Speakers and Moderators
Dr Nick Baylis
www.nickbaylis.com
Dr Nick Baylis of Cambridge University is a scientist, therapist and lecturer specializing in »well-being« ...which is »life going well«. This pursuit requires »science, art and craft« ...in other words, the bringing together of »head, heart, and hands-on«. Nick Baylis is founder-director of the brand new Cambridge University one-day training workshops in »Applying Positive Psychology and The Skills of Well-being« to help foster profound improvements in our personal and professional lives. He is also founder-director of »Sharing the lessons of a lifetime«, a charitable educational project reaching out from Cambridge University to foster profoundly healthy and good-hearted lives, rich in creative partnerships. He is co-founder, co-director of The Well-being Institute, University of Cambridge, to lead research and inspire policy. He works with schools to support school-wide programmes for developing »The Skills of Well-being«. As a former Times columnist he has written 104 weekly pieces as DrFeelGood on The Science of Happiness. Nick Baylis is author of the self-help book, »Learning from Wonderful Lives«, suitable for those age 13 and over.
Albrecht Beutelspacher
Mathematikum, Gießen, Germany
Cornelia Brüninghaus-Knubel
www.lehmbruckmuseum.de
*1943, Germany
Cornelia Brüninghaus-Knubel has been Head of the Education Department at the Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum Duisburg from 1985 to 2007 and founded its integrated »Kindermuseum« where more than 40 art exhibitions for children were shown since 1987. She was Chairperson of ICOM-CECA, the International Committee for Museum education and Cultural Action, from 1983 to 1989 and Member of the Geman Unesco Commission from 1992 to 2001. Cornelia curated contemporary art exhibitions as well for adults since 1993. She also taught Museum Education, Museology and Art History at the Universities of Essen, Gießen and Düsseldorf and for the Goethe Institute on many continents.
Michiel Buchel
www.e-nemo.nl
* 1965, Netherlands
Michiel Buchel graduated from Teacher Training College in Amsterdam in 1984 and specialised in ITC support for educational purposes at the THT (University) in Twente, Netherlands and followed several courses in Marketing and Management.Among others he was responsible for the Information Management Dept. at the Netherlands Theatre Institute (NTI). In 1984 he was co-founder and General Manager of I & O Automation, a company specialised in ICT training and solutions for the cultural sector. In 1995 until 2003 Michiel was appointed as Managing Director of the Amsterdam Uit Buro – the marketing and promotional organisation for The Arts in Amsterdam. In 2003 he became General Director for NCWT – the National Centre for Science and Technology (aka NEMO) Michiel has written several papers with regards to marketing, ICT and general management and lectured for the College for the Arts in Utrecht and for the Summer University Amsterdam – Maastricht.
Elisabeth Cederstrøm
www.smk.dk
*1956, Denmark
Elisabeth Cederstrøm is Head of Education and Exhibitions at Statens Museum for Kunst (The National gallery of art in Denmark). She has MA in Art History but has worked with art education at museums for many years. Elisabeth developed the concept for The Children´s Art Museum with exhibitions at children's eye-level, taking their starting point in the world of children. Statens Museum for Kunst has just opened a new Egmont Knowledge Centre where children from age 1-20 can learn about art in may different ways. With art as the point of departure, the whole family can investigate exciting themes together and experience new worlds.
Mindy Duitz
www.learningleaders.org
*1948, US
Mindy Duitz has over thirty years of experience in the arts, education and philanthropy both as a museum director and nonprofit management consultant. As the first director of the Staten Island Children’s Museum she brought a new institution from concept to reality, and as director of The Brooklyn Children's Museum – the world's first museum for children (1899) – she had the experience of revitalizing an established one. Mindy has a Master’s Degree in Art History, served as a member of the board of the American Association of Museums (AAM), and has taught in the New York University Museum Studies Program. From 1998-2002 she was a Program Development Fellow at the Open Society Institute (Soros Foundation). She is currently the President of Learning Leaders, a fifty year old organization supporting students and parents in the New York City public schools.
Tanja Groenke
www.juedisches-museum-berlin.de
* 1972, Germany
Tanja Groenke studied history at Free University Berlin and has been teaching until 2001. From 1997-2002, she worked as a tour guide concentrating on the history of the Nazi period and Jewish Berlin. Since 2001, she was a member of the pedagogical team of the newly founded Jewish Museum Berlin. In 2003, Ms Groenke became head of the education department and is responsible for the education program of the museum. She realizes didactic materials and conducts trainings for teachers and interactive programs for students and children on German-Jewish history.
Udo Gößwald
www.museum-neukoelln.de
*1955, Germany
Udo Gößwald has been Director of the Neukölln Museum (Berlin) since 1985. As museum director the key areas of his work are regional cultural history, migration and Europe. He lectures in the field of museology at the Institute of European Ethnology at the Humboldt University Berlin. Since 2004 he has been Vice President of ICOM Germany and since 2005 President of ICOM Europe.
Dr Claudia Haas
www.lord.ca
* 1953, Austria
Claudia Haas has profound longtime experience in the museum field, art world and cultural sector. Her expertise includes creating content for exhibitions as well as in developing and implementing structures for museum organizations and staff plans. Trained as an art historian and archaeologist, Claudia received a Ph.D. in Art History from the University of Vienna in 1978. After two years of scientific research as an art historian in Italy and Austria, she spent several years in the international art business in the United States and Europe. In the early 1990s, Claudia dedicated her professional career to the development of ZOOM Kindermuseum, a children's museum in Museumsquartier, the major cultural center of Vienna. Claudia has consulted on museum planning for many clients all over Europe. Claudia works as museum consultant. She is a member of the Association of Austrian Art Historians and ICOM Austria. Claudia teaches and holds seminars at international museum conferences on topics such as »The Future of Museums«, »Visitor Friendly Museums«, »Introducing New Media in Exhibitions« and »Children and Youth Museums«.
Claudia Henne
*1951, Germany
Claudia Henne is a radio journalist in Berlin. She studied German philology and political science at the Freie Universität Berlin. From 1982-2002 she worked as editor and critic for the for the actual radio program of the Sender Freies Berlin and other ARD-institutions. Occasionally she made excursions to print-media, like the journal »ballett international dance at present« and marked as a dance-critic. In order of the Berlin Senator for Science and Culture, she looked after the cultural work in the districts and women culture politics. In 1989/90 she took part on a scientifically study, »culture as an economy factor«. She got deep into the foreign culture politics of Germany. As a journalist at »Radio Berlin-Brandenburg«, Claudia moved 2004 from radio to television.
Nele Hertling
www.adk.de
Since 2006 Nele Hertling is Vice president of Akademie der Künste, Berlin, where she started in 1963 as scientific coordinator in the departments music and performing arts. She is member in several cultural initiatives, et al. spokeswomen of the international network »A Soul for Europe«. Nele studied philosophy, german linguistics and dramatics at Humboldt University, Berlin. From 1986-1989 she was Head of »Werkstatt Berlin« and responsible for the general programme »Berlin-cultural capital 1988«. She was founding director of Hebbel Theater Berlin from 1998-2000 and from 2002-2006 Head of the artists programme of DAAD.
Elaine Heumann Gurian
Elaine Heumann Gurian is a consultant/advisor to a number of museums and visitor centers that are beginning, building, or reinventing themselves. In 2004, The American Association of Museums awarded Elaine Heumann Gurian the American museum community’s highest award, »The Distinguished Service to Museums Award.« Over the past thirty five years, she has served in the following positions: Acting Director of the Cranbook Institue of Science; Deputy Director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum; Deputy Director of Public Program for the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution; Director of the Exhibit center, the public facility of the Boston Children’s Museum and Director of Education at the Institute of contemporary Art in Boston.
Asger Høeg
www.experimentarium.dk
*1947, Denmark
Asger Hoeg studied engineering and business administration and started his professional carreer as consultant. From 1977-1981 he was principle in the Ministry of Public Works, from 1981-1988 deputy director for the Royal Postal Service. Since 1988 he is executive director of Experimentarium, the Danish Science Centre. Since 2006 Asger is teaching as associate professor at the Copenhagen Business school. From 2004-2007 he was President of Ecsite, The European network of Science Centres and Museums. Widely honoured he is board member by appointment of the Danish Academy of Fine Arts, The Danish Film studies and the Norwegian Science Centre Commitee.
Petra Katzenstein
www.jhm.nl
*1963, Netherlands
As a drama and psychodrama therapist, Petra Katzenstein worked as such in several psychiatric hospitals. She started tour guiding in the Jewish Historical Museum in 1985. After seeing the inspiring youth wing of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem she realised the museum in Amsterdam needed a place for children as well. Today she is Head of the Education Dept, and part of the management team of the Jewish Historical Museum. After 1996, she made a concept, worked on a pilot exhibition, opened it in 2000. The exhibition won the prestigious award of the Prins Bernhardt Cultural Foundation for being the best in the year 2002, using the museumcollection and story of judaism in a universal and friendly way for children and! adults.
Dr Gabriele König
www.kaf.de
*1965, Germany
Gabriele König studied European Ethnology and English Linguistics at Tübingen University and the University of York, GB. Her doctoral dissertation, finished in 1999, was on the topic of museums for children and young people. Between 1992-1994 she worked as a member of the scientific staff at the »Deutsche Hygiene Museum«, Dresden. Since 1995 she has been the Manager and Vice Director of the Kinder-Akademie Fulda. She was President of the German Association of Children's and Youth Museums (1997-2004), since 2003 she plays an active part in the Regional Panel of the Lego Learning Institute (LLI). Gabriele is a member of the jury for the competition »Kinder zum Olymp!« of the Kulturstiftung der Länder (Cultural Foundation of the German Laender).
Thomas Krüger
www.bpb.de
*1959, Germany
Thomas Krüger has been president of the Federal Agency for Civic Education since 2000. After training as a specialist in plastics and elastomers processing and studying theology he worked as a locum in Berlin and Eisenach. His political career began in 1989 as one of the founding members of the SPD in the GDR and he remained its director in East Berlin until 1990. He had held various political offices until he became Senator for Youth and Family in Berlin in 1991. During the years 1994 to 1998 he was a member of the German Bundestag. He was, in addition, a member of the presidium of the Film Promotion Institute. Since 1995 he has been president of the Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk and since 2003 a member of the committee for youth media protection. Since 2003 he has been on the board of trustees for the Federal President’s history competition and since 2005 a member of the jury of the Capital City Fund.
Yvonne Leonard
www.neuesuniversum.de
* 1953, Germany
Yvonne Leonard is Art historien and has been the Director of the Neues Universum e.V., Children’s Museum Berlin since 1993. She was project director of the Einstein Festival, Einstein – Forum Potsdam and the exhibition »Einstein Spaces«, nine art projects in Berlin, Potsdam and Caputh. She is curator of science and history of science exhibitions for children and adults, intercultural projects e.a.. Her publications include discussions about the rule of education for museums, reading pictures in museums and the language of pictures.
Xavier Limagne
www.cite-sciences.fr
*1959, France
Xavier Limagne is in charge of developing exhibitions at La Cité des sciences, in Paris. With over ten years of practice of »hands on, minds on«, he is a project manager as well as an exhibit designer and a content developer. Thanks to his previous experiences as a technology teacher in high schools and as an architect, he is well versed in all aspects of creating and putting up educational exhibitions. He is currently leading the development of La Cité's new children's exhibition, 2400 m² of interactive activities for the 5-12 year olds. He was previously in charge of an original experience: the creation of Lights and Shadow (in 2005), an arts and science exhibition, where children are invited to visit the 700 m² house of a (fictional) specialist of shadows. Before that, he took part in the creation of a great variety of exhibitions, for children as well as adults, on subjects as diverse as genes, industry, learning or hair…
Christopher Lindinger
www.aec.at
*1977, Austria
Christopher Lindinger studied Computer Science at the University of Linz and Cultural Management in Salzburg. He worked as researcher in the field of scientific visualisation and as freelance developer for entertainment industry. Since 1997, based on his activities in the field of digital art, he is affiliated with the Ars Electronica and currently holds the position of the director of research and innovation in the Ars Electronica Futurelab. Beside this activity he works as a lecturer at several universities in Austria, Germany and UK.
Gail Dexter Lord
www.lord.ca
Gail Dexter Lord is a museum planner with over 30 years of experience in the museum and cultural sector. As co-President with her husband Barry Lord of Lord Cultural Resources Inc., she has been instrumental in assisting museums to expand and reposition their services in times of change. She has helped develop new cultural institions such as the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg. She has consulted with more than 15 children's museums in many countries including Germany, Austria, the US, Canada, England and Korea. She and Barry have contributed to growing knowledge of museum planning and management through their many publications: Gail's most recent book is »The Manual of Strategic Planning for Museums« (Alta Mira Press, 2007). Gail has taught at Museum Studies departments around the world and has initiated the Lord Academy within Lord Cultural Resources to provide young people with exceptional training and internship opportunities.
Dr Elisabeth Menasse-Wiesbauer
www.kindermuseum.at
*1954, Austria
Elisabeth Menasse-Wiesbauer received her PhD in History at the University of Salzburg, Austria. She did research in the fields of history of childhood and history of science. Elisabeth organized the research programme »Xenophobia« on behalf of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science and Education. Since 2003 she has been Director of ZOOM Children's Museum in Vienna and Member of the Board of Hands On! Europe.
Dr Noa Barbara Mkayton
www.yadvashem.org
* 1966, Germany
She was teacher at Gymnasium Erding, Germany from 1994 to 1999. She gained her doctorate at The University of Potsdam, Germany, subject: Jewish Children's Testimonies, written or painted during the Holocaust in Eastern Europe. Ms Mkayton was Post-Doctorate at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Dept. of Jewish History 2002-2003. Since 2005 she has been Head of the Desk for German Speaking Countries in Yad Vashem, The International School for Holocaust Education, European Dept. In 2007 she is Project coordinator/Liaison and Fundraising at Hanns-Seidel-Foundation, Jerusalem.
Bernd Neumann
www.kulturstaatsminister.de
*1942, Germany
Minister of State Bernd Neumann, MP has been the representative of the Federal Government for Culture and Media since 2005. After studying educational sciences in Bremen he worked as a teacher in the Hanseatic city from 1966 to 1971. He has been a member of the CDU since 1962 and has held numerous party positions and offices at federal state and national level: from 1967 to 1973 he was state chairman of the Young Union in Bremen, 1971-1973 deputy federal chairman of the Young Union, from 1971 to 1987 a member of the Bremen city parliament, including from 1973 to 1987 leader of the CDU parliamentary party in Bremen as well as since 1979 state chairman of the CDU Bremen. Bernd Neumann has been a member of the German Parliament since 1987. From 1991 to 1998 he was parliamentary secretary of state at the Federal Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Technology. From 1998 to 2005 he was head of the CDU/CSU parliamentary party for culture and media.
Dr Marion Neumann
www.adk.de
Akademie der Künste, Berlin, Germany
Isabel Pfeiffer-Poensgen
www.kulturstiftung.de
*1954, Germany
After studying history and art history at the Aachen University of Technology and law at universities in Bonn, Lausanne and Freiburg. Isabel Pfeiffer-Poensgen completed her legal internship (Referendariat) in Hamburg and New York. From 1983-1988 she held posts in Hamburg’s administrative centre for culture and science. In 1989, she was appointed Chancellor at Cologne’s Academy of Music. During this time, Isabel was instrumental in setting up the European Academy for Music and the Performing Arts in Palazzo Ricci (Montepulciano/Italy). From 1999-2004 she was a Councillor for Aachen’s Department of Cultural and Social Affairs. She was a member of the German Association of Cities’ Cultural Committee, of the administrative committee for the German Theatre Association, and a senior member of the Association of German Music Schools. On November 1st, 2004, she became the Secretary General of the Cultural Foundation of the German Laender. She is a member of the advisory council for Gotha’s Schloss Friedenstein Foundation, of the board of trustees for the Peter and Irene Ludwig Foundation, and of the board of trustees for the Cultural Fund of the German Savings Bank Association (DSGV).
Michael Popp
www.bv-kindermuseum.de
*1942, Germany
Michael Popp studied Art Pedagogic in Munich. Until 1974 he taught art in grammar schools. He was founding member of the »Art Pedagogic Centre« in Nürnberg 1969. 1973 he concepted the cultures centre »Komm« and headed it until 1987. From 1987 to 2000 Michael was Head of the department for culture and leisure in Nürnberg. Since 2001 he has been Chairman of the German Association of Children- and Youth Museums (Deutscher Bundesverband der Kinder- und Jugendmuseen). Michael is also active member of the Kulturpolitische Gesellschaft e.V. Various publications have appeared on themes as aestetically education, children’s museums, adminstration reform and cultural roles.
Anne Querrien
*1945, France
Anne Querrien is sociologist and urban planner, has been involved in several field research projects bringing together municipalities and artists in different ways, and has published the results of these experiments in Les Annales de la Recherche Urbaine. In recent years she has directly participated in a field-research project on disused railway land in a very deprived neighbourhood of Paris, which led to local people participating in gardening projects and taking part in meetings with artists from France and other European countries. Based on the situations she has encountered Anne Querrien's own research is aimed at using public spaces as a meeting place and for sharing diversity. Anne Querrien is also involved on a voluntary basis with the journals Multitudes and Chimères.
Dr Volker Rodekamp
www.stadtgeschichtliches-museum-leipzig.de
*1953, Germany
Dr Volker Rodekamp studied ethnologie, journalism and economics in Braunschweig and Münster and holds a Ph/D in European ethnologie with a thesis on structural changes in traditional hand craft in the 20st century. 1983 he started his career in the museumsworld as director of the Museum of Local History in Minden and in 1986 he additionally became director of the city's cultural department. Since 1996 Volker has been director of the Museum of local History in Leipzig. He is a board member of Deutscher Museumsbund and spokesman of the section »History Museums«. He has broadly published in the field of local history and traditional craftsmanship.
Peter van Roden
www.sesameworkshop.org
Peter van Roden is Vice President of Themed Entertainment for Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street. In his position, he oversees the Workshop’s global management and business development of theme parks, live shows, exhibits, large screen format films etc. Prior to joining the Workshop in 2003, Peter was the Executive Producer of Sesame Street 4D Movie Magic a 4D movie theme park attraction for Universal Studios Japan. Until January 2001, he was the Chief Web Officer of bigchalk.com, provided one of the most comprehensive research, information and educational service for teachers, students and parents on the Internet. From 1983 to 2001 Peter held various key positions in production and marketing at ABC Sports, was Director of Network & Syndicated Specials for Walt Disney Television where he was responsible for television specials as well as reality series and specials.
Pamela Rosenberg
www.berliner-philharmoniker.de
*1945, USA
Since August 2006, Pamela Rosenberg is the General Manager of Berliner Philharmoniker. She was General Director of the San Francisco Opera between 2001 and 2006, was Co-Intendantin of the Stuttgart Opera together with Klaus Zehelein from 1991 to 2000. Before that, she occupied various leading artistic positions at the Nederlandse Opera Amsterdam, the Deutsche Schauspielhaus in Hamburg, and the Frankfurter Oper. Pamela Rosenberg was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Caracas, Venezuela. She studied music and history at Ohio State University and the University of California (Berkeley). She received practical training in Wieland Wagner’s master classes at the Bayreuth Festival and additional practical training in opera production at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.
Dr Veronica Sekules
www.uea.ac.uk
Veronica Sekules is Head of education and research at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, University of East Anglia, Norwich, where she was formerly a curator. She is responsible for developing learning and research programmes, educational events and conferences, artists' projects and residencies, outreach and training with students, schools, teachers and the public. She was trained as an art historian, specialising in the middle ages and 20th century art and is widely published in these areas. Veronica has an MA in education and is an active educational researcher and writer. She is Vice-Chair of engage. From 2004-6 she was on secondment to Tate Britain as project manager for the »Visual Dialogues« project, producing interpretive resources for a regional partnership of museums around England. She has been invited to work as a consultant, to lecture and run projects and workshops for teachers, artists and museum and gallery educators in the UK and internationally.
Nurit Shilo-Cohen
www.imj.org.il.
* 1949, Israel
Since 2005 Nurit Shilo-Cohen has been Senior Curator-at-Large for Museum Education and Curator of Illustration in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Nurit was Chief Curator of The Ruth Youth Wing of the Israel Museum for 15 years
(1990-2005) before that she was an exhibition curator in the art department of the Museum
(1974-1986). She is also the author of many books and articles. She has a degree in Art history and Jewish philosophy and a degree in Biology, both from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. 2005 she joined the Board of Hands On! Europe.
Leigh-Anne Stradeski
www.eureka.org.uk
Leigh-Anne Stradeski has been the Director of Eureka! The Museum for Children since April 2000. She came to Eureka! from Canada where she was Executive Director of the London Regional Children’s Museum in London, Ontario between 1994 and 2000. Prior to entering the Children’s Museum field, Leigh-Anne held senior level positions in public relations, marketing and fundraising in the tertiary health care and higher education sectors. Leigh-Anne holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Western Ontario and an Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Alberta. She has held positions on boards and advisory committees in arts, culture and museums on both sides of the Atlantic and is currently President of Hands On! Europe, a member of the ECSITE-UK Committee, and a director of the Yorkshire Cultural Consortium.
Paul M.L. van Vlijmen
www.spoorwegmuseum.nl
*1954, Netherlands
From 1974-1982 Paul van Vlijmen studied History of Art at the University of Utrecht, with a focus on Medieval Sculpture, Italian Language and Museologie.1983-1987 he began his professional career in the Education Departement of Rijksmuseum Het Catharijneconvent in Utrecht. Starting in 1987 as head of the conservation department of the Dutch Railway Museum in Utrecht he became director in 1990. He developed the concept of its great renovation. As auctor intellectualis Paul is today director of the New Railwaymuseum in Utrecht.
Taja Vovk Cepic
Taja Vovk Cepic graduated at the University in Ljubljana from History and Sociology. For many years she worked as a curator specialized in recent history. From 1997 to 2006 she was a director of the City Museum of Ljubljana. Author of several exhibitions and articles. A member of a judge panel for European Museum of the Year Award and a trustee of the European Museum Forum. Currently the Head of Support for Cultural Cooperation at the European Cultural Foundation in Amsterdam responsible for grants and programmes.
Fred Wartna
www.villazebra.nl
*1952, Netherlands
Fred Wartna started his career as a teacher for primary eduaction. Later on he studied Education and Psychology and joined the Humanistic movement as a teacher trainer and curriculum developer. From the beginning of the nineties he was head of the Education department of the Wereldmuseum Rotterdam. He developed the succesfull Reispaleis (Enchanted Worlds), a theatrical exhibition for children on multicultural society (1994-1998). In 2000 the successor: Hotel Het Reispaleis opened; after seven years it was recently closed. Since the end of 2003 he is the director of Villa Zebra, an arts laboratorium for children. Together with Claudia Haas, Margarida de Lancastre, Sanette Naeye and Kathleen Lippens he started Hands On! Europe and he was the first president.
Maja Wasyluk
*1979, Poland
Maja Wasyluk studied biology with a specialization in ethology and scientific communication in Strasbourg, France. She is coordinator of the new preschoolers exhibition at Copernicus Science Centre, Warsaw, Poland. Copernicus Science Centre will be the first and the biggest interactive science museum in Poland and is planned to open in 2009. There will be more that 5000 square metres of interactive exhibitions dealing with the following topics: In the Move, Humans and the Environment, Roots of Civilization, Global Village, New Technologies. It will integrate an innovative gallery designed especially for preschool children.
Dr Helga Zeiher
Dr Helga Zeiher, sociologist, since retirement from Max-Planck-Insitutute for Human Development, Berlin, she is member of the board of the »Deutsche Gesellschaft für Zeitpolitik«. Until 1999 she was the founding chair of the Sociology of Childhood section in the German Association of Sociology, and from 2001 until 2006 she was chair of the Working Group »Children’s access to space and time« in the European COST Action 19 »Children’s Welfare«. She published widely on children’s times and spaces, on generation issues and on sociological theory of childhood. Most recent book co-edited publications include »Die Arbeit der Kinder« (2000), »Childhood in generational perspective« (2003), »Kindheit soziologisch« (2006), »Flexible Childhood? Children’s welfare in time and space« (2007), »Zeit für bessere Schulen« (forthcoming).
Jirí Zeman
*1957, Prague
Jirí Zeman is head of the public relations department at the National Technical Museum, Prague since 2001, where he is also responsible for the exhibitions programme. He has been involved in several projects concerning children in the museum and participated in projects for schools. The latest experience is a new project which is now the only communication with schools, while the Museum in Prague is under reconstruction and closed for the public. He is currently working on the project of new standing exhibitions in the renewed building of the Museum.
Petra Zwaka
www.jugendmuseum.de
*1953, Germany
Petra Zwaka has been working in the museums field of Berlin for more than 25 years and was engaged in regional history projects and educational projects in museums. Since 1991 she has been Director of the regional Schöneberg Museum, in 1994 she founded its integrated »Jugend Museum«, where more than 10 history exhibitions for children and young people are shown. In 2005 Petra joined the Board of Hands On! Europe and became Vice-President of the European Children’s Association. Since 2006 she has become representative of the Board of the German Children’s and Youth Museums.
Karmit Zysman
Karmit Zysman is an educator, and social and cultural historian who specialized in themes relating to historiography, identity and memory. She has been living and working in Kosovo since 1997. She is an education advisor with Balkan Sunflowers, a voluntary organisation focusing on non-formation education and youth. In addition, she is the founder of a Kosovo-based project, the Discovery Center, whose mission is to inspire a lifelong passion for curiosity, exploration, and community engagement, through interactive learning opportunities and approaches with a focus on exhibits developed for and by children and youth.
