Zuzana Malicherova
Network and Policy officer , Europeana Foundation
MC meeting in Copenhagen: getting ready for the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018
The second Members Council (MC) meeting of the year took place on 6 and 7 July in the beautiful building of National Gallery of Denmark in Copenhagen. The Council had the great pleasure to welcome Ms. Catherine Magnant as a representative of the European Commission’s DG Education and Culture, responsible for organisation of the 2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage.
Copenhagen Instituut, Royal Museums Greenwich, CC BY-NC
European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018
Ms. Magnant, who is heading the 2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage Task Force, presented the Commission’s plans to mobilise European citizens throughout 2018 through a series of projects, events, campaigns and involved actors. On behalf of the Commission, she expressed a strong interest in actively cooperating with Europeana Network Association, emphasizing that “cultural heritage is a pivotal component of cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue, which represents not only a legacy from the past, but also a resource for our future”.
The Councillors, who were asked to feedback on the organisation and design of the Year, expressed a strong enthusiasm for the project. They put forward many ideas about the legacy and campaign format, and advised on how to best approach various target audiences such as the 15-20 age-group, and the professionals. Reflecting on what message to get across different European countries, they also challenged some of the core particularities that represent Europe such as national and cultural diversity.
State of the art for Europeana Network Association
The meeting then addressed other topics such as Members Council’s engagement, the Association budget, Europeana Business plan 2018, the newly-launched Membership Campaign 2017, and other relevant governance matters. The Councillors also endorsed a new Joint Europeana Aspiration together with the Europeana Office and Foundation Approach statements.
The second day evolved around the overview of the Association’s existing Task Forces and Working Groups. The MC went through the approval process of Task Force proposals and evaluated the final recommendations of recently ended Task Forces. The Library and the #AllezCulture Working Groups presented their work progress and invited new members to join. The Councillors could also learn more about current and upcoming Europeana #AllezCulture campaigns.
The host and Chair of the Association, Merete Sanderhoff, wrapped-up the meeting by thanking the Council for participating and contributing to a very interactive and fruitful event. The presentations held during these two days can be found on Europeana Slideshare and the minutes will be published shortly.
What’s next?
The next meeting will take place on 5 December at the National museum of science and technology Leonardo Da Vinci in Milan, Italy, prior to the Europeana AGM 2017. The AGM 2017 will be an opportunity to highlight the Association’s ambition to participate in the kick-off of the European Year of Cultural Heritage and in its celebration throughout 2018.
Do you have suggestions about how Europeana and the Network Association could actively contribute, support and amplify the 2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage? Let us know by sending an email to network@europeana.eu. #EuropeForCulture