UCF takes part in the ІІ All-Ukrainian Museum Forum

On July 3 - 5, the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation took part in the II All-Ukrainian Museum Forum held in Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky. Among the organizers were Pereyaslav-Khmelnytskyi Town Council, the National Historical and Ethnographic Reserve "Pereyaslav", Pereyaslav-Khmelnytskyi Hryhoriy Skovoroda State Pedagogical University and the Center for the Study of Monuments of NAS of Ukraine. The event was attended by hundred representatives of museums, educational establishments and research institutions from 19 regions of Ukraine, ICOMOS members and employees of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine. The forum’s program combined plenary and sectional meetings, experience sharing meetings and discussions with the review of exhibits of 24 town museums and architectural monuments of the XI century turned into museums.

The purpose of the Second All-Ukrainian Museum Forum was to create the continuity of the traditions of the national museum in the context of the industry renewal and to unite professionals of different age groups in preserving the cultural heritage amid decentralization.

The UCF presented the grant programs "Creating an Innovative Cultural Product", "Prominent Events for Ukrainian Culture", "Ukrainian Cultural Monitor", "N.O.R.D." and "Inclusive Art" in view of the direct correspondence of their lots to the needs of the cultural heritage sector, as well as successful projects of 2018, focusing on the implementation of the cutting-edge technology in the museum industry.

In the course of discussion, such well-known problems were pointed out in the context of innovation in the industry as: lack of proper state funding for the introduction of new technologies and raising salaries to attract younger generation of specialists in the field of technical development, etc. The need to update the fund documentation and the need for the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine to establish standards for the implementation of electronic accounting of both cultural heritage in general and museum collections was also discussed. The contradictory nature of individual legislative initiatives and the legal and institutional problems that contribute to corruption in the tangible cultural heritage sector.

In the context of discussing these issues, the Vice Dean of the Culturology Faculty of KNUCA Prof. Yulia Kliutchko emphasized the need to increase the standards of higher education in the context of museum and monument protection on a national scale, as the main problem of the industry is the lack of HR. At the same time, Borys Kozhushko, the chairman of the Public Council at the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, deputy chairman of the Ukrainian Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments, reminded of the initiative to establish the Museum Institute, similar to the existing Ukrainian Book Institute and the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance.

The result of the II All-Ukrainian Museum Forum was the joint resolution of the event participants, in which the results of the discussions were summed up and the main issues of the national museum industry were highlighted. As stand-alone topic the question of initiating amendments to the Law of Ukraine "On the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation" was discussed, which would actively promote the preservation of the Ukrainian cultural heritage, in particular, the creation of an endowment for financing of long-term projects in culture, the sources of which should be targeted subventions from the state budget (at the initial stage), the target national lottery, "interest philanthropy", etc. Paragraphs on the extension of the budget period to 3 years and amending the passport of the budget program "Ensuring the Operation of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation" (KPKVK - 1801140) were included in order to integrate projects on the cultural heritage restoration to the UCF grant programs.