ITP Futures 2021 Online
ITP Futures is a co-design project which aims to capture the creativity of the programme’s eight International Training Programme Senior Fellows. The Futures team have worked on ideas throughout 2021, to help shape the future of the ITP through a structured series of online discussions and networking events.
Participants
- Eileen Musundi (Kenya, ITP 2008, Senior Fellow 2013), Head of Exhibitions, National Museums of Kenya
- Jana Alaraj (Palestine, ITP 2011, Senior Fellow 2014), Digital and Social Media specialist, Viennacontemporary International Art Fair.
- Shambwaditya Ghosh (India, ITP 2012, Senior Fellow 2015), PhD Scholar, University of Delhi.
- Rebecca Njeri Gachihi (Kenya, ITP 2010, Senior Fellow 2016), Medical Anthropologist, National Museums of Kenya.
- Hayk Mkrtchyan (Armenia, ITP 2014, Senior Fellow 2017), Director, Association of Museum Workers and Friends NGO and Assistant to the Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Armenia.
- Andrea Terrón Gomez (Guatemala, ITP 2017, Senior Fellow 2018), Museum Specialist and Independent Consultant, freelance, based in Canada.
- Mohamed Mokhtar (Egypt, ITP 2015, Senior Fellow 2019), Curator, Abdeen Palace Museums.
- Bilwa Kulkarni, (India, ITP 2015, upcoming Senior Fellow 2021) Education and Programme Coordinator (Consultant), Museum of Solutions.
Online sessions occurred every four weeks. connecting the ITP team, all eight Senior Fellows, ITP UK and programme partners, British Museum departmental representatives and colleagues across the sector. Sharing via digital platforms and video communications have become a vital part of collaborative working, particularly for global projects, and the ITP Futures team have taken full advantage of technology connecting all eight Senior Fellows based in Kenya, Austria, India, Armenia, Canada, and Egypt.
‘ITP Futures is important to me in a two fold manner; One, on a personal and institutional level, participating in the ITP had a tremendous positive impact on my career, which I wish to see continue onto the next generation of museum professionals. Secondly, in its own way, ITP Futures will contribute to the shape of the museum of the future, through sharing experiences, hopes and dreams of its alumni.’
Eileen Musundi (Kenya. ITP 2008, Senior Fellow 2013)
Online session programme
Session 1 – ITP Futures 2021: aims and objectives
An informal session to introduce the Senior Fellows to one another and to discuss aims and objectives of the online preparation sessions.
Session 2 – where are we now?
ITP key successes and network analysis. A session showcasing ITP’s key successes so far and the results of the ITP’s network and social media analysis.
Session 3 – museum definitions
During this session, we looked at a variety of museum definitions and discuss why it so difficult to agree on a definitive definition.
Session 4 – ITP challenges and questions – legacy projects
A group discussion where the ITP Senior Fellows shared their thoughts on questions and challenges from the analysis of the ITP network that the past 15 years have highlighted. This session focused on legacy projects.
Session 5 – ITP challenges and questions – communications
A group discussion where the ITP Senior Fellows shared their thoughts on questions and challenges from the analysis of the ITP network that the past 15 years have highlighted. This session focused on communications.
Session 6 – ITP challenges and questions – annual programme
A group discussion where the ITP Senior Fellows shared their thoughts on questions and challenges from the analysis of the ITP network that the past 15 years have highlighted. This session focused on ‘core skills’ and subject specialist sessions (SSS’s).
Session 7 – e-Learning
An hour-long session to look at how the ITP can best use online/e-learning. During the pandemic, opportunities to across the ITP network online have proven very successful and this session looked at how to take this forward into the future and utilise this new way of learning and networking in both the Summer Programme and our legacy work
Session 8 – UK partner day meeting
A session with ITP UK Partners to reconnect with colleagues and discuss ideas for ITP Summer Programme partner placements – this is an important area to discuss as all museums deal with the financial aftermath of COVID
Session 9 – British Museum departmental representatives meeting
A session with the Departmental Reps to reconnect with colleagues and discuss the 2021 and future Summer Programmes regarding challenges and objectives related to departmental time.
Session 10 – networking and partnership
This session focused on ITP’s networking and partnerships asking why networks and partnerships are important to the BM, ITP and our fellows and analysing ITP’s current and previous partnerships.
Session 11 – advocacy and access
A session to discuss advocacy and access challenges and projects within the cultural sector and the ITP, considering how to make the ITP accessible to as many people as possible and how we can engage with culture and heritage professionals beyond our ITP alumni.
Session 12 – evaluation and feedback
This session wraps up the online programme, looking towards the on-site element in 2022 and evaluating what we have learnt from the online sessions so far.