Museums: The Future of Diaspora Engagement
2023 CONFERENCE | CONGRESS
Access printable schedule here.
September 20 (Wednesday) - September 23 (Saturday) | 2023
Co-hosted by Idaho Museum of International Diaspora, Matej Bel University (MBU), City of Banská Bystrica, and MBU Faculty of Arts
Day 1 (Sept. 20) | hybrid access: Grounding on the foundations of museums, cultural identity and diaspora.
Day 2 (Sept. 21) | hybrid access: Immersive / experiential learning opportunity including: (1) guided cultural tour in various parts of Banská Bystrica, and (2) diaspora museum tour as an immersive learning experience.
Day 3 (Sept. 22) | some hybrid access - see Day 3 schedule: Engage participants in global skills training and immersive learning workshops.
Day 4 (Sept. 23) | in-person access only: Wrap-up by way of facilitating discussion with participants on the application of the skills and knowledge in their respective fields.
See daily conference sessions / workshops / activities below or click here for a printable schedule.
Disclosure: This conference is an integral part of KEGA Project no. 016UMB-4/202: Global Skills Implementation in Foreign Language Teaching at Secondary Schools as a Precondition to Pupils´ Key Competencies´ Development and Professional Identity Enhancement of Future Teachers in the 21st Century. The project was approved in 2021 by the Cultural and Educational Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic.
Day 1: September 20 (Wednesday)
Foundations of Museums, Cultural Identity, and Diaspora
Hybrid Access for Day 1 schedule (except VIP Dinner Program).
LEARN. Honoring the Past
DISCOVER. Treasuring Today
EXPLORE. Influence the Future
8:00am - 8:30am | REGISTRATION | Conference Reception Desk Open
Location: SNP Museum (auditorium)
8:30am - 9:00am | WELCOME | Opening Remarks
Location: SNP Museum (auditorium)
Moderator: Dr. Anna Slatinská, Manager, Faculty of Arts at Matej Bel University
Speakers: Dr. Marian Uhrin, Director, SNP Museum; Jakub Gajdošík, MA, Deputy Mayor of Banská Bystrica; Dr. Palina Louangketh, IMID Founder & Executive Director; Dr. Miroslava Knapková, Vice Rector, Matej Bel University
9:05am - 9:55am | PANEL | Cultural and Diaspora Museums: Foundations of Transformational Engagement
Location: SNP Museum (auditorium)
Moderator: Dr. Simge Erdogan-O’Connor, Manager and Curator, Murney Tower Museum National Historic Site of Canada
Panelists: Dr. Sarah Smith, Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair in Art, Culture and Global Relations,
Faculty of Information and Media Studies, Western University; Dr. Sascha Priewe, Director of Collections & Public Programs at Aga Khan Museum and Chair, Idaho Museum of International Diaspora Global Leadership Council; Dr. Palina Louangketh, Idaho Museum of International Diaspora Founder & Executive Director
Description: Panelists will ground participants on the critical role of diaspora and cultural museums to connect sectoral partners and communities, intent behind the theme Museums: The Future of Diaspora Engagement, and story behind the collection of the conference /congress schedule of topics and speakers.
10:00am - 10:30am | TOPIC | Historical and Current Basque Diasporas: A New Scenario
Location: SNP Museum (auditorium)
Speakers: Imanol Galdos, Assistant Manager & International Affairs Manager at Donostia Kultura and Donostia-San Sebastian City Council; Dr. John Bieter, Professor and Historian at Boise State University
Description: Speakers will take audience through the historical journey of Basque diasporas and how the relationship between culture and today's Basque populations in various regions of the world defines Basque cultural heritage.
10:30am - 10:45am | BREAK
10:45am - 11:55pm | PANEL | Ireland's Greatest Resource: Irish Diaspora and Cultural Heritage
Location: SNP Museum (auditorium)
Moderator: Trevor Ó Clochartaigh, Director of Operations and HR at TG4
Panelists: His Excellency, Dermot McGauran, Ambassador of Ireland to the Slovak Republic; Senator Mark Daly; Dr. Niall Murray, Senior Lecturer, Technological University of the Shannon and Project Lead, TRANSMIXR project; Kate Howard, Arts Development Officer at Galway City Council
Description: Panelists will discuss Ireland in historical and current perspectives from a multi-perspective lens in the context of the critical role of the Irish diasporas in fostering Irish cultural heritage.
12:00pm - 1:15pm | LUNCH Networking Lunch
1:15pm - 2:00pm | TOPIC | The Legacies of War: History, Healing, and Hope Across Diaspora Generations
Location: SNP Museum (auditorium)
Speaker: Sera Koulabdara, Chief Executive Officer at Legacies of War and Chair, US Campaign to Ban Landmine and Cluster Munition Coalition
Description: Conflict through war is not a thing of the past but remains an unfortunate topic of today. Speaker will dissect the impact of the legacies of war across the lifespan of individuals and communities impacted by war in both the conflict areas and those outside of it.
2:05pm - 3:15pm | PANEL | Diaspora Relationships: Connecting Hearts, Mind, and Communities
Location: SNP Museum (auditorium)
Moderator: Elke Shaw-Tulloch, MHS, Chair, Idaho Museum of International Diaspora and State Health Official and Administrator, Idaho Department of Health & Welfare, Division of Public Health
Panelists: Anselme Sadiki, MIA, Executive Director / Chief Executive Officer at Children's Home Society of Idaho; Dr. Julie Aultman, Dean at College of Graduate Studies, Professor of Family and Community Medicine, and Director, Medical Ethics and Humanities Program at Northeast Ohio Medical University; Dr. Scott Smith, Internal Medicine Physician at Global Talent Doctors
Description: Panelists will ground audience in the integral relationship between systems and infrastructures and the mental health and wellbeing of diasporas at the individual / family and population levels.
3:15pm - 3:30pm | BREAK
3:30pm - 3:50pm | TOPIC | Slovak Minority Environments Abroad: Forms of Education and Traditional Culture
Location: SNP Museum (auditorium)
Speaker: Dr. Zuzana Drugová, Ethnologist, Methodological Centre, Matej Bel University
Description: Speaker will explain the minority environments of Slovaks living abroad and the diversity of their conditions of existence, which also implies the diversity of the needs of individual environments for their own existence.
3:50pm - 4:00pm | TOPIC | Closing Remarks
Location: SNP Museum (auditorium)
Speaker: Dr. Sascha Priewe, Director of Collections & Public Programs at Aga Khan Museum
Day 1: September 20 (Wednesday)
VIP Partnership Dinner
Registration required: Access here to purchase ticket ($75 USD)
6:30pm – 8:30pm | VIP Partnership Dinner
Moderator: Dr. Sascha Priewe, Director of Collections & Public Programs at Aga Khan Museum and Chair, Idaho Museum of International Diaspora Global Leadership Council
Location: Congress Dixon Hotel
VIP Keynote: His Excellency, Dermot McGauran, Ambassador of Ireland to the Slovak Republic
The Idaho Museum of International Diaspora's Global Leadership Council (GLC) cordially invites you to join us this evening (September 20, Wednesday) for a special dinner program with an exciting announcement and special performances by a local cultural group.
We are dedicated to expanding our partners' knowledge and inviting collaboration. During this dinner program, you will have an opportunity to learn about and provide input into our future plans and destination for our next global conference. You will be exposed to new ideas and the "why" behind them and invited to join our movement to connect communities to cultures with a set of exciting opportunities.
We believe in providing immersive learning and educational experiences - an exchange of knowledge and innovative approaches to collaboration - through our connections to local, national, and global partners, communities that host diasporas, and individuals in diaspora communities. This special dinner program will excite and ignite your passion! Please come join us.
Day 2: September 21 (Thursday)
Immersive Learning & Cultural Tours
Hybrid Access for Day 2 schedule.
Location: Faculty of Political Sciences and International Relations (FPS-IR), Matej Bel University (MBU) (image of building)
Address: Kuzmányho 1, 974 01 | Banská Bystrica
Feed Your Curiosity
9:00am - 9:20am | TOPIC | Slovak Diaspora in the United States: Can Democracy Be Exported Back to One's Mother Country?
Location: Faculty of Political Sciences and International Relations (FPS-IR), Matej Bel University (MBU)
Speaker: Dr. Roman Ličko, Assistant Professor, Department of English and American Studies
Faculty of Arts, Matej Bel University
Description: Since the late 19th century, when Slovaks began emigrating to the United States in great numbers, there have been many Slovak Americans who felt that they should support their mother country they left behind. Some believed it should not only be money, but also ideas. Speaker will discuss the political debates about Slovakia's future among Slovak-Americans proliferated in a free America – from the extreme left to the far-right.
9:30am - 9:50am | TOPIC | Diaspora of Slovaks in Argentina and Australia in the Context of Current Aspects
Location: FPS-IR, MBU
Speaker: Dr. Martin Urban, Associate Professor, Centre for Art and Culture, Faculty of Education; Artistic Director and Choreographer, University Folklore Ensemble Mladost, Matej Bel University
Description: Speaker will introduce a cross-country comparison of Slovak diasporas in the current perspective context.
10:00am - 10:20am | TOPIC | HerStories Project: Stories of Jewish Women in the 20th century
Location: FPS-IR, MBU
Speaker: Jana Turanska, MA, Project Manager at Centropa
Description: Speaker will provide insights into the multifaceted Jewish history across parts of Europe in the 20th century through the HerStories Project - a timeline through the life stories of seven Jewish women from Germany, Poland, Greece, Spain, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
10:20am - 10:30am | BREAK
10:40am - 11:00am | TOPIC | Research and Innovation Agenda in Cultural Heritage: Slovak Minorities
Location: FPS-IR, MBU
Speakers: Dr. Katarína Koštiaľová, Associate Professor, Department of Social Studies and Ethnology, Faculty of Arts, Matej Bel University; Dr. Ivan Murín, Associate Professor, Department of Social Studies and Ethnology, Faculty of Arts, Matej Bel University; Dr. Alexandra Bitušíková
Description: The picture of Slovak culture would not be complete without the culture of national minorities living in Slovakia, which is complemented by the culture of Slovaks living abroad. Speaker will describe the national minorities in Slovakia, define the role of the museums of national minorities, and expand audience knowledge base of the multicultural, multiethnic nature of Slovak culture.
11:10am - 11:30am | TOPIC | Connecting with Ireland Diaspora: Role of Media in in the 21st Century
Location: FPS-IR, MBU
Speaker: Trevor Ó Clochartaigh, Director of Operations and HR at TG4
Description: Speaker will highlight the role of media to connect Irish diasporas globally to their cultural heritage in the 21st century.
11:45am - 1:00pm | LUNCH
1:00pm - 1:20pm | TOPIC | Invisible Women in Banská Bystrica
Location: FPS-IR, MBU
Speakers: Dr. Alžbeta Gregorová Brozmanová, Associate Professor at Matej Bel University; Dr. Jana Šolcová, Associate Professor at Matej Bel University
Description: Speakers will highlight the intent behind the project, Invisible Women, which maps the needs, challenges, and life stories of women living in Banská Bystrica and its surroundings, coming from the environment of other countries or nationalities. (Note: Invisible Women in Banská Bystrica exhibition will be displayed in the Faculty of Arts. This includes photographic accounts of these women - their daily lives from their perspective and in their voices).
1:30pm - 2:00pm | TOPIC | Today's Basque Diaspora: Challenges and Opportunities
Location: FPS-IR, MBU
Speakers: Imanol Galdos, Assistant Manager & International Affairs Manager at Donostia Kultura and Donostia-San Sebastian City Council; Dr. John Bieter, Professor and Historian at Boise State University
Description: A continued discussion from Day 1 presentation, the speakers will crossover from Basque diasporas in historical context to today's Basque diaspora and their environment, which presents both challenges and opportunities.
2:10pm - 2:30pm | TOPIC | Remembering Forward: The Importance of Preserving Individual and Collective Memory Artifacts
Location: FPS-IR, MBU
Speaker: Dr. Jana Javorčíková, Department of English and American Studies, Matej Bel University; Dr. Martin Javor, Associate Professor, University of Prešov
Description: Speakers will discuss the role of individual, historical and collective memory of the traumatic experience of Slovak immigration to North America and Canada for present-day students of language and general public.
3:00pm-5:00pm | CULTURAL and HISTORICAL TOURS
Locations: SNP Museum and City of Banská Bystrica
Group Banská:
SNP Museum: museum tour | 3:00pm - 4:00pm; City of Banská Bystrica: historical & cultural tour | 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Group Bystrica:
City of Banská Bystrica: historical & cultural tour | 3:00pm - 4:00pm; SNP Museum: museum tour | 4:00pm - 5:00pm
5:15pm - 7:15pm RECEPTION | Arrivals: What's Left Behind, What Lies Ahead
Location: Academy of Arts
Hosts: Jon Cox, MFA, National Geographic Explorer, Fulbright Specialist at Matej Bel University, and Professor of Art and Design at University of Delaware; Andy Bale, MFA, Professor of Art and Photography at Dickinson College
Description: Audience will experience the exhibition, Arrivals: What's Left Behind, What Lies Ahead - a human journey story exhibition of the lived experiences of today's diasporas.
Day 3: September 22 (Friday)
Global Skills Training & Human Journey Workshops
Only the session/workshop marked as "Hybrid Access" is accessible for online or in-person participation on Day 3 schedule. All other non-marked sessions/workshops are in-person only.
Location: Faculty of Arts (English) or Filozoficka Fakulta (Slovak) | Matej Bel University (MBU) (image of building)
Address: Tajovskeho 40 | Banská Bystrica
#LearnDiscoverExplore
MORNING SESSIONS
8:00am - 12:00pm | COLLECTIVE CONVERSATIONS | Global Perspectives: Integrating Diasporas and Culture in Education
Location: Faculty of Arts (classroom setting), Matej Bel University | Room: F239 | Hybrid Access
Moderator: Dr. Anna Slatinská, Manager, Faculty of Arts at Matej Bel University
Speakers and Topics:
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Madeline Vadkerty, Holocaust Researcher and Doctoral Student, Gratz College | TOPIC: Speaking to Power: Teaching about the Holocaust through Entreaties to Slovak President Jozef Tiso about the Jewish Question
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Dr. Nataliia Kalnychenko, Ukrainian Researcher and Instructor Matej Bel University | TOPIC: Cultures of Diasporas: Role of Private Collections
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Dr. Svitlana Shekhavtsova, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor Faculty of Art, Slavic Languages Department Matej Bel University | TOPIC: Cross-Cultural Competence: Life-Long Global Skills
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Dr. Raisa Gladushyna, Associate Professor, English Language and Communication Department, Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University | TOPIC: Ethos of Diasporic Cultural Heritage in ESL Discourse: Crucial Agenda for Education
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Dr. Maria Prokopchuk, Associate Professor, Faculty of Romance and Germanic Linguistics Deputy Dean, Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University | TOPIC: "Spell Your Name" Project: The Importance of Oral History Today
Description: Moderator will engage both audience and speakers in a collective conversation approach to introduce each topic discussion and engage speakers and audience in dialogue that aligns to today's learning and teaching environment and prepares the next generation of teachers to the future teaching and learning environment in diaspora and cultural contexts.
8:00am - 12:00pm | WORKSHOP | Arrivals: What's Left Behind, What Lies Ahead
Location: Faculty of Arts (classroom setting), Matej Bel University | Room: F344
Speakers: Jon Cox, MFA, National Geographic Explorer, Fulbright Specialist at Matej Bel University, and Professor of Art and Design at University of Delaware; Andy Bale, MFA, Professor of Art and Photography at Dickinson College
Description: Speakers will engage audience in a workshop-style learning approach to engage their emotional and cultural intelligence about each other's human journey experience in a safe 'sharing of lived experience' environment that aims to connect the participants on a special level through the workshop program.
9:00am - 12:00pm | WORKSHOP | Diaspora Engagement in the Classroom Through Food
Location: Faculty of Arts (classroom setting), Matej Bel University | Room: F141
Speakers: Dr. Hong Li, Professor of Chinese Language, Department of Russian and East Asian Languages and Cultures, Emory University; Dr. Christine Ristaino, Professor of Practice, Department of French and Italian in the College of Arts and Sciences, Emory University
Description: Time and again, especially since the pandemic began, the role food plays in connecting people and enhancing resilience during difficult times. Speakers will highlight the lives of diaspora and cultural groups from around the world through exploring the diverse voices of immigrants of various generations and international students from different countries. Speakers will also demonstrate how food can serve as a metaphorical lens through which we may critically examine immigrant experiences and key social justice issues.
10:00am - 11:30am | WORKSHOP | Advocating for Peace: A Journey of Diasporas across Generations
Location: Faculty of Arts (classroom setting), Matej Bel University | Room F354
Speaker: Sera Koulabdara, Chief Executive Officer at Legacies of War and Chair, US Campaign to Ban Landmine and Cluster Munition Coalition
Description: A continuation from Day 1 presentation, speaker will highlight the importance of advocating for peace across generations in both the origin and host countries.
10:00am - 11:30am | WORKSHOP | The Museum as a Platform of Global Citizenship: Key Definitions, Principles and Applications
Location: Faculty of Arts (classroom setting), Matej Bel University | Room F342
Speaker: Dr. Simge Erdogan-O’Connor, Manager and Curator, Murney Tower Museum National Historic Site of Canada
Description: The workshop introduces the concept of global citizenship as an instrument for socially and globally responsible museum practice where cultural relationships and connections lead to positive outcomes and people feel empowered to find solutions to contemporary challenges. Speaker will engage audience in understanding the different definitions of the concept of global citizenship, discover their roles in a globalized world, and explore its practical applications in the global museum sector. (Note: This workshop is offered in both morning and afternoon sessions. The afternoon session will highlight the discussions from the morning session).
11:30am/12:00pm - 1:00pm/1:30pm | LUNCH
AFTERNOON SESSIONS
1:00pm - 2:00pm | TOPIC | Engaging Roma Communities: Povrazník and Šobov
Location: Faculty of Arts (classroom setting), Matej Bel University | Room F352
Speakers: Jaro Koleda, Activist, Community Centre in Povrazník; Majka Koledová, Manager at Community Centre in Povrazník
Description: Speakers will discuss how their roles engaged the two Roma communities through their active work in and with the respective Roma communities. Participants will learn how their journey began and what the future holds.
1:30pm - 3:00pm | WORKSHOP | Idaho Diaspora Human Journey Stories: Artisan Lens
Location: Faculty of Arts (classroom setting), Matej Bel University | Room F354
Speaker: Steven Hatcher, Director of Folk and Traditional Arts at Idaho Commission on the Arts
Description: Speaker will engage participants in learning about how Idaho - a refugee resettlement state in the United States and headquarters of the Idaho Museum of International Diaspora - created an environment for a special artisan program to connect refugees and the broader Idaho communities to the cultures of refugees by depicting their human journey story from their origin to host countries.
1:30pm - 3:00pm | WORKSHOP | The Museum as a Platform of Global Citizenship: Key Definitions, Principles and Applications
Location: Faculty of Arts (classroom setting), Matej Bel University
Speaker: Dr. Simge Erdogan-O’Connor, Manager and Curator, Murney Tower Museum National Historic Site of Canada
Description: The workshop introduces the concept of global citizenship as an instrument for socially and globally responsible museum practice where cultural relationships and connections lead to positive outcomes and people feel empowered to find solutions to contemporary challenges. Speaker will engage audience in understanding the different definitions of the concept of global citizenship, discover their roles in a globalized world, and explore its practical applications in the global museum sector. (Note: This workshop is offered in both the morning and afternoon sessions. The afternoon session will highlight the discussions from the morning session).
1:30pm - 3:30pm | PANEL | Healing Journey: Narratives of Mental Health and Wellbeing
Location: Faculty of Arts (classroom setting), Matej Bel University | Room F239 | Hybrid Access
Moderator: Elke Shaw-Tulloch, MHS, Chair, Idaho Museum of International Diaspora and State Health Official and Administrator, Idaho Department of Health & Welfare, Division of Public Health
Panelists: Anselme Sadiki, MIA, Executive Director / Chief Executive Officer at Children's Home Society of Idaho; Dr. Julie Aultman, Dean at College of Graduate Studies, Professor of Family and Community Medicine, and Director, Medical Ethics and Humanities Program at Northeast Ohio Medical University; Dr. Scott Smith, Internal Medicine Physician at Global Talent Doctors
Description: A continuation of Day 1 panel presentations, the moderator will engage the panelists and audience in how mental health and wellbeing span across the various topics presented during the conference/congress and the relationship between diasporas and the healing journey.
2:00pm - 3:00pm | WORKSHOP | Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Pedagogy for Language Learners: The What, Why, and How
Location: Faculty of Arts (classroom setting), Matej Bel University | Room: F352
Speaker: Dr. Zuzana Tomaš (ONLINE presenter), Professor of ESL/TESOL Eastern Michigan University
Description: Speaker will discuss her topic with future teachers and will provide tips and strategies of practical application in the classroom and social settings.
2:00pm - 3:00pm | WORKSHOP | The Love I Lost: A narrative of life before the war and survival of a racially persecuted family during WWII
Location: Faculty of Arts (classroom setting), Matej Bel University | Room F141
Speaker: Alica Frühwald, Author of The Lost I Lost and retired former Head of the British Council Centre
Description: Speaker will provide an overview of her book and engage audience in a workshop-style discussion that highlights topics from the various chapters / sections of the book. (Note: Author will share her book with the students).
Day 4: September 23 (Saturday)
Engaging Partners in the Future
In-person access only for Day 4 schedule.
Location: Faculty of Arts (English) or Filozoficka Fakulta (Slovak) | Matej Bel University (MBU) (image of building)
Address: Tajovskeho 40 | Banská Bystrica
8:30am - 9:30am | PANEL | Conference Reflections and 2024 Adventures
Location: Faculty of Arts (Auditorium Hall), Matej Bel University
Moderator: Dr. Sarah Smith, Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair in Art, Culture and Global Relations, Faculty of Information and Media Studies, Western University
Panelists: Dr. Sascha Priewe, Director of Collections & Public Programs at Aga Khan Museum and Chair, Idaho Museum of International Diaspora Global Leadership Council; Dr. Palina Louangketh, Idaho Museum of International Diaspora Founder & Executive Director
Description: You don't want to miss this panel as the moderator engages panelists in wrapping up the conference with highlights of partnerships, projects, and next steps as the Idaho Museum of International Diaspora's (IMID) Global Leadership Council plans for the IMID's 2nd annual (2024) signature global conference/congress.
9:30am - 10:00am | CLOSING REMARKS
Location: Faculty of Arts (Auditorium Hall), Matej Bel University
Speakers: Dr. Sascha Priewe, Director of Collections & Public Programs at Aga Khan Museum and Chair, Idaho Museum of International Diaspora Global Leadership Council; Dr. Palina Louangketh, Idaho Museum of International Diaspora Founder & Executive Director; Dr. Anna Slatinská, Manager, Faculty of Arts at Matej Bel University
