New ITP Conference Grant 2025 awarded!!

Written by Claire Messenger, Manager, International Training Programme

We are delighted to award an ITP Conference Grant 2025 to Marine Mkrtchyan, Director, The Museum of Russian Art (Aram Abrahamyan Collection); Director, “Association of Museum Workers and Friends” NGO and Lecturer, State Academy of Fine Arts of Armenia (Armenia, ITP Fellow 2014).

You can read more about the Museum of Russian Art (Aram Abrahamyan Collection) here https://rusartmuseum.am/en/

Marine will use her grant to attend and speak at The Future of Museums in Rapidly Changing Communities, ICOM General Conference 2025 in Dubai from 11 to 17 November 2025.

Marine has been asked to speak at the conference and her paper, titled Museum Exhibitions as a Strategic Fundraising Tool, will explore how exhibitions can be utilized as effective tools for forming enduring relationships and financial sustainability. She’ll discuss her experiences organizing two noteworthy worldwide exhibitions as well as one local exhibition which became a set of cultural activities in Yerevan including an opera performance, lectures and one of its kind museum branding campaigns.

Marine says that The Future of Museums in a Rapidly Changing Communities is promising to be one of the most important platforms to discuss whether we as museum professionals are ready to accept the global challenges that all humanity is facing including the rapid rise of technologies, natural and man-made disasters, heritage protection and mass migration. Are we as Museums ready to withstand with these challenges and make museums as important hubs for peace, intercultural dialogue and catalysts for growth?

You can read more about the conference here https://dubai2025.icom.museum/

As the Director of the Museum of Russian Art (Aram Abrahamyan Collection), Marine plans, manages and implements a wide range of annual activities while broadening the museums network and international collaborations through exhibitions and exchange programmes.  She is also in charge of the Museum’s financial accounting, management and fundraising initiatives.

As Director of Association of Museum Workers and Friends NGO she plans and implements the organisations membership strategy and co-organizes museum personnel training and workshops in partnership with the Armenian museum community.

And as a Lecturer at the State Academy of Fine Arts of Armenia, Marine guides students through museum history, theory and practice, museum Standards and Code of Ethics and brings students to museums for practical workshops and lectures.

We are delighted to be able to support Marine this year and look forward to hearing more about her conference experience and sharing her final report with our ITP global network.