REPRESENTATIVES of local government units, museum curators, history and science teachers, artists, tour guides, collectors, heritage advocates, tourism planners, officers and members of the Municipal Tourism and Heritage Councils will soon learn how to create an ideal museum environment.
The National Museum of the Philippines 7, the Visayan Association of Museums and Galleries Inc. (Vamgi) and Saint Theresa’s College-Cebu, in cooperation with the Cebu Provincial Government, will hold a four-day seminar and training workshop on Preventive Conservation of Museum Collections from May 20 to May 24.
Celebration
It will be at the Capitol Social Hall and will cap the celebration of International Museum Month, which was observed with the theme “Museums, Heritage and Conservation.”
For the first time, a specialized and intensive training on museum management and conservation will be available in Cebu.
The training was previously available in a one-month course at the National Museum in Manila. It was conducted by in-house experts.
The seminar will start on May 20 at 10 a.m.
Participants need to pay P2,500, inclusive of lunch, snacks, lecture materials and a certificate of attendance.
Tour
The seminar will include case studies and visits to four Cebu museums.
The scheduled speakers on the first day are Gov. Gwendolyn F. Garcia, Rev. Fr. Brian Brigoli, curator of the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral Museum.
A panel discussion and presentations on museum development and experiences with the University of San Carlos experts and a cultural mapping by a member of the Province of Cebu Sites and Relics Committee will follow.
On May 21, there will be a lecture and workshop orientation by experts from the National Museum of the Philippines, with opening remarks by Corazon S. Alvina, National Museum director.
Lecture
A lecture entitled “Learn from the Experts on Preventive Conservation of Museums and Cultural Resources” will start the session and it will be followed by a “Museum Management and Tourist Reception and Guiding Techniques.”
Two other lectures entitled “Museum Collection: Theory and Practice” and “Preventive Conservation of Museum Collections” will also be given.
Practical sessions on accessioning and cataloguing techniques, environmental measurements and recording with basic conservation techniques will also be conducted.
Presentation
On May 22, there will be museum visits. Participants will be divided into four groups, which will go to four different kinds of museums for assessment and evaluation. The museums are St. Theresa’s Folk Life Museum on Ramon Aboitiz St., Cebu City, Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House on Lopez-Jaena corner Mabini Sts., Cebu City, Dr. Eliseo H. Canton Museum in St. Anthony’s Learning Center in Dumlog, Talisay City and the Cebu Cathedral Museum on Manilili corner P. Gomez Sts., Cebu City.
On May 23, there will be a group presentation and discussion, which will be facilitated by a National Museum expert. An open forum will follow.
