„Interpreting our Museums. International Seminar on Heritage Interpretation” 22nd – 23rd of September 2023, Józef Piłsudski Museum in Sulejówek

We would like to invite you to the Józef Piłsudski Museum in Sulejówek for a two-day hybrid international seminar on heritage interpretation. The seminar is addressed both to museum professionals wishing to learn more about the interpretive method as well as experienced interpreters and leaders interested in staff development programs within the framework of the Erasmus+ program.

The title of the seminar refers to Freeman Tilden’s famous book Interpreting our Heritage, which was first published in the United States in 1957 and is regarded as one of the foundations of heritology until today. However, heritage interpretation – as a way of facilitating relationships between heritage and visitors, as well as a methodology – is still relatively unknown among museum professionals. By this seminar, we want to introduce the concept and methodology of heritage interpretation to those who are looking for clever and effective ways of creating an engaging museum narrative and communication with visitors. At the same time, we intend to look at specific examples of museums and cultural institutions using the interpretive approach. We will consider how heritage interpretation responds to the challenges of the contemporary world, and pose questions about what an interpretive approach can bring to adult education and to museum theory and practice. We will also present the course and results of a project implemented by the Museum within the framework of the Erasmus+ program (sector: Adult Education, Key Action 1: Mobility projects), which allowed 30 museum employees to take part in certified interpretive guiding and writing courses, which took place in Croatia (more about the project in Polish: Projekt Erasmus+ – Muzeum Józefa Piłsudskiego w Sulejówku (muzeumpilsudski.pl)).

The first day of the seminar will be divided into three thematic sessions: the first one will be an introduction to heritage interpretation, in the second one we will present the Erasmus+ project, and lastly, we want to present specific examples of the use of interpretive methodology in heritage institutions.

On the second day of the seminar, you will be invited to go for a botanical walk in the historic garden around the „Milusin” manor house, which will be led by a botanist, a poet and an artist Urszula Zajączkowska. After a coffee break, museum employees who participated in the Erasmus+ project will accompany you on interpretive walks around the museum complex. During the seminar, you will be able to visit the „Milusin” manor house and the museum’s permanent exhibition.

Practical information:

Due to its international character, on the first day of the seminar sessions will be conducted entirely in English and in a hybrid format. However, speakers and participants from Poland are kindly invited to come to Sulejówek and meet face-to-face.
Participation in the seminar is free of charge. The Museum will cover the costs of catering and accommodation for speakers from 22nd to 23rd of September.

You are invited to attend the seminar as a speaker as well as a participant:

You are invited to submit an abstract of your 20-minute speech for the third part of the seminar (devoted to the specific examples of the use of interpretive methodology in heritage institutions). Please send your abstract (in English) and a short biography of the speaker to [email protected] by 3rd of September.
If you want to take part in the seminar as a participant, please fill in the registration form below >> the registration form>>.

We are looking forward to seeing you in Sulejówek!

To download:

Don’t forget to fill in >> the registration form>>.