International Committees

DEMHIST

International Committee for Historic House Museums

DEMHIST is an international forum for debating problems and solutions particular to the conservation and management of historic house museums. One aim of the committee is to create a methodological classification system of the numerous kinds of historic house museums in order to assist professionals in understanding their houses better so that they may formulate more effective "mission statements"; goals; conservation, restoration, and security choices; and communication with other professionals and with their visitors. Some desired results are transparency in presentation, improved community relations, and increased visibility and tourism, often in areas that are less well known. Considering the artistic, architectural, cultural, and social wealth present in historic houses, the committee organizes conferences to address these issues common to all kinds of historic house museums, and publishes the results in order to give its members a professional platform for sharing their ideas, as well as to disseminate as widely as possible the solutions reached in order to increase their effectiveness.

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