The Course 9 Lives of curator (with its wider project frame Sense Heritage) started as a pilot course at the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Philosophy (Seminar for museology and heritage studies) in 2016. Only in that year It was entitled Nine deaths of curator. Since it became regular in 2018 it was renamed into Nine lives of curator.  

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WHY? / PROBLEM?

In 2014 the Serbian Government prohibited any employment in the public sphere (culture and museums being the part). Initially, the course Nine deaths of Curator represented the critical stand towards that decision because in the two first years of its application it became obvious that the gap between museum experienced professionals and the young, just about to step to the museum scene, newcomers would become unbridgeable in years to come.

It started to affect the average museum professional "age" as well as the distancing of young people from the heritage ecosystem in general. It became very visible during 2017 and 2018 that the gap is not only institutional: new generations with fresh and up-to-date ideas are not filling the systematic "cracks" in public memory. This makes the usual transfer of knowledge and experience more difficult and that lead to generational gap. 

In that circumstances "deaths" sounded inappropriate if the goal was not to be frivolously critical but to search for the solutions. 

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THE SEARCH FOR SOLUTIONS

The Nine Lives of curator is trying to solve these problems by providing the platform for the exchange of knowledge and ideas, as well as new methodologies of research and communicating heritage. The course is held mainly at the university building, but also in several museums in Belgrade and Novi Sad (ECC2022). Numerous experts in diverse professional areas from all over Serbia (as well as from the USA, Malta, Poland, Slovenia, Norway) both from institutions and independent organizations participated in the course recognizing it as a platform to strengthen the new generations of arriving professionals, to make contacts with young colleagues, and finally to express the support for putting pressure to decision makers to abandon the rule of employment prohibition. The latest eventually happened in 2021, but the platform continued as a credible and recognized hot-spot for exchange of ideas, fresh ideas and projects` laboratory, critical stands and resource for new and talented people. The established experts in the museum / heritage / culture / civil / activist sectors acted as mentors, coworkers, debating lecturers, hosts (in their own institutions / organizations / spaces / galleries), shared their ideas, thoughts, critiques, but also their fears, insecurities and dilemmas offering more human side of profession. 

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OUTCOMES

Many students were / are engaged through NK ICOM Serbia Communications and Events (like ICOM Serbia Award Scheme website and social networks), documentation research, digitization, practical work in the best museums in Serbia (like the National museums of Serbia, the Museum of contemporary art in Belgrade, Gallery of Matica srpska in Novi Sad, Museum of Yugoslavia,  Museum of science and technology in Belgrade, Museum of Nikola Tesla, several galleries, or simply started their own projects in their organizations supported by different funds.

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FURTHER GOALS

The ultimate goals are to create the loose alumni / coccus of young people who were fighters for their right to be in the heritage and museum field, to maintain the experience professionals and young people`s energy together and in permanent communication, to open possibilities for constant education and exchange of ideas and perspectives, and to insist on openness and mutual intergenerational and interdisciplinary understanding. 

Because we all learn from each others constantly. 

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