The representation of place by collectors and through collections: an evaluation of examples from Northern Ireland

拟议活动的背景北爱尔兰是由我们的收藏机构建造和代表的，这是一个重要而有价值的主题，将提出关于博物馆和美术馆目的的问题。这些工作坊将调查我们博物馆及其藏品的思想基础。他们将调查北爱尔兰身份是如何通过这些收藏构建和表现的。然后，它将利用这些知识来考虑我们的机构在当代背景下的性质。认识和探索馆藏对理解和构建场所的影响。询问北爱尔兰通过博物馆和收藏品建造和嵌入的想法。审查收藏在代表当代北爱尔兰和更广泛意义和好处方面的作用出于一些原因，这些性质的研讨会在这个时候特别适合北爱尔兰。首先，目前正在通过《公共行政审查》重新考虑北爱尔兰遗产和博物馆服务的管理。其次，阿尔斯特博物馆将在2006-2008年期间关闭，以便进行整修和重新展示。这是博物馆历史上最重要的重新展示，因此是评估公共服务的理想机会。最后，北爱尔兰社区团体之间的收集活动有所增加，他们试图通过收藏和展览来展示自己的历史和经历。这些讲习班将是对这一活动进行实际评估并就其在北爱尔兰代表权中的作用提出问题的机会。这三点使得现在是讨论我们的博物馆收藏品如何代表北爱尔兰的理想时机。作为一个重要的历史回顾和批评主题，当代对博物馆和美术馆的方法使这一问题成为进一步研究的重要主题。博物馆和文化部门提出的报告考虑了包容性(GLLAM 2000)、社会正义(苏格兰博物馆理事会1999)、宽容和民主(CLMG 2005)等问题，这些报告与北爱尔兰的情况特别相关，需要讨论我们应该如何规划我们的博物馆。我们必须在对博物馆的这种新思维的背景下考虑我们现有收藏品的相关性。此外，我们还必须讨论如何增加我们的藏品，以更好地表现当代北爱尔兰存在的身份和对地方的解释的多样性。

Context of proposed activitesNorthern Ireland has been constructed and represented by our collecting institutions is an important and valuable subject and one that will raise questions about the purpose of museums and galleries. These workshops will investigate the ideological foundations of our museums and their collections. They will investigate how Northern Ireland identity was constructed and represented through these collections. It will then use this knowledge to consider the nature of our institutions in the contemporary context.Aims and objectives1. To acknowledge and explore the impact collections have on understanding and constructing place.2. To interrogate the idea of Northern Ireland constructed and embedded through museums and collections.3. To examine the role of collections in the representation of contemporary Northern IrelandWider significance and benefitsFor a number of reasons, these workshops of this nature are especially pertinenty for Northern Ireland at this time. In the first place, the management of heritage and museum services in Northern Ireland is currently being reconsidered through the Review of Public Administration. Secondly, during 2006-8 the Ulster Museum will be closed for refurbishment and redisplay. This is the most significant redisplay in the history of the museums and therefore an ideal opportunity then to evaluate the public service. Finally, there has been a growth in Northern Ireland of collecting activity amongst community groups, who are attempting to represent their own histories and experiences through collections and exhibitions. These workshops will be an opportunity to actually evaluate this activity and ask questions about its role in the representation of Northern Ireland. These three points make this an ideal time to discuss how our museum collections represent Northern Ireland.As well as being an important topic for historical reviewa nd critique, contemporary approaches to museums and galleries have made this an essential topic for further investigations. Reports arising from the museum and cultural sectors that consider issues such as inclusion (GLLAM 2000), social justice (Scottish Museums Council 1999), tolerance and democracy (CLMG 2005) are particularly pertinent in the Northern Ireland context and need to be discussed in relation to how we should plan for our museums. It is essential that we consider the relevance of our established collections within the context of this new thinking about museums. Furthermore, we must also debate how we might add to our collections to better represent the diversity of identities and interpretations of place that exist in contemporary Northern Ireland.