International Committee for Regional Museums Conference 2017: Travel Grants

The next Annual Conference of ICOM's International Committee for Regional Museums (ICR) will be held in Helsinki and Tampere, Finland, between 27 August and 1 September 2017. Entitled "TOGETHER! Regional Museums Engaging with the 'New Reality'", it aims to discuss the role of regional museums in countries that experience changes to political systems, as those that occurred in Finland when it became an independent state, 100 years ago. This raises a set of questions concerning the integrity of museums as stewards of cultural heritage of diverse communities, and related to different 'former identities' and a 'new reality'. In order to encourage younger colleagues to participate in ICR's activities, organisers have announced that they will provide 1 travel grant of €1000 or 2 grants of €500 each, to support the attendance of ICOM members aged up to 35. Candidates should provide their CV as well as a statement explaining why they wish to participate in the ICR Annual Conference and listing the other sources of funding to cover their attendance. Successful candidates will later need to make a presentation in English at the conference, relating to the conference theme; write a short report on their attendance; and report to colleagues in their home country about their experience. ICOM's ICR, established in 1960, facilitates the development of regional museums for the benefit of their communities, through providing a forum for communication, cooperation and information exchange among museums, professionals and organisations. The 2017 Annual Conference of ICR is organised in cooperation with the Helsinki City Museum, the Central Uusimaa Provincial Museum, the Hämeenlinna City Museum, the Regional Museum of Kanta-Häme, and the Vapriikki Regional Museum of Pirkanmaa. Applications for travel grants should be submitted by 30 June. All applicants will be informed of the outcome by 15 July. Information about the procedures is available at https://icrconference.wordpress.com/travel-grant/ For additional information about ICR's Annual Conference 2017, please visit https://icrconference.wordpress.com/