(High resolution) April 2011 (PDF

News
A weaving demonstration at the National Silk Museum, Hang Zhou Mathieu Wilhemsen, Serge Bernier and Ken Smith Christmas at
work during the General Assembly
necessary or sustainable. Now that ICOM transacts its
business at annual General Assemblies in Paris, why not
hold a Conference once every five years, say, even though it
would mean either altering the format of elections or the
length of service of the President, Treasurer and Executive
Council. That would surely allow more of us to attend more
regularly and would help all International Committees in
planning their own programmes of meetings. If that could
be agreed perhaps, also less time could be allocated to our
individual conferences and more to working sessions across
The Army
Museum, Stockholm
New Curators
12 MAGAZINE ISSUE 06
the normal boundaries within ICOM. Since I have been
attending every conference seems to start with a speech
saying what a wonderful opportunity this is for a real
interchange if ideas between people from around the world
but then the format and timetable shuts us up for most of
the time with people we know which, nice as it may be,
could be done elsewhere and at another time and actually
prevents us from discussing issues of mutual concern with
those we do not know. I suspect that some such change is
inevitable, but in my lifetime?
We have also started a trainee program for new staff
members and we send them to other museums to
learn and get references. Andreas will be at the Royal Army
Museum in Brussels for a fortnight in April this year and we
are hoping that we can continue this with other museums in
other countries.
Aron Erstorp: Firearms and other weapons before 1900. Andreas Ohlsson: Firearms after 1900 and 20th century material