MMCA Sri Lanka Conducts Fourth Edition of ‘Museum Intensive’

Pictured here is one of the sessions at Museum Intensive 4: image credit MMCA

The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Sri Lanka (MMCA Sri Lanka) conducted the fourth edition of their hallmark professional training programme ‘Museum Intensive’ in partnership with World Monuments Fund.
‘Museum Intensive 4: Documenting Modern Buildings’ focused on the critical methods of recording architectural history, with two parallel programmes for professionals and students interested in architectural heritage. These programmes included ‘Introduction to Architectural Heritage Documentation: Photogrammetry’, led by Imran Khan of Factum Foundation, and ‘A General Introduction to Documenting Modern Buildings’ led by Javier Ors Ausin and John Darlington of World Monuments Fund.
Sharmini Pereira, Chief Curator at the MMCA Sri Lanka said that, “Our recent Museum Intensive highlights the importance of museum training that extends far beyond art history,” adding that, “Each form of training strengthens the foundations of the museum we are creating for the future, especially through collaborations with organisations such as World Monuments Fund, Factum Foundation, British Council Sri Lanka, and all those organisations in Sri Lanka that took part in the training.”
The MMCA Sri Lanka welcomed 19 participants for Museum Intensive 4, comprising architects, lecturers, researchers, and students from various institutions based in Sri Lanka. They represented the Geoffrey Bawa Trust, City School of Architecture, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), Let’s Build Great Things, and MMCA Sri Lanka.
“ Museum Intensive brought together professionals and students from a range of institutions to discuss and strengthen their capacity in architectural conservation methods,” noted Nimaya Harris, Project Curator at the MMCA Sri Lanka. She added that, “Over four days, participants explored tools and techniques for documenting both the tangible and intangible qualities of buildings. The programme also fostered rich discussions on the importance and growing urgency of conserving modern architecture in Sri Lanka, much of which remains outside existing heritage conservation frameworks.”
Professional training lies at the heart of MMCA Sri Lanka’s efforts to increase capacity within the arts and culture sector of Sri Lanka. As a testament to the vitality of these educational and training endeavours, Museum Intensive 4 was funded by World Monuments Fund and British Council. 
For more information about the MMCA Sri Lanka’s educational and professional training efforts, please visit www.mmca-srilanka.org, or follow the museum on Facebook at ‘The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Sri Lanka’ and on Instagram at @mmcasrilanka.