Museums in Danger
47th Conference 2024 from 8-11 September 2024 in Finland
The 47th edition of IATM’s Annual Conference revolves around the role of museums in times of global crises. It looks at dangers transport and communication museums face. Asks how they can contribute to wellbeing, education, and safety of their customers, as well as respond to attacks, international conflicts and ecological and economic challenges and responsibilities. The conference takes delegates to Finland’s vast museum landscape from 8-11 September with an optional post-conference tour on 12 September.
Museums in Danger focuses on museums in times of multiple global crises: The accelerating climate crisis, growing possibilities of destructions by warfare or severe budget cuts by governments. Further threats through cyber attacks, human misconduct, and natural disasters keep shaping the challenges museums face today.
How does this effect our museums?
In what ways can we secure our work or collections? How have political developments shaped our work, relationships with other countries and influenced our economic situation? Are museums places of guidance or support in unstable situations? What kind of responses and preparations exist at museums of transport and communication?
IATM’s 47th annual conference will provide an opportunity to discuss, and exchange on the work and experiences by museum professionals around the globe. Join us in Finland for Museums in Danger and to enjoy the network!
Registration will open soon. If you don’t want to miss it, subscribe to our newsletter.
Get together
The Finnish Railway Museum, Hyvinkäänkatu 9, 05800 Hyvinkää
| 16.00 |
Guided tours through the Finnish Railway Museum (Both tours will be offered twice, information on attendance is provided at the venue) Tour 1: Genuine Journey Through Time We start our journey in 1862 when the first railway line in Finland was opened. During the tour we will see The Russian Emperors Finnish train, the oldest preserved locomotive in Finland from the year 1868 and the famous diesel car “Lättähattu”, which made travelling more equal. Tour 2: Private Railway, Station and Garden The tour shows us the beautiful station and dwelling yard of the first private railway line in Finland. We’ll hear about the railway gardens in Hyvinkää and visit the old roundhouse with some interesting steam locomotives. |
| 18.00 | Dinner |
Vapriiki Museum Centre, Alaverstaanraitti 5, 33100 Tampere (Don’t worry, we’ll get you there by the museum train!)
Travel
| 9.00 | Train ride with the historic museum train from Hyvinkää to Tampere Meeting Point: Finnish Railway Museum, bring your luggage if you are changing hotels (recommended) |
| 11.00 | Possible check-in at hotels in Tampere |
| 12.00 | Lunch at Restaurant Tampella, Kelloportinkatu 1, Tampere |
Session 1
| 13.15 | Welcome at the Museum Centre Vapriikki |
| 13.30 | Keynote: Emergency Preparedness in Museums – the Benefit of Emergency Alliances
Peter Giere, Curator Embryologic collections & head of the Competence Centre Collections, Museum of Natural History Berlin |
| 14.15 | Discussion & Break |
| 14.40 | Workshop: Three Streams of Danger for Museums. Environmental, Financial and Deterioration of Collections Due to Storage and Use.
IATM Board Members Meredith Greiling, Sam Mullins and Stephen Quick |
| 15.45 | News of the Field IATM members share their recent news and development in a quick round (please inform us about your interest to speak via the registration form) |
| 16.15 | Coffee Break |
Session 2
| 16.45 | Talk: Between Old and New – A Delayed Capital Project’s Influence on a Museum
Richard Zima, Head of Content and Exhibitions, Hungarian Museum of Science, Technology and Transport |
| 17.00 | Talk: Museums in Crisis – Experiences (and Solutions) from around the Baltic Sea
Tuomas Värjö, Boat and Boat Engine Collections, Forum Marinum |
| 17.15 | Talk: Stronger by Networking. Resilience through Association
Heini Sorakivi, Project Manager, Finnish Association of Traffic Museums |
| 17.30 | Discussion |
| 17.45 | Evening at the Museum Centre Vapriikki hosted by the Postal Museum and the Finnish Museum of Games |
| 19.00 | Dinner at the Museum Centre’s Restaurant Valssi |
Session 3
The Finnish Lenin Museum, Hämeenpuisto 28, Tampere
| 9.00 | Visit to the Lenin Museum & Introduction to the Changing Museum by Museum Director Kalle Kallio |
| 10.30 | Transfer by Museum Bus to Mobilia – Finnish Museum of Car and Road |
Session 4
Mobilia – Finnish Museum of Car and Road, Kustaa Kolmannen tie 75, 36270 Kangasala
| 11.30 | Welcome |
| 11.45 |
Talk: Turning a Challenge into an Opportunity: Echoes of the Blitz at London Transport Museum Katariina Mauranen , Senior Curator, Vehicles and Engineering, London Transport Museum |
| 12.00 | Discussion |
| 12.15 | Lunch |
| 13.15 |
Keynote: Documentation and Highlighting of the Ongoing War: Experience of the War Museum in Ukraine Yurii Savchuk, Director, National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War |
| 14.00 |
Talk: Are Aviation Museums and Collections More in Danger during Armed Conflicts than other Cultural Institutions? Matias Laitinen, Curator, The Finnish Aviation Museum |
| 14.15 | Discussion & Break |
IATM General Meeting
| 14.30 | IATM General Meeting Further information will be provided to all IATM members in advance. |
Session 5
| 15.45 |
Talk: The Climate Effects of Having a Hobby Anni Antila, Development Manager, Mobilia |
| 16.00 |
Talk: Sustainability Work at Mobilia Elina Toukola, Customer Service Manager, Mobilia |
| 16.15 | Discussion |
| 16.30 | Tours through the collections of Mobilia (Tours will be offered twice, information on how to participate is provided at the venue) |
| 18.00 | Dinner at Mobilia |
| 20.00 | Bus transfer back to Tampere |
Senior Curator, Vehicles and Engineering
The Finnish Aviation Museum, Karhumäentie 12, 01530 Vantaa (Don’t worry, a bus ride from Tampere is organised!)
| 9.00 | Bus transfer from Tampere to the Finnish Aviation Museum near the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (if you are leaving from the airport after this conference day or are staying in Helsinki for the remainder of the conference, you can take your luggage with you) |
| 11.30 | Welcome Coffee at the Finnish Aviation Museum |
| 12.00 | Welcome at the Finnish Aviation Museum The museum is transformed into a completely new aviation museum and excited to welcome you to gain an impression of their re-development. |
| 12.20 | Guided Tours through the Finnish Aviation Museum (Tours will be offered twice (see below), information on attendance is provided at the venue) |
| 13.00 | Lunch |
| 14.00 | Guided Tours through the Finnish Aviation Museum (Tours will be offered twice (see above), information on attendance is provided at the venue) |
| 14.30 | End of Conference |
Forum Marinum Maritime Centre, Linnankatu 72, 20100 Turku
| 8.00 | Bus transfer from Helsinki to Turku |
| 10.30 | Guided Tours or free exploration of the museum |
| 11.45 | Lunch |
| 12.45 | Guided Tours or free exploration of the museum |
| 14.00 | Bus transfer back to Helsinki |
Conference Programme
IATM prepared a thoughtful conference programme for you. Keynotes, talks, and discussions take on different dangers and crises in and for museums. Additionally, lots of tours and locations will introduce you to the Finnish transport and communications museum landscape.
Conference Reader
Want to know more on what to expect from the presentations at “Museums in Danger” or about our Speakers? You can find their abstracts, and CVs in our Conference Reader.
Registration & Conference Fee
Registration to the conference is open from 4 June 2024 until 30 August 2024 and possible via our Website.
|
Fee |
What’s included? |
|
330 Euro |
Participation in the Conference from 8-11 September 2024 |
|
360 Euro |
Participation in the Conference from 8-11 September 2024 and the post-conference tour |
The fee should be paid to the IATM office prior to the conference.
Further travel to and from the conference as well as costs for accommodation etc. are excluded.
You do not need to be an IATM member to be able to attend the conference.
IATM offers a special opportunity to employees of IATM member institutions that might otherwise not be able to attend the conference. Please see further information on our special Skill Bridge Bursary supporting your participation with up to 1000 Euro here.
Meet the Speakers
Learn more about the speakers at IATM’s 47th conference!
Yurii Savchuk is Director General of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War. Additionally, he is active as a member of the Supervisory Board of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation. He holds a PhD in History, his research mainly focuses on the auxiliary sciences of history: museology, Ukrainian heraldry, vexillology, attributics, and emblematics.
Yurii has curated over 20 exhibitions in Ukraine and 13 countries abroad. He is the author of nearly 100 scientific publications and co-author of the project of the Great State Coat of Arms of Ukraine.
Despite the constant threats in times of war, the museum has focused on two of its core tasks since the beginning of the Russian invasion in 2022: Documenting and exhibiting the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war. 21 field exhibitions to liberated cities in Ukraine were conducted by the museum’s team and resulted in the collection of about 12,000 artifacts. This also led to a number of traveling exhibitions that were also displayed internationally. Over 15 countries hosted temporary exhibitions curated by the museum. Additionally, the museum is developing a new permanent exhibition. It aims to cover the First and Second World War as well as the Russo-Ukrainian war.
In his talk, Yuri will look at what and how all of this has been done under extremely challenging and dangerous circumstances.
Tuomas Värjö was born in Kuopio in Eastern Finland on September 18th 1980. After studying history and humanities in the Finnish capital, he completed his Master of Arts (MA) degree in History at the University of Helsinki in 2008.
In 2009, he joined the staff of the Forum Marinum Maritime Centre, a national specialist museum for maritime history and the Finnish Navy Museum in Turku, Finland. He has worked as a museum curator since 2018, in charge of Forum Marinum’s sizable boat and boat motor collections. Apart from collections work, he is also regularly involved in the museum’s exhibition projects.
His reseach interests include the history of technology, boatbuilding and shipbuilding in Finland, and the history of Finnish naval vessels. Recently, he has worked as a coordinator in different projects at Forum Marinum, including the Baltic Museum Resilience Project (BaMuR) and the LIMI project on Finnish clinker-built wooden boats.
The Baltic Museum Resilience Project (BaMuR), co-funded by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme, has brought together museums from Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Lithuania, and Poland to study their responses to the COVID-19 crisis. The project aims to develop tools to enhance museum resilience against future crises, focusing on digital solutions like virtual exhibitions. The IATM conference will feature a presentation of the project’s development, findings and proposed tools. It provides valuable insights and practical strategies on the limitations and strengths for museum professionals.
Heini Sorakivi, Master of Arts, is currently working part-time as a project manager of the Finnish Association of Traffic Museums and the other part-time position is held with the Forum Marinum Maritime Centre in audience outreach.
Heini has a history of working within the museum field in diverse positions for a few years now. Throughout her career she has worked closely with audiences. She started as a museum assistant and moved on to work in diverse development projects, mainly focusing on learning in museums and finding new ways to use cultural heritage in education. Most recently, she’s been involved with the museum pedagogics/educational department at the Finnish Postal Museum.
Trafiikki-museot ry – the Finnish Association of Traffic Museums celebrates 20 years of collaboration in 2024. With members ranging from nationally responsible to thematically significant museums, the association enhances expertise and services through shared projects, a common webshop, and mutual support. Emphasizing the power of networking, it fosters resilience and adaptability in the face of changing societal and industry conditions. The association’s commitment to collaboration underscores its mission to preserve and appreciate cultural heritage effectively.
Anni is Development Manager at Mobilia. She has a degree and background in the Finnish Defence forces, but has worked in museums for a decade now, with necessary museum studies. Her museum career consists of smaller and bigger museums as well as art and cultural history. Her skills and experiences focus on preserving mobile heritage and unprejudiced exhibitions.
Anni researches responsible ways of preserving and using historical vehicles and broadening principles of conservation and restoration among enthusiasts and audiences that are not museum professionals or experts on tangible heritage. Anni is somewhat enthusiast on mobile heritage herself, too, working on bicycle history & vintage bicycles, but she and her family also own a couple of old Triumphs.
This talk explores the significant environmental impacts of transport, with a focus on road transport’s contribution to global warming and its effects on health, safety, and cultural heritage. It addresses the dilemma faced by historical vehicle enthusiasts in balancing their passion with environmental responsibility. The session will examine the role of transport museums in the responsible use of historical vehicles, their preservation, and the broader implications for environmental sustainability.
Originally trained as a biologist at the Universities of Marburg and Victoria, BC, Peter Giere entered the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin as a PhD student in zoology. His dissertation on the cranial morphology of mammals got him in touch with the vast collections housed at this institution and elsewhere. Working with collection material and collections led to his fascination with these cultural assets and culminated in becoming a curator at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, where he currently is the scientific head of the Embryological Collection.
As a curator, Peter Giere deepened his interest in maintaining the physical properties of the collection material under his care and he got involved with preventive conservation issues, especially disaster preparedness.
Initially, he organized awareness workshops at his museum and in the world of natural history museums, followed by leading the disaster preparedness group at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin. Pursuing this interest, he became one of the driving forces in an emerging group of persons at the Berlin Museum Association to work on disaster preparedness – a group that subsequently led to the formation of the “Notfallverbund Kulturgut Berlin” (emergency alliance of museums in Berlin), lead by Peter Giere.
Museums are vulnerable to disasters such as fires and extreme weather, which are becoming more frequent due to climate change. Peter Giere’s keynote will focus on the importance of preventive conservation and disaster preparedness to protect cultural heritage. He explores how individual museums and emergency alliances are addressing these challenges in Germany. And shares strategies to mitigate the impact of disasters and ensure the safety of heritage objects. Join us to gain insights and practical solutions to enhance your institution’s resilience and preparedness.
Elina has 20 years of experience in diverse customer service work at Mobilia. She is responsible for public relations and marketing, customer services and the museum shop. She is also closely involved in our different events. Because of her central role, she has been a driving force in Mobilia’s sustainability work.
Mobilia’s sustainability work started about ten years ago with investments into the building and its infrastructure. When oil heating was replaced by wood chip heat and solar panels were installed. For the past couple of years, new sustainability work has involved the entire museum, aiming at the development of a more sustainable tourism industry. Visible steps in this work have been the Ekokompass Environmental System Certificate and the Sustainable Travel Finland – signifying sustainable tourism – awarded to Mobilia by Visit Finland in autumn 2023. Additionally, a carbon dioxide footprint calculation is currently being prepared.
Taking carbon neutrality targets into account, and, on the other hand, our important task of promoting the equality of all road users, is part of our current strategy. In connection with this process, Mobilia has had to consider road transport industry’s relationship to climate change and Mobilia’s own role in the social debate. The other half of the work has been to assess the climate impact of Mobilia’s own operations and create concrete targets.
The sustainability work has required a lot of research. Ready-made examples are not necessarily suitable for museum activities as such. We have had to choose the goals that we want to strive for, and which ones we perceive as too difficult and/or insignificant in terms of the result. Gathering information has increased our understanding, it is a continuous process.
Richard Zima is a historian and political scientist who has been actively involved in the exhibition planning processes at the Hungarian Transport Museum since 2019.
He served as the chief curator for the museum’s new permanent exhibition which has completed its planning phase. Collaborating with the lead exhibition designer Kathrin Milic-Grünwald from Atelier Brückner and lead architect Charles Renfro from Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Zima contributed to the development of a comprehensive history of Hungarian transport. The planned exhibition, spanning 12,200 square meters, aims to explore both the social and technical aspects of transportation featuring 110 large vehicles and 1200 smaller artifacts.
Zima has contributed to several exhibitions of the museum and is currently Head of the Division of Content Development and Exhibitions. Notably, he has also served as the chief curator and project lead for the special exhibitions “The Cycling Shift” in 2023 and “What Drives Us? – Energy Mix in Transport” in 2024.
The Hungarian Museum of Science, Technology and Transport, a century-old institution, is undergoing renewal after its main building was demolished in 2015 due to structural issues. Funding delays have stalled construction of the new museum, as a result the museum holds temporary exhibitions at a former railway maintenance hall in the meantime. A site with both opportunities and challenges. This interim phase involves balancing the display of large vehicles and protecting delicate artifacts, highlighting the museum’s struggle to maintain public visibility and preserve its collection.
Matt Brosnan is the Head Curator at London Transport Museum (LTM), where he has worked since early 2018. He leads the curatorial team who manage, develop and share a growing collection of 500,000 objects that documents the last 200 years of London’s rich and varied public transport history. This includes sharing LTM’s subject matter and collection through exhibitions, galleries, digital content, publications and heritage events. Matt previously worked at IWM for 12 years as a curator, historian and department head, curating many exhibitions and working on IWM’s First World War galleries.
In 2024, London Transport Museum opened ‘Echoes of the Blitz: Underground shelters in Ukraine and London,’ featuring 70 photographs of civilians sheltering in underground train stations. This talk discusses the exhibition’s creation, highlighting challenges such as funding reallocation, sustainable gallery development, and the complexities of featuring ongoing conflicts. Learn how agile decision-making and teamwork led to a successful and impactful exhibition overcoming several hurdles.
Kalle Kallio is director of the Finnish Lenin Museum and overseas its transition from its current state to a new museum documenting and displaying the Finnish-Russian Relations.
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Finnish Lenin Museum saw itself amidst questions, demands, support and criticism of the public. This was taken to heart. The museum closes in November 2024 and will re-open in the future as Nootti – the Museum of Finnish-Russian Relations. You will have the chance to visit the museum in its current state and learn more about the future plans.
Matias Laitinen is a maritime archaeologist working as Head of Collections at the Finnish Aviation Museum, where he started working in 2007. He holds a MA in archaeology from the University of Helsinki and worked at the Finnish Heritage Agency and Maritime Museum of Finland in the past.
Currently, Matias and his collection team are preparing the museum’s collections for the move to a new location before the end of 2028.
Transport museums, located in transportation hubs, are highly vulnerable during conflicts, especially rail yards, ports, and airfields targeted in airstrikes. Aviation museums near airfields or air force bases face strategic risks. This talk presents the positioning of aviation museums in Finland and Europe, examples of airfield targeting in global conflicts, and discusses strategies for evacuating large aircraft collections during crises. Learn about the logistical challenges and potential solutions for safeguarding transport and aviation history amidst armed conflict.
Get to know Finland's transport and communication museums
As always, our IATM conference include an in-depth look at several of Finland’s transport and communication museums.
We’ll start our journey at one of Finland’s oldest museums: The Finnish Railway Museum in Hyvinkää welcomes you to Finnish railway history, and an evening to meet old and new friends. It will also be the starting point for a historic train ride to Tampere ringing in the second conference day.
After your arrival in Finland’s largest city, Museum Centre Vapriikki, which houses – among others – the Finnish Museum of Games, and the Finnish Postal Museum, is the host of our first programme sessions.
The next day starts with a visit to the Lenin Museum in Tampere, where we’ll learn more about the future plans for the museum. Afterwards you embark on a bus ride to Mobilia – Museum of Car and Road in Kangasala. The museum with national responsibility on roads and road traffic welcomes you for the conference programme, and a delicious dinner with great conversations.
Following on the next day is a visit to the Finnish Aviation Museum. Here, military, commercial and private aircrafts, scale models and other objects tell the story of aviation in a unique way. You’ll learn more about the museums revision and grand re-opening during our visit to Vantaa.
Additionally, the post-conference tour on 12 September takes you to the Forum Marinum in Turku (including a bus tour from Helsinki to Turku and back). The Forum comprises the National Special Nautical Museum, and the Finnish Navy Museum. Together, they pre-serve cultural heritage, develop maritime cultural & tourism services, and host maritime events.
Accommodation
There are several options for your accommodation available.
We suggest two different hotel stays (or three, depending on your participation in the post-conference tour) for the entire conference. The suggested hotels offer a special rate for delegates.
You are free to make your own reservations at the suggested or different hotels. Please bear in mind that the distances for the conference are large and public transport is not always well-suited for such travels. We recommend using the transfer options organised and provided by the conference’sorganisational team.
Hyvinkää (one night, 8-9 September)
Hotel Sveitsi, Härkävehmaankatu 4, 05900 Hyvinkää
Distance to Finnish Railway Museum: 2 kilometers
Reservation code: 080924SUO
Hotel Sveitsi is situated in the middle of the South-Finland region. It takes 45 minutes by car from Helsinki and 30 minutes to one hour from Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. The hotel is well connected to public transport and 1.5 km from the main train and bus station. Hotel shuttle busses operate between the city center and hotel throughout the day.
Scandic Hyvinkää, Hämeenkatu 2-4, 05800 Hyvinkää
Distance to Finnish Railway Museum: 1.5 Kilometers
Discounted rate via reservation at scandichotels.com using the booking code FIARB
The hotel is located next to Hyvinkää railway station. It features a restaurant, a lobby bar and a pub that’s popular among locals. The same goes for the hotel’s popular night club. The hotel also features a sauna and a gym.
Tampere (two nights, 9-11 September)
Radisson Blue Grand Hotel Tammer, Satakunnankatu 13, 33100 Tampere,
Distance to Vapriikki Museum Centre: 500 meters, about 7 minutes
Reservation number: BIATM24
The Radisson Blu Grand Hotel Tammer is located in a park right by the Tammerkoski river, in the city center. Among the amenities are the on-site bistro dining and a delicious breakfast, which is enjoyed in the impressive banquet hall.
Solo Sokos Hotel Torni Tampere, Ratapihankatu 43, 33100 Tampere
Distance to Vapriikki Museum Centre: 1.5 kilometres, 20 min by foot, 15 by public transport
Reservation number: BIATM24
Located in the heart of Tampere, Solo Sokos Hotel Torni Tampere is the highest hotel in Finland. The 88 metre high hotel tower is combined with old locomotive depots. Its Moro Sky Bar is a popular meeting place and viewpoint for Tampere. Tampere Railway Station and Bus Station can be reached in 2 and 10 minutes respectively. Tampere-Pirkkala Airport can be reached by car or bus in 20 to 40 minutes, while it takes approx. 2 hours by train or car to Helsinki-Vantaa Airport.
Helsinki (applies to study day, one night, 11-12 September)
Scandic Grand Central, Vilhonkatu 13, 00100 Helsinki
Discounted rate via reservation at scandichotels.com using the booking code FIARB
A unique hotel in the centre of Helsinki. The former Helsinki Railway Station was designed by Eliel Saarinen in the Art Nouveau style. Today it houses this comfortable hotel.
Practical Information for your pleasant stay in Finland
We are delighted to welcome you to Finland! Please find some practical information on traveling, currency, and the like in our practical guide below.