Museums, Collectors, and Cultural Heritage: 21st Century Dilemmas - Professional Development Workshop

The Northern Illinois University Museum Studies Program in collaboration with the Illinois Association of Museums and the Ellwood House Museum, is organizing Museums, Collectors, and Cultural Heritage: 21st Century Dilemmas, a professional development workshop, on Wednesday April 16:

Museums, Collectors, and Cultural Heritage: 21st Century Dilemmas

Co-organized by NIU Museum Studies/Illinois Association of Museums/Ellwood House Museum

Workshop Leaders: Katharyn Hanson and Jack D.M. Green

Katharyn Hanson is Visiting Manager, Archaeological Site Preservation Program at the Iraqi Institute for the Conservation of Antiquities and Heritage, and Secretary for the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield

Jack Green is Chief Curator at the Oriental Institute Museum and Research Associate at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago

Program Schedule

9:00-9:30:  Check in, Ellwood House Visitors Center

9:30-10:00:  Welcoming Remarks:

10:00-12:00: “Cultural Heritage Law and Policy – Case Studies for the Museum Professional” Led by Katharyn Hanson

This session will introduce the international and domestic US legal framework on culture heritage.  Using handouts and role-playing scenarios we will explore these laws through five real-life case studies from incidents with collectors, auction houses, and museums.  Through the case studies we will delve into the details of the 1983 US Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act and the international UNESCO Convention of 1970.  Although much of this discussion will focus on objects of international origin we will also include the relevant sections of the US Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, Abandoned Shipwreck Act, and the National Stolen Property Act.

12:00-1:00:  Lunch and Ellwood House tours

1:00-3:00:  “Ethical Issues and Collections: Case Studies for Museum Professionals and Administrators” Led by Jack Green

During this session, case studies will be offered that explore some of the complexities and challenges of: acquisition and deaccession procedures (including “orphaned” objects), claims of ownership and repatriation, the impact of fakes and forgeries, transparency of collection information, and cultural heritage preservation efforts by Museums and cultural institutions. 

3:00-5:00:  NIU Museums and Galleries visits:

NIU Art Museum, The Anthropology Museum at NIU, One Room Schoolhouse of the Blackwell Museum of Educational History, Jack Olson Gallery.

5:00-7:00:  Formal Lectures by Katharyn Hanson and Jack Green, Board of Trustees Room, Altgeld Hall, NIU

  “Looted Heritage and the Museum:  the role of unprovenienced objects within archaeological collections.” Jack Green
               “Looting and Loss: Cultural Heritage in Iraq and Syria.” Katharyn Hanson