Lecture: Museums in Times of Crisis: The Experience of the Museums of Artsakh

On September 15, a seminar dedicated to the theme of museums was held in the reading hall of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia. Nzhdeh Yeranyan, Candidate of Historical Sciences and a member of the Research Group on the Historical and Cultural Heritage of Artsakh, delivered a paper entitled “Museums in Times of Crisis: The Experience of the Museums of Artsakh.” In his presentation, N. Yeranyan discussed the challenges faced by museums during crises. Drawing on his participation in various international events on museum-related issues, he introduced global practices of disaster response in the museum sector. According to the speaker, museum staff, state and public institutions, and volunteers must be prepared to safeguard cultural heritage in the event of any disaster, including armed conflict. Based on international experience, effective protection requires coordinated action by the Ministry of Culture, the Emergency Situations Center, the army, the police, museum, archive, and library professionals, volunteer cultural heritage rescuers, and local self-government bodies.

The seminar also addressed the issue of evacuating collections from the museums of Artsakh. Former Minister of Culture and Tourism of Artsakh, Sergey Shahverdyan, likewise presented on the situation of museums in Artsakh. Members of the Research Group on the Historical and Cultural Heritage of Artsakh also contributed to the discussion.