Online Talk Session on Importance of Capacity Building in Museum Management
‘Capacity building through Training’ is an immersive hands-on programme providing people with the knowledge and professional skills required to run the future museums, cultural centres and archives. To understand how Museums can be Resilient in their approach towards reaching out to their audiences, building stakeholders, becoming inclusive and using the Power of Museums through a variety of Capacity Building programs, ICOM – INTERCOM in collaboration with Kolkata Centre for Creativity, Paschimbanga Sangrahalaya Samiti, and Dakshinachitra Museum is presenting a webinar on ‘The Importance of Capacity Building in Museum Management’.
The online talk session would explore the areas in which capacity building is required, challenges and opportunities in the area of it. Recent trends or methods of capacity building would be discussed in the conversation. This talk session would enhance the ability of the participants in museum management.
Bio of the Speakers:
- Mr. Sarath Nambiar : Member of ICOM- INTERCOM, Director, Dakshinachitra Museum
Dakshinachitra Museum, a Heritage centre in Chennai showcasing traditional architecture, arts, handicrafts, performing arts and culture of South India from 2008 to 2022.
Directing the largest open air Museum in India. Initiating, coordination and overseeing of all programs, events, exhibitions and coordinating with the cultural tourism team, curators, archivists, programme officers, education coordinators, consultants and researchers.
Heading the Museum and managing all the departments, viz., staff, housekeeping, stores, accounts, library, heritage houses, landscaping, restaurant, galleries, ticketing, security, public relations, craft shops, craftspeople, folk performers, visiting artists and guest houses and handling restoration and reconstruction of heritage buildings.
Representing the Museum in National and International Forums, Museum and Tourism conferences in India and Overseas.
Managed the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust, Centre For Herpetology, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, one of the largest Herpetological centres in Asia till 2007.
This NGO was involved in Conservation and Environmental activities in mainland India and in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
Fellow of ARThink South Asia.
Member, ICOM
Member, Museum Association of India
Member, TTM, Tamilnadu.
Member of the Adyar Estuary Restoration Panel, Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Founder member and President, Rotary Club of Gudalur, The Nilgiris.
- Mr. Yash Pal: Museum Curator of the Army Heritage Museum Annandale H. Q. Army Training Command, Shimla.
Mr. Yash P. Mehta is the Museum curator of the Army Heritage Museum, Annandale, H. Q. Army Training Command, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. He started serving in various government departments at an early age of 20. In 2010, he served as Project Coordinator at the Central Potato Research Institute. Thereafter, he rendered his services as a project coordinator & team leader in the socio-economic caste census, conducted under the aegis of Municipal Corporation, Shimla & an educational trust. In 2015, after successfully qualifying the voice-test and interview, he began his innings at the All India Radio, Shimla, as a casual announcer.
In 2016, Mr. Mehta added a golden feather to his cap, when he earned for himself the tag of 'First Museum Curator' of The Army Museum. He is a certified Museum Curator. He underwent rigorous training in a program organized by United Service to India, in collaboration with National Army Museum, U.K. In his short career span, Yash P. Mehta has been awarded with various laurels. For his exemplary services, he was presented the SHEMANTO award by the Director-General of BSF Bangladesh in 2016. For his outstanding services, in 2019, he was awarded the Special Service Medal by Vice Admiral of Royal Thailand Naval Intelligence Department. In 2019-20, he has been decorated with the Department Highest Honour Army Commendation Card by GOC-in-Chief of The Army Training Command.
He has been awarded with various Letters-of-Appreciation by various dignitaries visiting India. His services were highly appreciated by the US Embassy for conducting the tour of the US Ambassador to India meticulously. More Letters-of-Appreciation have been bestowed upon him for successfully conducting the tours of 15th Finance Commission, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das and CAG of India, Mr. G. C. Murmu, Chief of the General Staff, British Army General Sir Mark Carleton-Smith in 2019, 2020 and 2021 respectively. He has been a recipient of the honour bestowed upon by the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh in 2009 for being the district topper of H.P. Board of School Education. He has also been awarded two gold medals by the Former President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee for securing 1st position in B.A. & B.A. Honours in History program. In the HIMAOTKARSH convocation, he was again presented with a gold medal.
He holds advanced diploma certificates in Foreign Language (French), PGDCA, Certificate course in Museum Studies from Jammu University in Collaboration with Kolkata Centre for Creativity and Yoga Education from Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla. He has also pursued a Certificate Course in Indian Temple Architecture from the National Museum, Delhi. Presently, honing his academic knowledge further, he is pursuing a P.G. Diploma course in Disaster Management. He holds a Master’s Degree in History (Archaeology) from HPU, Shimla. He completed his graduation from Centre of Excellence, Govt. College, Sanjauli, Shimla.
His passion for knowledge and expertise in practical skills continues unabated.
- Mr. Boro Baski: Founder of ‘Museum of Santal Culture
Boro Baski was born in the Santal village Bishnubati, District Birbhum, West Bengal. He completed his Master of Social Work (1995) and PhD (2011) from Visva Bharati, Santiniketan. In 1995, Boro Baski co-founded a non-formal Santal school, the Rolf Schoembs Vidyashram (RSV) near Bishnubati, and is currently an advisor to the school. This school has an innovative approach to Santal education, combining the needs of poor Santal village children with Tagore’s emphasis on learning through play, music, art using the medium of one’s mother tongue.
In 2007, he was instrumental in founding the community museum the ‘Museum of Santal Culture’ at Bishnubati village with the financial support of Indian Museum, Kolkata. In November 2015, the museum had been one of the indigenous partners of an International Symposium, the Bodding Symposium at the Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo, Norway. Boro Baski has closely collaborated with Martin Kämpchen, a German scholar and writer based at Santiniketan, and Sona Murmu in the village development projects of Ghosaldanga Adibasi Seva Sangha. He has participated in numerous programmes with Santal cultural groups from Ghosaldanga and Bishnubati around India and abroad.
- Reena Dewan
Director- Kolkata Centre for Creativity (KCC),
President - West Bengal Arts Council, WICCI
Former President - ICOM India,
Board member - ICOM INTERCOM,
Reena has been spearheading many projects to promote research and development of different disciplines of art that leads to a volumetric and qualitative impact not only in the art field but to the society and young artists & performers.
Reena champions and facilitates Inclusion, Diversity and Gender Equality in Museums and Art Spaces. She is instrumental in launching the first ‘Accessibility Program’ in Eastern India, that forms a bridge between people with special abilities and Arts. She works for social inclusion using arts for the development of marginalized and differently-abled communities, empowering them through self-expression. She co-convened the first International conference in India on ‘Gender Mainstreaming and Cultural Rights’. She is pioneering social changes creating an inclusive culture in KCC that addresses different abilities & choices, gender & sexual diversity and marginalization of communities through appreciation and applications of art.
Recipient of prestigious fellowships, Australia Council’s International Leadership Program, Art Think South Asia, International Society for Performing Arts, Singapore International Foundation and of ‘Emerging Scholar’ award from Ground Research Networks. She has presented papers in Museum conferences on various international platforms, that gives her vision an immediate global perspective.
Winner of Customer Delight Award at Asia Pacific level and winner of Demand Generation Award at Global level, her keen interest and passion for Arts made me switch after 12 year of service from Corporate to Arts. She was nominated for ‘Aparajita’ award as Woman Achiever by Sanmarg Newspaper and featured among twenty-five most prominent women in West Bengal, India.
