Charlotte Jarvis, Individual Associate Member
Het Scheepvaartmuseum
In September I had the pleasure of joining the International Congress of Maritime Museums’ (ICMM) Congress at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney. ICMM meets every two years for a week of presentations, discussions, and networking opportunities. This year, there was a large focus on maritime archaeology as well!
The week started strong on Sunday with a traditional Welcome to Country and a performance of three dances by the Aboriginal peoples from the land the museum is now on (left image above). ICMM President Kristen Greenaway also welcomed us, highlighting the benefits of the ICMM community coming together for these conferences to exchange information, tips, tricks, and struggles because no single museum can tell the story of the ocean alone. We tell the stories of the ocean because maritime museums are not simply keepers of old maps and ships but help people see how the ocean shapes their lives and the world. She also talked about some challenges facing museums today, like staying relevant to younger generations whose lives revolve more around the ocean (with shipping, trade, transport, etc.) than ever before. The challenges of collections and storytelling also came up, like how to show the human costs behind many of the beautiful objects on display. Her ending wish for this week is that we all leave a little braver.
The week was full of inspiring keynote speeches, intriguing panels, useful workshops, and great networking. The keynotes in particular were thought provoking with topics ranging from technology in museums to community engagement. Mereoni Camailakeba spoke on community engagement and archaeology in Fiji where she reminded us that maritime heritage connects/links people, knowledge, place, and identity. It’s not just what is there archaeologically, but what it means to the public connected to it. Science and cultural knowledge can strengthen each other.
There were lots of interesting presentations, ideas, exhibitions, and discussions shared. Ship restoration was also a topic, including the Vasa’s €20,000 needed one! ICMM had a lot of workshops this year, which were a nice addition. One was on maritime archaeology in harbors, which included a boat tour with two of the museum’s archaeologists to get a tour of some of the wrecks and history of Sydney harbor. There were good discussions on the challenges of working in that environment and some future work goals of the Australian National Maritime Museum.
I also led a workshop on the UN Ocean Decade, maritime museums, Ocean Literacy, and maritime archaeology as well as doing a public panel at the University of Sydney on the same topic. These workshops focused on the work of the Ocean Decade Heritage Network and Cultural Heritage Framework Programme. Cultural heritage is essential for engaging people with the ocean: it provides historical context for contemporary marine policy, strengthens public understanding of sustainable ocean futures, and connects communities to major challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and coastal inequity. From Indigenous stewardship to maritime archaeology, heritage supports “the science we need for the ocean we want.” The events positioned museums as contributors to ocean sustainability by linking heritage to ocean science, translating marine challenges for the public, and strengthening community engagement.
The side events and receptions were also not to be missed! One evening ended with a harbor cruise onboard the James Craig—a nineteenth-century three-masted barque which was rescued from a Bay in Tasmania and taken is as part of Sydney’s Heritage Fleet. It is one of four nineteenth-century barques left in the world that can still sail. Maritime conferences certainly know how to keep us ocean lovers happy!
Categorised in: Deep Thoughts