GLOBAL OUTREACH

GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP: A CLEAN OCEAN MANIFESTO

By Christina Connett Brophy, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Curatorial Affairs

The International Congress of Maritime Museums (ICMM) has over eighty full partners from around the world, and its biennial meeting is a unique opportunity for maritime institutions to engage in discussions relevant to all of us. Earlier this year, ICMM put forward a manifesto to its members, which states the commitment of signatories to look towards raising awareness of the plight of the world’s oceans by “placing culture at the heart of these issues, both as a reflection and as a lever for action.” We are already following these objectives as Mystic Seaport Museum addresses the impact of maritime activities on ocean health in current and upcoming projects, from the study of invasive species transported around the world in solid and water ballast (dozens of which are in our own river) to the upcoming exhibition Alexis Rockman: Oceanus.

ICMM, represented by Vincent Campredon, Director of the Musée National de la Marine in Paris, and Commodore José António Croca Favinha, Director of the Museu de Marinha in Lisbon, presented the manifesto at the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) in Lisbon at a private signing that I attended this summer. As the only American maritime museum represented at the ceremony, we were honored to be invited to this important event. With over