NEWS

NEW Historic Environment, Vol 35(1), 2023 (2024) Queer Heritage

The latest special issue of Historic Environment is now published online and hard copies sent to those members who have opted to receive a paper copy. This latest special issue is entitled: Queer Heritage. Check it out here!

The guest editors – Steve Brown, Celmara Pocock, and Robert Mason – have assembled six papers that collectively involve 13 authors, as well as three reviewers of queer books and a preface by Frank Howarth, a Sydney Mardi Gras 78er and former Chair of the Heritage Council of NSW. The special issue builds on a session presented at the ICOMOS 22nd Triennial General Assembly and Scientific Symposium (GA2023) in Sydney in September 2023. Presented under the Rights theme, the session was titled: LGBTQI Heritage: Unnatural Histories, Ephemeral Places, Future Challenges.

The special issue includes a ‘Manifesto for Queer Heritage Practice 1.0’ (pp. 86-87). The intent of the Manifesto is to support ICOMOS, and more broadly heritage work, to recognise and engage with Queer/LGBTQIA+ heritage as an important field of conservation; and to demand actions to achieve this outcome. The Manifesto includes action points that we consider foundational and necessary for good heritage conservation policy and practice and that support inclusion, rights, and ethical practice. We suggest that these actions can be incorporated into heritage strategies, heritage guides, conservation management plans, interpretation, and the like.

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AICOMOS 2025 National Conference Our Shared Heritage | Victorian Goldfields Ballarat | 17-19 November 2025

The Australia ICOMOS 2025 National Conference Our Shared Heritage will be held in the Victorian Goldfields, Ballarat, from 17-19 November 2025.Conference themes will include locating diversity, equity and inclusion in Heritage Conservation, Sustainable Development and Cultural Tourism. 

The conference will highlight Victoria’s Treaty process in a keynote address, as well as the Australia ICOMOS Strategic Plan 2025-2029. 

A Call for Sponsors is now open – if you are interested in supporting this event, please contact Susan Fayad on susanfayad@ballarat.vic.gov.au

Further information about the conference will be made available in the new year.

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Caring for a Sunburnt Country Symposium Videos

The Keynote address and the Intangible Cultural Heritage presentation are now available to view via our website. Please follow this link.

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2024 ICOMOS Annual General Assembly and associated Scientific Symposium 

The 2024 ICOMOS Annual General Assembly and associated Scientific Symposium was hosted by ICOMOS Brazil from November 10 to 17, in Ouro Preto, a world heritage-listed colonial mining town in the mountains of Brazil. 

Prof Richard Mackay AM, convenor of the 2023 General Assembly, ICOMOS board member and Regional Vice President Susan McIntyre-Tamwoy, Advisory Committee (AdCom) president elect Kerime Davis and ISC Cultural Landscapes (ISCCL) expert member Stephanie Johnston) travelled to Ouro Preto, while many other Australia ICOMOS members were able to participate online.

The General Assembly is the sovereign body of ICOMOS and all ICOMOS members are entitled to participate, however only voting members designated by their National Committee can vote online on the resolutions.  Online voting subsequently saw the ICOMOS Charter on Intangible Cultural Heritage resolution successfully adopted, despite some opposition.The Advisory Committee composed of the Presidents of the National Committees and International Scientific Committees voted former Australia ICOMOS president Kerime Danis as their new President.

The Scientific Symposium on Revisiting the Venice Charter: Critical Perspectives and Contemporary Challenges was open to everyone. Despite some programming challenges the Nature Cultures working group of the ISCCL presented two excellent sessions on Nature Cultures themes from all five ICOMOS regions, while the Burra Charter was referenced on numerous occasions as being a document which has successfully built on the Venice Charter legacy.

For those interested, the ICOMOS 2025 General Assembly will be held 10-20 October in Lumbini, Nepal, the birthplace of Gautam Buddah.

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ICOMOS MEMBERS

NEW Do you want more Australia ICOMOS networking and professional development events?

Member engagement and outreach are key priorities in our new Strategic Plan. 

To build the Executive Committee’s capacity to deliver state-based events, we are seeking Expressions of Interest from members to join new Event Working Groups. 

Led by the State Representative(s), our Event Working Groups will deliver high-quality networking and professional development opportunities, including events for key dates such as the International Day for Monuments and Sites and Reconciliation Week.

What’s involved?

Working group members will need to attend regular working group meetings and contribute to event organisation and marketing. Members should be available to contribute approximately one hour per fortnight. 

We are also seeking volunteers who would be interested in helping with a one-off event but aren’t able to commit to being on the working group.

✔️ Contribute to the work of Australia ICOMOS 

✔️ Build your networks

✔️ Have fun 

To submit an Expression of Interest, email your details to your state representative below, including a brief outline of why you are interested in getting involved in AICOMOS events; whether you are interested in joining a working group or one-off event volunteering; and the skills you can bring to the role. 

Submit your EOI by 7 February 2025:

New South Wales – Hendry Wan – hendry_wan@yahoo.com

Australian Capital Territory – Katrina Keller – katrina@philipleeson.com.au

Victoria – Felicity Watson – austicomosvic@gmail.com

South Australia – Stephanie Johnston – stephaniejohnston2@icloud.com

Tasmania – Jody Steele – jodysteele@iinet.net.au

Western Australia – Alana Jennings – alana.jennings@elementwa.com.au

Queensland – Kelly Greenop – k.greenop1@uq.edu.au

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NEW ICOMOS membership cards

The 2025 membership cards will be posted over the coming weeks to those Full International members who are currently financial. Please ensure your mailing address is up to date in the membership database. Please note that if you have paid in the last two weeks, your card may not be available until March/April.

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AICOMOS 2025-2028 Strategic Plan

The 2025-2029 AICOMOS strategic plan is now available to view. Please follow this link.

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ICOMOS Full International Membership: Electronic cards (E-cards)

You can now download your membership card from your profile in the ICOMOS International membership database. In order to do this, you must:

• have renewed your 2024/25 membership 
• have uploaded a picture on your profile in the membership database.

ICOMOS_e-cards: How to upload a picture on your profile.

Please email the Secretariat (austicomos@deakin.edu.au) if there are any problems.

The 2025 Physical Membership Cards will be mailed early 2025.

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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS / GRANTS / NOMINATIONS

NEW Publication – TheoPhilos Call For Papers on the Theme of Heritage Authenticity

Following the successful completion in November 2024 of the TheoPhilos scientific conference ‘Authenticity from a European Perspective: 30 Years of the Nara Document on Authenticity’ in Thessaloniki (Greece), we are gathering conference papers for publication in the scientific journal Protection of Cultural Heritage; PCH is published by ICOMOS-POLAND and Lublin University of Technology, and co-published by TheoPhilos.

We invite all authors interested in the subject of heritage authenticity and its analysis to submit articles for publication alongside the conference proceedings. The deadline for submissions is January 31, 2025. Submissions should be made to the editorial office via the Journal website (not via TheoPhilos). Please refer to the Journal’s Submissions information and Author Guidelines page for more information.

We also invite you to read the two most recent issues of the journal titled Contemporary perception of Venice Charter: No. 20 (2024) and No. 21 (2024).

You are able to download the November CONFERENCE PROGRAMME and the CONFERENCE ABSTRACTS here.

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NEW Sacred Journeys 12th Global Conference | Canberra Australian Center for Christianity and Culture, Ngunnawal Country | June 3-6, 2025 | Submissions due 31 Jan 2025

Sponsored by the Indiana University Events and Tourism Institute (ETI), in partnership with the Sacred Journeys Project, and Réseau québécois pour les études pèlerines/ Quebec Network for Pilgrimage Studies, Laval University. Hosted by Rev’d Cameron West, Defence Anglicans, Australia.

Hundreds of millions of people embark annually on pilgrimages with numbers steadily increasing. Pilgrimage is one of the most ancient practices of humankind and is associated with a great variety of religious and spiritual traditions, beliefs and sacred geographies. As a global phenomenon, pilgrimage facilitates interaction between diverse peoples from countless cultures, occupations, and walks of life. In the 12th Global Conference, we will explore pilgrimage’s personal, interpersonal, intercultural, and interconfessional dimensions.

Submitting Your Abstract
Abstracts (300 words) should be submitted by January 31, 2025 to:
Ian McIntosh, Indiana University Indianapolis: imcintos@iu.edu
Chadwick Co Sy Su, University of the Philippines Manila: ccsysu@post.upm.edu.ph
The following information must be included: Author(s), Affiliation, Email address, Title, Keywords

Further information about paper requirements can be found here

Visit the Sacred Journeys website for information on past conferences and publications.

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NEW CIPA 2025 SEOUL International Symposium call for papers | submission due 9 March 2025

We are pleased to announce the CIPA 2025 SEOUL International Symposium, jointly organized and hosted by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and the National Museum of Korea, with support from ICOMOS CIPA, ISPRS, and ICOMOS International.

The symposium will take place from Monday, August 25 to Friday, August 29, 2025, at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul, South Korea. The theme for this event is:

Heritage Conservation from Bits – From Digital Documentation to Data-driven Heritage Conservation

The symposium will cover a variety of subtopics, including:

• 3D documentation and modelling of heritage
• Application of digital technologies for heritage interpretation and presentation
• Policies and ethical issues related to heritage conservation, management, and utilization
• Innovative digital technologies in museum exhibitions
• Integration of digital technologies in the preservation of intangible heritage
• AI-driven initiatives for heritage protection and conservation

(Additional topics are available on our official website.)

In addition, pre-symposium workshops will be held on Saturday, August 23, and Sunday, August 24, 2025, featuring diverse and engaging programs.

The first Call for Papers is now open!

Call for Papers: Important Deadlines

ISPRS Archives:

• March 9, 2025: Extended abstract submission deadline
• April 27, 2025: Review notification
• June 15, 2025: Full paper submission deadline

ISPRS Annals:

• April 20, 2025: Full paper submission deadline
• June 1, 2025: Review notification
• July 13, 2025: Camera-ready full paper submission deadline

For more details, please visit the CIPA 2025 website:

https://cipa2025seoul.org/

The organisers warmly invite and encourage the active participation of the ICOMOS communities.

For inquiries, please contact the CIPA 2025 Symposium Co-Directors, Dr. Jaehong AHN and Dr. Hyeseung SHIM, via our contact page 

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NEW The British Library in partnership with English Heritage and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew | Call for papers | Gardens & Empires Conference 27-28 June 2025

This conference aims to investigate the impacts of global connections on gardens around the world, in former colonies and in imperial centres. The histories of gardens and plants are interwoven with those of power, expansion and domination. The emergence of the European garden, for instance, cannot be fully understood without considering the transatlantic slave economy, merchant capitalism, colonial expansion, informal empire and imperialism. Furthermore, as witnessed with current ecological concerns around ‘invasive’ species, we are becoming more aware of the environmental impacts of mass plant migrations.

The conference will explore the influence of global networks of science, commerce and horticulture on the plants, designs and practices found in the gardens of European and non-European empires, at home and abroad. The focus will be on ornamental plants and gardens, while recognising these share much of their history with economic plants. The conference will form the basis of a proposal for an edited volume on the topic.

Please submit an abstract of no more than 250 words including a brief bio to Emily Parker emily.parker@english-heritage.org.uk by 9am on 17th February 2025

For further information please follow this link.

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International Specialised Skills Institute 2025 Funding Fellowships Applications Now Open

2025 Applications for two more of ISS Fellowships have just opened. This is a fantastic opportunity to begin preparing your application, attend an information session, and familiarise yourself with the guidelines. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions—the ISS team is here to support you!

• George Alexander Foundation Fellowships: Applications are open until February 16, 2025. If you’re considering applying, join one of our online information sessions with CEO Dr. Katrina Jojkity for guidance. Dates and registration links are below.
• International VET Practitioner Fellowship: Applications are open and close 11:59pm March 2, 2025, with information sessions available.
• Mason Family Trust Fellowship: Applications are open and close 11:59pm March 2, 2025. Information sessions available below.
• Italian Australian Fellowship: Opening April 1, 2025, and closing 11:59pm May 31, 2025.

For further information, please visit the website: International Specialised Skills Institute | Funding Fellowships to upskill Australia

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 Lotterywest Boorloo Heritage Festival (1-30 April 2025) Seeking Expressions of Interest to Deliver Events

Expressions of Interest from groups or individuals are now being accepted to deliver events that shine a light on Perth’s unique stories in April 2025. 

Event registrations are open to a broad range of history and heritage groups, artists, authors, performers and community arts and cultural organisations to share stories about Perth’s history and heritage. 

The team are also seeking Expressions of Interest from businesses or venues who may wish to participate in the festival by offering promotions, deals, offers or spaces to participants. 

• All activities must take place in the City of Perth from 1 to 30 April 2025.
• Registrations are open until 15 November. 

Head to the Lotterywest Boorloo Heritage Festival webpage for more information about how you can participate and register an Expression of Interest.

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Submissions – Historic Environment Special Issue Marking 50 years of Australia ICOMOS

2026 will be the 50^th anniversary of the founding of Australia ICOMOS. Special Issue Editors, Prof Tracy Ireland and Dr Steve Brown, are seeking submissions that reflect on the past or the future, and on experiences, issues and prospects for heritage, for Australia ICOMOS and for the cultural sector, broadly conceived. We welcome abstracts of 300 words and a brief bio for the author(s). Submissions for non-traditional submissions, including photo-essays, visual or digital media, are also welcomed with the possibility of online presentations that might supplement the traditional hard copy journal.

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GUIDELINES / PUBLICATIONS

NEW Decision on the Festival Plaza Code Amendment South Australia

The Minister for Planning has now decided to adopt the Festival Plaza Code Amendment under section 73(10)(c) of the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016 (the Act).

The draft Code Amendment came into operation on an interim basis on 12 September 2024 when it was consolidated into the online Planning and Design Code.

A copy of the final Code Amendment and engagement report are available to view on the PlanSA website.

The engagement report details the outcome of the engagement, including a summary of the written submissions and feedback received, changes to the proposal and the reasons for those changes.
A change was made to the draft Code Amendment following feedback received from community, industry, local and state government and advocacy groups, with greater detail now provided in the Concept Plan.

This includes:
• specifying a minimum setback of 9 metres from Parliament House’s northern façade to preserve its visual integrity and heritage value
• additional detail to preserve view lines to the Parliament House balcony and Aedicular Corner of classical columns and pilasters to maintain heritage prominence within Festival Plaza.

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SCHOLARSHIPS

NEW The World Heritage Residence/Scholarship | Applications due 16 February 2025

The World Heritage Scholarship is international and seeks cultural creators and researchers from all over the world.

The international Residence Scholarship for the World Heritage site Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland was established in 2018 by the Regional Assembly in Gävleborg. The Scholarship is aimed for those who have an artistic idea related to the UNESCO World Heritage list and are interested to connect the World Heritage site Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland with other World Heritage sites in an artistic, cultural or researching way.

The World Heritage Scholarship is a residency that involves

• staying and living in one or two World Heritage farms for a period of one month
• a grant of equivalent 50.000 SEK to carry out the idea/project in question
• travel to and from Sweden and a car at your disposal during the stay

The scholarship is international and can be applied for by people from all over the world, such as researchers, artists or other cultural actors.

Region Gävleborg awards the Residence Scholarship to a person who has an idea related to the UNESCO World Heritage list and can connect the World Heritage site Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland to another World Heritage site in an artistic, cultural or researching way.

Read more about UNESCO’s World Heritage mission UNESCO World Heritage Centre – World Heritage

Application

Your application must be sent between December 16th 2024 and February 16th 2025.

You apply by filling in the application form. 

Application for the World Heritage Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland Residence/Scholarship (pdf)

It is mandatory to answer all questions in the application form. If your application is not complete, it will be considered invalid. Please fill in the form and be so specific as you can about your project. 

Contact

With any queries, please contact:
anna-karin.ferm@regiongavleborg.se

Further information

The residence farms

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WORKSHOPS / COURSES / EVENTS / EXHIBITIONS

NEW ICOMOS Asia Pacific Seminar Series and Regional Meeting

An ICOMOS 2025 Asia Pacific Regional Meeting will be hosted by ICOMOS Korea in Seoul in April 2025. As a lead-up, regional webinars are being held to support the theme of the Meeting, ‘Influencing government policy and sharing best practices to foster the implementation of Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) in the Asia Pacific region’.

It is intended that the webinars be based on HIA experiences of sub-regions in Asia and the Pacific as an opportunity to share experiences and challenges. A report will be prepared by the Working Group to be presented at the upcoming Asia Pacific Regional Meeting, based on the reports / outcomes/ conclusions of each webinar. Two regional webinars (running for 1.5–2 hours with 4–5 speakers), have already been held and three more are planned through to March 2025.

For your diary

Australia ICOMOS, together with ICOMOS Aotearoa New Zealand and ICOMOS Pasifika is hosting the next webinar in the series for our region, to be held on Thursday 6 February 2025, commencing at 4pm AEDT. Information and registration details are available here.

The webinar is being co-ordinated by Jane Harrington so please address any queries to her through the AI secretariat jane@harringtonconsulting.com.au / 0409 344 598

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NEW ICAHM Webinars Series 2025 12pm GMT 26 February 2025

The International Committee on Archaeological Heritage Management invites you to attend the 2025 webinar series, chaired by Matthew Whincop. 

ICOMOS Cultural Tourism Charter 2022 and tourism management at archaeological sites Margaret Gowen (Ireland/Denmark)

The Role of Archaeology in Tourism in the Portuguese Inland Regions: The Case of Serpa Alexandra Vieira and Miguel Serra (Portugal)

Free to attend but registration is required to receive the Zoom link: https://forms.gle/TBAnRdBLzNW7NWdx7

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NEW Association for Research into Crimes against Art (ARCA) postgraduate programs

ARCA offers two unique postgraduate certificate programs during the summer of 2025 in the historic city of Amelia, Italy:

• Postgraduate Certificate in Art and Antiquities Crime (May 23–July 18, 2025)
• Postgraduate Certificate in Acquisition and Interpretation of Cultural Property (July 21–August 8, 2025)

Participants may pursue one or both certifications, providing a tailored experience to suit their academic and professional goals. Led by internationally recognized experts, ARCA’s programs combine academic instruction with hands-on experiences, including field classes at UNESCO World Heritage sites and Italy’s renowned museums. Courses explore critical themes such as:

• Criminology and art crime prevention
• Provenance research and restitution efforts
• The use of AI and data analytics in art crime investigations
• Ethical dilemmas in cultural property acquisition and preservation

In addition to the coursework, ARCA’s programs offer a vibrant cultural immersion experience. Situated in the picturesque Umbrian town of Amelia, participants will study in a serene, historic setting ideal for academic enrichment while connecting with an international community of like-minded professionals.

We invite your department to share this opportunity with students, researchers, and faculty passionate about cultural heritage and art crime prevention. Early applications are encouraged and a prospectus about the program can be opened as a pdf via this link.

For more information, visit our website at www.artcrimeresearch.org, or contact us at programmes@artcrimeresearch.org.

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Fourth Annual Underground Space Engineering Conference Vancouver Canada 9-10 April 2025

The 4th Annual Underground Space Engineering conference is a place where you can seize an exclusive gateway to top-notch case studies and projects presented by industry experts. Gain firsthand knowledge on efficient project planning with a pivotal focus on capitalizing the revenue stream for underground development. Connect and network with numerous leads within the industry, ensuring you stay at the forefront of the evolving landscape of underground space engineering.

BENEFITS OF ATTENDING THIS CONFERENCE

• Explore latest advancements in underground space engineering from rock reinforcement techniques to AI integration.
• Gaining insights on how to mitigate risks and increase the likelihood of project success.
• Integrating innovations in enhancing urban development and infrastructure management.
• Explore Best Practices for Groundwater Management in Tunnelling through innovative Waterproofing techniques.
• Addressing practical issues in underground space engineering such as long-term durability and seismic resilience.

For further information and to register, download the Pdf here.

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SURVEYS

NEW Digital modelling of built heritage survey | PhD University of Birmingham

My name is Lucy Lovell and I am currently undertaking a PhD at the University of Birmingham in the UK focused on the digital modelling of historic structures (historic building information modelling (HBIM)). BIM is an information management and 3D visualisation tool used extensively by the architecture, engineering and construction industry. It typically consists of a 3D model of a structure with all information about the structure (e.g. current condition, maintenance information, health and safety assessments etc) associated with objects within the model. It has the potential to assist with information management and create an enduring record for future generations of heritage stewards. This will provide tangible benefits for the heritage community including more efficient resource management and fewer instances of lost or duplicated information. However, there is currently no standard for HBIM and no consensus on what functions or features a HBIM system requires.

Over the last year, I have been surveying individuals involved in the management and maintenance of built heritage in the UK to find out how they currently manage information, what problems they face and what they would need a digital information management system to do. The result of this was the identification of some proposed requirements for HBIM. 

I now need additional input from individuals involved in the management and maintenance of built heritage from outside the UK to confirm that the proposed requirements fit their needs.

If you would like to assist Lucy by filling in the survey, the link can be found here.

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