CIMAM’s 2007 Annual Conference “Museums and Universal Heritage: Contemporary Institutions as Producers in Late Capitalism”

CIMAM’s Annual Conference is a forum for co-operation, exchange and dialogue between museum professionals, artists and intellectuals concerned with modern and contemporary art.

CIMAM –International Committee of ICOM for Museums and Collections of Modern Art– is the only international forum of professional character for the discussion of philosophical, ethical and practical issues concerning the collection and exhibition of twentieth-century art.

The conference, which takes place every year in a different country, focuses on a range of topics reflecting the needs of the members. Over the past eight years, it has addressed such central issues as “Art in Divided Communities” Jerusalem 1999; “Does Any One Need Museums of Contemporary Art Anymore?” Budapest 2000; “The Missions of Larger and Smaller Museums and Alternative Spaces”, Barcelona 2001; “The Museum as a Statement? The Erosion of the Public Role of the Museum” Berlin, 2002; “Digital and Genome Theory in Contemporary Art” San Francisco, 2003; “The Shifting Landscape of Contemporary Art in Asia”, Seoul, 2004; “Museums: Intersections in a Global Scene” Sao Paulo; and “Contemporary Institutions: Between Public and Private” held at Tate Modern, London, 2007.

With a 2-day format of sessions, CIMAM’s 2007 Annual Conference “Contemporary Institutions as Producers in Late Capitalism” aims to offer every museum professional an invaluable and unique opportunity to share ideas and discuss concerns, while supporting long-term goals of the organization such as,

-    to provide a permanent international forum for discussion where new developments in contemporary art and theory are anticipated and discussed.
-    to facilitate new possibilities for partnerships and cooperation between modern and contemporary art professionals from diverse regions of the world, and
-    to contribute to intercultural understanding.

CIMAM’s Conferences have always been well received and attended. For this year’s meeting, we are aiming at similar results.
-    100/120 participants, directors and curators of modern and contemporary institutions;
-    diverse in origin, from museums all over the world, and;
-    we hope that at least 20% of the total participants will come from underrepresented countries including Central and Eastern European countries.