The International Council of Museums (ICOM) held its annual conference in Taipei yesterday, bringing together curators and other museum professionals from around the world to discuss how to keep museums relevant and interesting in the age of globalization.
The conference, titled "New Roles and Missions of Museums," was hosted by the Council for Cultural Affairs at the Taipei International Convention Center.
The conference sought to "increase [Taiwanese] museums' self-consciousness and the concept of product management, so that the quality of the museum industry in Taiwan can be raised," Minister of Cultural Affairs Chiu Kun-liang (
Chinese Association of Museums Chairwoman Lin Mun-lee (林曼麗) told the participants that Taiwanese museums' task in the new millennium was to "preserve the distinctive features of local cultures [in Taiwan] in an increasingly globalized Internet-reliant world."
Academic exchanges like the conference were helpful to Taiwan in fulfilling such a task, she added.
What specific challenges do Taiwanese museums face? Meredith Blake, Secretary-General of the Pacific Islands Museums Association, said that a lack of funding was a common theme among museums in the Asia-Pacific region.
"Governments love to pay lip service to the preservation and celebration of culture, but are not so keen to put up the cash to those ends," Blake said.
"Also, Asia-Pacific cultures are `living cultures,' meaning that their artifacts tend to be organic and practical and are not easily preserved, especially in a tropical environment," Blake said.
Gary Edson, Director for Advanced Study of Museum Science and Heritage Management, said that the region was experiencing "rapid social change and development," which pose unique challenges to museums as they must keep up with the pace of development to remain relevant.
"Museums in this region are trying to hold on to what makes the cultures that they reflect so unique, while the cultures themselves are changing," Edson said.
In a pamphlet entitled Old is New, the National Palace Museum advertised its Internet services at the conference, boasting an online presence that allows users to view images of museum collections in cyberspace.
Lin touted the museum's digital interface at the conference as a reflection of new aesthetic sensibilities in an increasingly digital era.
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
RSS