Museum curators from around the world will meet to exchange ideas and experiences and probe the challenges facing museums in the 21st century at the Summit of International Museum Directors to be held at the National Palace Museum tomorrow and Friday.
The world-renown museum organized the symposium to help develop images and new strategies for museums and discuss how to integrate academia, culture and entertainment.
Museum directors from Germany, Sweden, Britain, Japan, Indonesia, the US and Singapore will present papers at the symposium.
There are four major topics: conflicts between nationalism and universalism; the pursuit of knowledge and education; business management and structural changes in museum organization; and museums and modern technology.
At a news conference held yesterday to publicize the symposium, Emily Sano, director of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, said she was concerned about structural changes and business models -- and how museums will adapt in an era that is changing so rapidly and intensively.
"I think it is a major task for us to bring visitors in the door and find out better methods at the same time of how to educate visitors who are so foreign to Asian cultures," Sano said.
Jean-Francois Jarrige, director of Musee Guimet in Paris, stressed that science and technology have become indispensable for the development of museums and they play a leading role in shaping reality, included finding commonality and specialty between cultures.
Tu Cheng-sheng (
Tu said it wanted to continue to try to develop exhibitions that combine technology, economics and the entertainment businesses.
Tu said that museums around the world are facing increasing challenges, including competition for sponsorship and patronage and they must adapt themselves to maintain their vital role in society.
"I think everyone has curiosity and responsibility to find out what different cultures in the world are like," Tu said, adding that, "I believe the world would have real peace only when people in every corner of the world understand and respect other cultures."
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