Who decides what is collected, preserved, and passed on to future generations? And how can museums and archives live up to their social responsibilities as financial resources become more limited, political conflicts intensify, and artificial intelligence transforms the way we engage with cultural knowledge? These questions were at the heart of the DAC Summer School 2026, held July 1–3 at the University for Continuing Education Krems, which brought together more than 60 participants.
Under the title “Who cares? Collecting, preserving, and curating in museums, archives, and organizations,” researchers, educators, and professionals from museums, archives, cultural education, continuing education, and organizational development explored different forms of cultural care work. Paper and poster presentations, as well as workshops, combined scholarly reflection with practical and experimental approaches.
Preservation is not neutral
At the heart of the Summer School was the question of who takes responsibility for preserving both tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Collecting, archiving, and curating are not simply about ensuring the long-term preservation of objects and documents. They also inevitably involve decisions about which events, perspectives, and experiences remain visible and which disappear from cultural memory.
“Archives, museums, and collections are not neutral repositories. What they collect, document, and communicate plays a major role in shaping how a society understands its past and thinks about its future,” says Dr. Helmut Neundlinger, Head of the Archive of Contemporary Authors at the University for Continuing Education Krems. “Cultural care work therefore means more than preserving collections. It also means taking responsibility for voices that have previously been overlooked and creating the conditions for cultural memory to remain publicly accessible and relevant to society.”
Particular attention was given to memories and forms of cultural expression that are considered ephemeral or marginal. Discussions included how political violence can be documented from the perspective of affected minorities and whether museums can incorporate spontaneous memorials created after terrorist attacks or natural disasters into their collections. Other contributions addressed collections originating in colonial contexts, as well as questions surrounding how emotions, subjective experiences, and collective grief can be archived and communicated.
Artificial intelligence is changing cultural memory
The digital processing of collections and the growing use of artificial intelligence were also addressed during the Summer School. Digital technologies can make collections more accessible and reveal new connections between materials. At the same time, data models, search systems, and algorithms influence which content can be found, how it is connected, and what may remain hidden.
This raises questions of cultural responsibility in the digital sphere as well: Who decides what knowledge is included in databases? Which historical assumptions are carried over into digital systems? And how can we prevent existing exclusions from being perpetuated through automated processes
Exchange across institutional and geographical boundaries
The contributions offered a broad picture of the current situation of museums, archives, and initiatives concerned with cultural memory and the politics of remembrance. Many of these institutions have to fulfill their responsibilities with limited resources. Some initiatives also struggle with limited public visibility or operate in politically challenging circumstances.
The international composition of the Summer School provided an opportunity to compare different institutional and societal experiences. Participants came from 12 countries, including Egypt, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Italy, Latvia, Romania, Turkey, Hungary, and the United States. The exchange demonstrated that institutions dedicated to cultural memory can make an important contribution to current debates on social cohesion, political participation, and how societies engage with their past.
About the DAC Summer School
The Department for Arts and Cultural Studies at the University for Continuing Education Krems has organized the international DAC Summer School since 2023. The three-day event focuses each year on current questions surrounding cultural heritage in both its analog and digital forms. It brings together scholarly perspectives and experience from museums, archives, cultural education, continuing education, and organizational development. The Summer School is conceived and implemented in cooperation with in scope GmbH. Professors Anja Grebe and Chiara Zuanni, both members of the Department for Arts and Cultural Studies, also play a key role in organizing and delivering the Summer School. Financial support is provided by the CLARIAH-AT consortium.
Contact
Tags
