Sofia, November 28-29, 2016
1, “November 15th” Street (next to the Parliament Building)
At the Large Salon of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
A conference sponsored by the Bi-National Commission for the Preservation of Bulgaria’s Cultural Heritage
Free of charge and open to the public.
The Bi-National Commission for the Preservation of Bulgaria’s Cultural Heritage was established as an outgrowth of US Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit to Bulgaria in January of 2015. During this visit, Secretary Kerry announced that education and culture was one of a number of key areas in which the US and Bulgaria would engage in strategic dialogue. The goal of the cultural preservation commission is to bring together experts from diverse fields dealing with tangible and intangible cultural heritage and to identify projects worthy of preservation and to work with American specialists to identify and recommend best practices for such preservation efforts. The new commission will be under the auspices of the Bulgarian-American Fulbright Commission for Educational Exchange, which has successfully been facilitating educational and cultural exchange between Bulgaria and the United States for more than twenty years. The cultural preservation commission’s longer-term goal is to help assemble the necessary financial, academic, professional and cultural resources to launch a bid for Bulgaria to be included in the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, which would expose millions of Americans to Bulgarian history and culture and invigorate the country’s tourism potential. To this end, the commission is organizing a conference entitled “Museum Exhibits and Standards: A Look Ahead” on November 28-29, 2016, to which representatives of the Smithsonian Institute and leading US experts in cultural heritage and museum studies will be invited to consult with the commission to identify preservation projects of interest and to help develop Bulgarian museum’s potential. Conference sub-themes will include “Contemporary Tendencies in Museum Exhibition or How to Impress Visitors of All Ages,” “The Future of Digital Expositions and Mobile Applications for Stimulating Cultural Tourism,” and “Best Practices in Designing Events and Educational Programs Dedicated to Cultural Heritage.”
