As Bhutan works to safeguard its cultural legacy, attention is increasingly turning to how museums can not only preserve historic collections but also interpret and present them for contemporary audiences.
Twenty-five museum and cultural heritage professionals recently gathered in Bumthang for a three-day knowledge exchange aimed at strengthening curatorial practices and improving the management of cultural collections across the country.
Held at the Wangduechhoeling Palace Museum and Cultural Centre, the programme brought Bhutanese professionals together with experts from the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art in New York. The sessions focused on practical aspects of museum work, including collection management, preservation, curatorial stewardship and the presentation of cultural objects.
The programme also provided a platform for participants to discuss some of the challenges faced by museums in Bhutan and compare approaches with practices followed by institutions abroad.
“Through this workshop, we learned how museums in other countries exhibit and present their collections,” said Gembo Wangdi, curator at the Wangduechhoeling Palace Museum and Cultural Centre.
For Bhutan’s museums, the task of preserving heritage extends beyond the physical protection of artefacts. How collections are documented, cared for, interpreted and displayed can determine how effectively museums communicate their significance to visitors while ensuring that they remain accessible to future generations.
The exchange therefore placed particular emphasis on developing the professional knowledge needed to manage collections responsibly while finding meaningful ways of presenting them to the public.
“We mainly focused on curatorial stewardship. The roundtable discussion and the three-day workshop gave us a good opportunity to exchange ideas, share our museum practices and also explore opportunities for future collaboration,” said Lhatso, senior curator at the Wangduechhoeling Palace Museum and Cultural Centre.
Alongside technical discussions, the interaction allowed museum professionals to share experiences from their respective institutions and examine how different approaches could be adapted to Bhutan’s cultural context.
The programme was organised by the Museum Division under the Department of Culture and Dzongkha Development.
Organisers expect the exchange to contribute to stronger professional capacity within Bhutan’s museum sector, particularly in the preservation, management and interpretation of the country’s cultural collections. It also opens avenues for continued professional exchanges and collaboration between Bhutanese museums and international cultural institutions.
