SAM NOBLE OKLAHOMA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
TO HOST INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM CONFERENCE

lc/03-07-03

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Linda Coldwell
(405) 325-0598

NORMAN – The Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History (SNOMNH) at the
University of Oklahoma (OU) is preparing to host the annual conference of
the International Committee for University Museums and Collections (UMAC).
The conference will attract museum professionals from university and
college museums around the world. UMAC is a newly formed committee of the
International Council of Museums (ICOM) with over 200 members worldwide.
The museum anticipates that as many as 25 countries will be represented at
the conference, which will take place Sept. 21-26. ICOM committees meet in
different countries almost every year.

Peter Tirrell, the museum’s associate director and a member of the UMAC
board, is serving as chair of the conference. He and Michael A. Mares,
former museum director, now curator of mammals, were among UMAC’s founding
members. The United States National Committee of ICOM, a part of the
American Association of Museums, is an affiliate host. Affiliate hosts at
OU include the Office of Education Abroad and International Student
Services, Western History Collection, History of Science Collection, Fred
Jones Jr. Museum of Art, Switzer Center and Charles M. Russell Center for
the Study of Art of the American West. Metro-area museums also serving as
affiliate hosts include the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum,
The Oklahoma City National Memorial, and the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.
Lawton area affiliate hosts are the Museum of the Great Plains and the Fort
Sill National Historic Landmark.

“Hosting an ICOM committee meeting in the United States is a rare event,”
Tirrell said. “It’s something of a coup for the SNOMNH because most of
ICOM’s membership is based in Europe, and so the committees tend most
frequently to meet there.  It’s an honor to be chosen as the host site.”

Tirrell credits the success of the museum’s building campaign in part for
the selection of Oklahoma as the site for the meeting. “Many museums in
other countries are in need of new facilities and we have one that can
serve as a model,” he said. “OU also has a lot of other relevant
attractions for this group.  We have an outstanding university, a great
natural history museum, a great art museum undergoing current renovations,
and several other significant collections on campus.”

The theme of the conference is Engaging the Community. Focus areas include
museum outreach and in-reach, partnerships among museums and between
museums and schools, libraries, corporations, and indigenous people and
ethnic groups. The committee will spend much of its time in Norman in
meetings and other activities focusing on a variety of topics pertaining to
university museums. Short films and poster exhibits also are planned. In
addition, the committee members will have opportunities to take in some of
the local attractions during their stay.  Site-seeing and cultural
excursions are planned for the group, including a visit to the Wichita
Wildlife Refuge and to several museums and attractions in the metro area.
Several dinners and receptions also are planned with local speakers.

According to Tirrell, membership in the new committee is growing. Museums
and museum professionals may become involved by joining ICOM and signing up
for membership in the UMAC committee.

Additional information about the 2003 UMAC Conference, including
registration forms, proposal forms for papers and programs and a schedule
of events, is available on the museum’s Web site:
www.snomnh.ou.edu/umac2003.  Additional information about UMAC is available
on their Web site: www.icom.org/umac or on the ICOM Web site:
http://icom.museum.

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