Global Excellence in Interpretation

Free Webinar Series

While interpreters have shifted to digital communication through online webinars and meetings, interpreters' professional associations around the world have increased their activity, developing and providing online services to members, including training, conferences, one-off events, and more. This accelerated trend has given us an opportunity to share good practice more widely across the world, with interpreters from different countries and indeed different continents joining events of interest to them. This series will develop a pilot international webinar series, under the banner of the Global Alliance for Heritage Interpretation.

This yearlong series of webinars hosted by seven interpretation organizations around the world is free to all interpreters, regardless of membership or affiliation with any of the sponsor organizations! English-Spanish live translation will be available.

UP NEXT

"I Don’t Know What That is But I Love That It’s There”:
Rethinking the social values and public outcomes of in situ archaeological conservation and presentation in Australia

Interpretation Australia
Tuesday, December 12, 2023
1:00pm Pacific / 4:00pm Eastern
Register Here

Interpretation of in situ archaeological remains is commonly framed by archaeologists and other heritage professionals as an educational endeavor.  It is based on an understanding that the primary purpose of archaeology is the production of knowledge about the past and an associated sense of responsibility to communicate this knowledge to the public.  But is this long-received notion based on an accurate understanding of the ways that archaeological places actually work in communities in the present?

Recent research suggests that archaeological remains do far more than provide knowledge about the past. This talk draws on interviews undertaken with hundreds of members of the public at archaeological places that have been conserved and presented in situ in new developments in Australia, along with international research on place attachment, belonging, wellbeing and resilience.  It explores the social, emotional and imaginative experiences that people have with archaeological remains and the ways these direct relationships work to create outcomes far beyond the transmission of archaeological knowledge to the public: outcomes such as individual and community resilience and wellbeing, identity building, belonging and social cohesion.

This research offers a challenge to interpreters to step beyond a focus on the past and to embrace the creative possibilities that archaeological remains offer in the present and for the future.  It also highlights the importance of developing evidence-based and benefit-based heritage management frameworks that understand and respond to the way heritage works in communities and aims to support direct and meaningful relationships between people and heritage places.

Presented by Dr. Caitlin Allen

Dr Caitlin Allen is a Sydney-based archaeologist and heritage specialist.  She worked for the NSW State Government for nearly two decades as a heritage administrator and hands-on practitioner.  In recent years she has been working as a sessional lecturer in heritage and museum studies at The University of Sydney.  Her current research interests focus on social values and place attachment, including the ways archaeological remains contribute to the creation of livable cities and community wellbeing.  Caitlin is a Member of the NSW Heritage Council’s Approvals Committee, an Expert Member of ICAHM and a former Vice President of Australia ICOMOS.

UPCOMING WEBINARS

Titles, descriptions, and times are forthcoming. 




 



PREVIOUS WEBINARS

Fabrics and Stitches: How to Approach to a Distant Heroic Past
InterPatMX (Mexico)
October 5, 2023
Watch it here.

Te Taiao | Nature: Merging Māori knowledge and science to spark sustainable action.
Interpretation Network New Zealand
August 24, 2023
Watch it here.

Participatory and Dialogic Interpretation: Inspire through PIE and TALK
Interpretation Canada
June 1, 2023
Watch it here.

Interpretive planning at World Heritage Sites – experiences from Europe
Interpret Europe
April 20, 2023
Watch it here.

New Paradigms in Interpretation: How Stories Can Change the World in a Changing World
Association for Heritage Interpretation
March 16, 2023
Watch it here.

Jr. Ranger Books: More Than A Word Search!
National Association for Interpretation
February 2, 2023
Watch it here.

Mahi tahi: Working together to embrace te ao Māori through partnership projects.
Interpretation Network New Zealand
November 17, 2022
Watch it here.

Unpacking Intangibility: Ways of Seeing, Feeling and Understanding Culture. An Australian experience
Interpretation Australia
October 12, 2022 
Watch it here.

Visiting the Ruins of an Ancient Mexican City to Renew Our Sense of Hope, and Learn From the Past
InterPatMX (Mexico)
August 11, 2022
Watch it here.

Dub London: A case study in co-creation, inclusion, and engaging interpretation at the Museum of London
Association for Heritage Interpretation
June 30, 2022
Watch it here.

Whose Story is it Anyway? Interpreting the Cultural Mosaic of Canada
Interpretation Canada
May 19, 2022
Watch it here.

Can Interpretation Prevent War?
Interpret Europe
April 7, 2022
Watch it here.

Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Best Practices
National Association for Interpretation
February 24, 2022
Watch it here.