{"id":220795,"date":"2025-08-25T14:57:21","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T00:57:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=220795"},"modified":"2025-08-25T14:57:21","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T00:57:21","slug":"uh-helps-build-asia-pacific-museum-network","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/08\/25\/uh-helps-build-asia-pacific-museum-network\/","title":{"rendered":"UH<\/abbr> helps build Asia-Pacific museum network"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Participants study preservation techniques on historic books in the UH<\/abbr> Hamilton Library lab<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For more than two weeks this summer, the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS<\/abbr>) at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa welcomed 13 museum and heritage professionals from across Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands to share knowledge, sharpen skills and reflect on shared challenges. CSEAS<\/abbr> hosted the inaugural Face2Face Workshop of the Asia-Pacific Museum Exchange (APME<\/abbr>)–at UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa, July 15–30.<\/p>\n

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Attendees and staff celebrate connection and learning at UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Each day focused on a theme, from disaster planning and object-based storytelling to digital preservation and curating exhibitions. Sessions were led by local experts and held at institutions such as Bishop Museum<\/a>, Honolulu Museum of Art<\/a>, Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art<\/a>, Â鶹´«Ã½ State Archives<\/a> and Waik\u012bk\u012b Aquarium<\/a>. The group also visited UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa resources such as the Hawaiian Pacific Collection, the Center for Oral History and the Campus Arboretum.<\/p>\n

Hands-on activities were central. Participants crafted exhibit narratives from their own museum collections and also practiced digital storytelling. Talk story sessions with Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>-based professionals, including those with Native Hawaiian heritage, sparked deep conversations on cultural resources, community engagement and digital access.<\/p>\n

“This workshop brought together incredible regional expertise and local knowledge,” said Teri Skillman, associate director of CSEAS<\/abbr>. “We were honored to host these professionals in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> and to witness the depth of mutual learning and collaboration that emerged. Our goal is to build a network across islands of Southeast Asia and the Pacific that supports specialists in cultural and heritage institutions.”<\/p>\n

Participants came from Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei, Palau, Solomon Islands, American Samoa, Saipan and Vanuatu. Their expertise ranged from collections care and exhibition design to cultural education, digital archives, and preservation of Indigenous knowledge.<\/p>\n

Platform for collaboration, professional growth, peer support<\/h2>\n

The 16-day workshop was the first major in-person event since the program launched this spring with a virtual webinar series by the National Park Service\u2019s Museum Management Program. Together, they form a growing platform for collaboration, professional growth and peer support.<\/p>\n

APME<\/abbr> is a program of the U.S. Department of State\u2019s Heritage Exchange Initiative–a series of cultural heritage focused programs to strengthen ties between the United States and Pacific Island and Southeast Asian nations and build professional networks across the ocean we share. With support from the Department\u2019s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the U.S. National Park Service’s Museum Management Program and CSEAS<\/abbr> developed and implemented APME<\/abbr> via the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>-Pacific Islands Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU<\/abbr>; Task Agreement P24AC00688<\/abbr>).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CSEAS<\/abbr> hosted 13 museum and heritage professionals from Southeast Asia and the Pacific at UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa to exchange ideas and skills.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[1562,1363,1314,1591,9],"class_list":["post-220795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","tag-center-for-southeast-asian-studies","tag-manoa-research","tag-manoa-sustainability","tag-museum-studies","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t