The ninth edition of the international museum conference Meet, See, Do was held in Zagreb on 28 and 29 May 2025, bringing together more than ninety museum professionals and cultural heritage experts from a dozen countries in Southeast Europe and beyond.
The conference was organized by the Balkan Museum Network (BMN) based in Sarajevo, in partnership with the Zagreb City Museum and the Network of European Museum Organizations (NEMO), with the aim of addressing contemporary challenges of museology in the context of social, technological and environmental changes.
The conference program was opened by Emina Višnić, Head of the City Office for Culture of the City of Zagreb, Aleksandra Berberih Slana, Director of the Zagreb City Museum, and Tatjana Cvjetićanin, President of the BMN Board of Directors, emphasizing the importance of regional cooperation in strengthening the capacities of the museum community.
The conference covered professional ethics, institutional values, new technologies and educational practices in museum work through lectures, panels and workshops.
The central part of the program consisted of two introductory lectures. Margherita Sani from the University of Bologna spoke about the necessity of redefining the professional roles of museum workers in the context of migration, climate challenges and digital transformation.
Maria Vlachou from Access Culture problematized political pressures and the increasing abolition of diversity and inclusion departments in large museums, warning of similar trends in Europe.
Museum and cultural experts from Bosnia and Herzegovina made a particularly prominent contribution, actively positioning the domestic scene within current international discussions. At the panel on contemporary challenges in exhibition design, Sanja Vrzić (CHwB BiH) presented the importance of spatial and graphic narrative in designing exhibitions, especially in balancing aesthetic, conservation and educational requirements. The panel Emotive Museum – Curating with Care dealt with the role of emotions in the interpretation of heritage. Elma Hodžić (History Museum of BiH) spoke about the interpretation of Sarajevo’s war heritage through museum programs and specifically presented the “Sarajevo Memorial” exhibit of the Memorial Room.
Tatjana Jurić, professor and human rights trainer, shared her experiences in educating young and marginalized groups through the development of critical thinking and empathy. The Digital Storytelling panel brought examples of the application of modern technologies in the interpretation of heritage. Draga Gajić (KAS Association, Banja Luka) presented models of digital storytelling in the inclusive presentation of women’s heritage, while Prof. Dr. Selma Rizvić (Faculty of Electrical Engineering, UNSA) presented the work of the Computer Graphics Laboratory in Sarajevo and the application of virtual reality in the interpretation of archaeological heritage.
Practical workshops also included innovative approaches to heritage documentation. Arman Džaferagić (Leibniz Institute, Germany) presented the use of 3D scanning and photogrammetry for the digital documentation of museum materials, offering concrete technical solutions for the preservation of material heritage. One of the workshops was dedicated to the fight against illegal art trafficking, led by Amra Ćebić (International Portrait Gallery Tuzla).
Through interactive simulations, she presented the participants with methodologies for preventing the illegal trade in cultural property.
In addition to the professional program, tours of Zagreb museums were also organized, including the Zagreb City Museum and the Ethnographic Museum, and the closing ceremony was marked by the awarding of the Peace Broker Prize for the Western Balkan Region, which this year went to Irena Ružin from Bitola for her contribution to regional cooperation and intercultural dialogue.
Meet, See, Do 2025 once again confirmed the role of BMN as a key platform for professional networking of the museum community of Southeast Europe.
The active and visible participation of museum professionals from Bosnia and Herzegovina this year also significantly contributed to the regional dialogue and exchange of knowledge, confirming the capacities of the BiH museum scene for equal participation in contemporary international practices of preservation and interpretation of cultural heritage.
