’, uniting UK’s museums, galleries, libraries and archives. Professor Christopher Smith, Executive Chair for AHRC shares his thoughts: “This is a thrilling discovery and a testament to power AHRC aims to unleash by connecting the disparate collections of information and material held by the UK’s various heritage institutions through the Towards a National Collection project. The exemplary work of the Unpath’d Waters has revealed, at long last, the resting place of over a hundred men who died under tragic circumstances and gives us a tantalising hint at the historical riches concealed within the waters that surround our island. If the work of Towards a National Collection is already leading to finds this exciting, I cannot wait to see what else it might enable in the future.” Find out more on this incredible collaboration and what it means for maritime heritage:  https://lnkd.in/e8pZDpzM

Visit the first online maritime museum: https://lnkd.in/dX5TzbQk The Greek Shipping Miracle, the first online maritime museum, was established in 2014 by author, maritime historian and former shipowner George M. Foustanos as an effort to raise awareness about the Greek shipping industry and its long-standing contribution to both the Greek and the global economy. This educational website enables visitors to explore the modern and contemporary history of the world’s leading merchant marine power in the familiar format of a museum layout.

🇪🇺 Today and yesterday MCA was at the European Commission Expert Group for Cultural Heritage 🏺 A wonderful stage where Member States, EU representatives and Civil Society organizations convene to talk about the pressing issues in the sector. Here are 3 takeaways: 🤝 The European Heritage Hub presented their latest achievements and developments: the "Heritage Library", a repository for heritage-related materials, and the "Policy Monitor", mapping out policies impacting heritage across European, national and local level. We are glad to see such an important initiative keeping up the good work. 🖼️ The Subgroup for the dialogue with the art market presented their findings and recommendations. As members of the ANCHISE Project (Horizon Europe), we welcome this initiative and the active dialogue with Art Market professionals stemming from it: we can't wait to hear more on the next meetings and we thank all the involved actors. 🌐 During the open floor, we presented our new Action Group for Digital & AI, in collaboration with Culture Action Europe: an advocacy group for CAE & MCA members aimed at bringing the Cultural Sector perspective to the Digital policies in EU. Our civil society colleagues were there with us, like Europeana , NEMO - Network of European Museum Organisations Pearle* Live Performance Europe * International Council of Museums (ICOM) ACCR - Association des Centres culturels de rencontre ENCATC Europa Nostra and many more

⭐ National Windrush Museum Signs Historic MOU with University of Greenwich and The University of the West Indies ⭐ The National Windrush Museum (NWM) has taken a monumental step toward advancing #education, cultural #heritage, and historical #research by signing a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the University of Greenwich (UoG) and the University of the West Indies (UWI). This landmark agreement follows the groundbreaking initial signing ceremony held at the #HouseofLords on 24 November 2023 between National Windrush Museum and Royal Museums Greenwich The signing held at UofG was graced by distinguished figures, including Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, Vice-Chancellor of the University of the West Indies, Andrew Westby, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Greenwich, and NWM Founder and Chairman. Dr Les Johnson PhD. This agreement will lay the foundation for a series of collaborative initiatives to celebrate, preserve, and explore the rich legacy of the #Windrush generation and its contribution to global history. Thank you to everyone who attended and supported our Autumn Series of events. As you can see, there is much more to come 🎉🎉🎉 #watchthisspace and stay updated at our website: https://lnkd.in/eqrrbaay

https://lnkd.in/ey9iJ7tK **Event**European symposium: Challenging narratives, fostering empowerment and collaborative practice Museum of Liverpool, Pier Head, Liverpool, L3 1DG Date and Time: Thursday 20 June 2024, 10am - 17.30pm RSVP by clicking on the link We are delighted to invite you to join us for a European symposium on 20 June 2024 in Liverpool, a port city that holds vital memory of emigration and transatlantic enslavement. The symposium is hosted by the Transatlantic Slavery and Legacies in Museums Forum in collaboration with the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience-Europe and National Museums Liverpool. The symposium offers Forum members the opportunity to engage in a geographically broader dialogue about challenging inherently discriminatory narratives and building empowering and equitable community partnerships. It continues the crucial work of heritage sites as agents of social transformation and active human rights advocates. In Europe, museums, heritage sites and cultural institutions are embracing this role by challenging a range of exclusive narratives related to the legacies of colonialism, patriarchy, enslavement and historical discriminations of all types and serving as spaces for dialogue and civic engagement.

Collections matter to people. The millions of objects held in museums across the UK can be sources of knowledge, pride, inspiration, controversy and opportunity for audiences, communities and researchers. Before you start, it is worth having an understanding of the relevant code of ethics and professional standards for museums and/or archives. Within our toolkit, we deep dive into all aspects of managing and caring for your collections to help you get off to the best start and support you on your ongoing sporting heritage journey. Many of the resources in this topic are drawn from the heritage sector and refer to museums and archives, but the advice given is equally applicable to any organisation or individual who holds a collection. Whichever approach you decide upon, the key to good collection management and care is consistency. Discover more about starting up and managing your collection via our website: https://bit.ly/3sIFbAC. #historicalcollection #celebratingheritage #sportingheritage

Slice of Life #4 Your perspective changes everything: 1) Museum of failure or gallery of trying 2) Archieve of mistakes or Library of lessons 3) Mountain of experience or ocean of regret Everything you are going through will be worth in the end. Keep on going. -@opiamotivation-

An Entangled Past... The transatlantic slave trade pushed millions of people into enslavement across the Atlantic, with European powers both competing and collaborating to maximise benefits. These events shaped our current day societies and resulted in deeply rooted connections between European nations. Yet, when we explore this history in museums or educational institutions, we often still view it from a national perspective rather than recognising it as an interconnected transnational system. How might we better grasp these connections? Doesn’t it make sense to work together internationally to understand the ways this past still shapes societies and lives around the world today? And when these connections enter the museum space, how can this history be represented and understood by visitors? These questions were discussed during the international symposium 'An Entangled Past and Present: British and Dutch Histories and Legacies of Slavery', organised by #NationalMuseumsLiverpool, the #DutchEmbassy in the UK, the #NationalSlaveryMuseumoftheNetherlands, the #CulturalHeritageAgencyoftheNetherlands and the #TransatlanticSlaveryLegaciesinMuseumsForum. I was happy to be part of one of the panel discussions and share some of the outcomes of my research #APostcolonialMuseum? geared towards the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool. My exploration showed a necessity to encircle the trauma of slavery and colonialism in museum representation to enrich the national narrative, and to steer an emotional and cognitive understanding that leads to a more engaging, inclusive visitor experience. If you’re interested in the full outcomes of this research, see: https://lnkd.in/e8AXWjum It was an inspiring event with valuable insights from NL and UK-based experts who exchanged their thoughts and practice of this deeply rooted connection. Many thanks for the invitation Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands Sofia Lovegrove, and many thanks for hosting this event Miles Greenwood!😊

THE RESULTS of a major consultation on the future delivery of three leisure and cultural services in the city will be discussed by councillors next week. Dundee City Council’s city governance committee will hear that Mills Observatory in Dundee could remain open after additional funding was secured by Leisure and Culture Dundee (LACD) which could stop delivering services at Caird Park Golf Courses and from Broughty Castle Museum. https://bit.ly/4fIdCL7

Collections matter to people. The millions of objects held in museums across the UK can be sources of knowledge, pride, inspiration, controversy and opportunity for audiences, communities and researchers. Before you start, it is worth having an understanding of the relevant code of ethics and professional standards for museums and/or archives. Within our toolkit, we deep dive into all aspects of managing and caring for your collections to help you get off to the best start and support you on your ongoing sporting heritage journey. Many of the resources in this topic are drawn from the heritage sector and refer to museums and archives, but the advice given is equally applicable to any organisation or individual who holds a collection. Whichever approach you decide upon, the key to good collection management and care is consistency. Discover more about starting up and managing your collection via our website: https://bit.ly/3sIFbAC. #historicalcollection #celebratingheritage #sportingheritage