The Conference of Museum Educators of Serbia with International Participation, titled “Museum Education and the Family: Intergenerational Learning, Shared Experience, and Identity Formation”, was held at the Gallery of the National Museum Kraljevo on Thursday and Friday, November 6th–7th, 2025.The conference was jointly organized by the National Committee of ICOM Serbia (Subcommittee for Museum Education CECA), the National Museum Kraljevo, and the Center for Museology and Heritology of the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Belgrade.
The event opened with a welcome from Tatjana Mihailović, PhD, President of the National Committee of ICOM Serbia and museum advisor at the National Museum Kraljevo. She expressed her pleasure that the second biennial conference of museum educators, supported by ICOM Serbia, was being held in Kraljevo following the previous gathering in Čačak. The conference aimed to explore current trends in museum education, with this year’s focus on museums and families, and intergenerational dialogue – a theme long explored by the Center for Museology and Heritology, making it a natural co-organizer of this regional event.
Tatjana Mihailović, PhD also highlighted the upcoming participation of a five-member delegation from ICOM Serbia at the ICOM General Conference in Dubai, which will focus on intangible cultural heritage. In that spirit, the current exhibition dedicated to the UNESCO inscription of Kovačica naïve painting provided a fitting backdrop for the conference. She then presented the work of the National Museum Kraljevo, with special emphasis on the Group for Educational and Promotional Activities, introducing the museum educators: senior curator Nadica Lišanin, curator Jasmina Dražović, and curator Anđelija Petrović.
Dragan Kiurski, PhD, president of the CECA Subcommittee of ICOM Serbia, welcomed colleagues to the fifth conference of museum educators, noting that the first three were held under the auspices of the Museum Society of Serbia. He extended special thanks to Dragana Latinović, Katarina Dragin, Milica Božić Marojević, PhD and hosts Tatjana Mihailović, PhD and Jelena Marković for their support. He also read a message from Professor Milica Božić Marojević, PhD, Head of the Center for Museology and Heritology of the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Belgrade, who was unable to attend due to academic obligations.
On the first day, two plenary sessions focused on permanent exhibitions and thematic displays, featuring nine presentations by participants from Serbia and Slovenia. The first session was moderated by Bojana Petraš, senior librarian at the Special Museum Library of the National Museum Zrenjanin.
Presenters shared theoretical and practical insights on museums as spaces for intergenerational dialogue, family programs, innovative educational approaches, and the role of museums in shaping youth identity. After a discussion and coffee break, the second session was moderated by Mersiha Began from the War Childhood Museum in Sarajevo.
A special highlight was the promotion of the publication “Museums and Communication with the Public in the 21st Century” by Aleksandra Savić, PhD and Sanja Vrzić, which drew great interest. The authors presented the book as a practical guide for museum educators and beginners, covering key aspects of museum work. Published by the Serbia Museum Association, the book includes five chapters on museum communication, audiences, new technologies, social media, and museum PR.
The second day of the conference was dedicated to the practical work of museum educators, including workshops and public programs. Nine participants presented eight papers, sharing experiences and methods from their institutions.
The two-day event ended with a visit to Kraljevo’s cultural and historical landmarks – Žiča Monastery and Maglič Fortress – serving as a symbolic reminder of the enduring connection between heritage, education, and shared experience that museums provide.