September 2026

Dr Nikolina Belošević at the 2026 International Summer School of Museology and Heritage

Sep 15, 2026Marina Vicelja Matijašić

Project team member Dr Nikolina Belošević participated in the 2026 International Summer School of Museology and Heritage, held in Koper from 1 to 5 September 2026. The Summer School was organised by the UNESCO Chair in Interpretation and Education for the Promotion of Holistic Approaches to Heritage at the University of Primorska, in collaboration with the Department of Archaeology and Heritage, Faculty of Humanities, University of Primorska.

The theme of this year’s Summer School was “Conservation as Interpretation: Between Conservation, Museology, and Heritage Interpretation.” The programme brought together researchers and heritage professionals from different disciplinary backgrounds to explore the complex relationships between conservation, museology, heritage interpretation, and education.

Dr Belošević presented a paper entitled “Stories Behind the Interlace – New Research on Early Medieval Sculpture of the Eastern Adriatic.” The presentation highlighted heritage interpretation as a means of translating new research into meaningful experiences for wider audiences. As a process of meaning-making through communication, participation, and experience, interpretation can deepen understanding of heritage and encourage active engagement with its cultural significance.

Dr Belošević’s participation at the Summer School provided an opportunity to present the research conducted within the MIKOM project in an international and interdisciplinary environment, while also contributing to the exchange of knowledge and perspectives on contemporary approaches to heritage interpretation, conservation, and public engagement.

Invited Lecture by Dr Nikolina Belošević at the National Professional Conference for Visual Arts Teachers

As part of the dissemination of the MIKOM project’s research and its broader engagement with the educational and cultural sectors, project team member Dr Nikolina Belošević delivered an invited lecture entitled “Drawing – Interlace – Nation: From a Universal Early Medieval Motif to a Contemporary Sign of Croatian Identity.”

The lecture was presented at the National Professional Conference for Teachers of Visual Arts, Drawing as a Universal Means of Expression in Visual Art, held on 27–28 August 2026 at the First Sušak Croatian Gymnasium in Rijeka. The conference was organized by the Education and Teacher Training Agency and brought together teachers and educators in the field of visual arts from all counties of the Republic of Croatia.

The lecture addressed the transformation of the interlace motif from a non-figurative decorative form in Early Medieval art into a powerful symbol associated with Croatian cultural and national identity. In this context, it also presented questions of visual interpretation, cultural memory, and the changing meanings attributed to artistic motifs across different historical and contemporary contexts.

The participation of a MIKOM project team member in a national professional conference for visual arts educators represents an important contribution to the dissemination of the project’s research findings beyond the academic community and to strengthening dialogue between scholarly research, education, and the wider public.