Alissandra Cummins (born 30 October 1958) is a Barbadian art historian, educator, and scholar; she is a leading expert on Caribbean heritage, museum development, and art. Cummins is Director of the

Barbados Museum & Historical Society The Barbados Museum & Historical Society is a private organization but membership is open to both members and non-members who are interested in the numerous collections. Established in 1933 in the old Military Prison at the Saint Ann's historic Ga ...

and she is a lecturer in Museum and Heritage Studies at the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 17 English-speaking countries and territories in th ...

. She is board chair of International Journal of Intangible Heritage. She is on the board of the

International Coalition of Sites of Conscience The International Coalition of Sites of Conscience (ICSC) is a global network of historic sites, museums, and memorials that are dedicated to promoting and protecting human rights across the world. The Coalition is registered as a non-profit assoc ...

, and the International Journal of Museum Management and Curatorship. She was the Chairperson of the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

Executive Board, from 2011 to 2013.

Biography

She was educated at Queen's College, Barbados, the

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...

(BA degree, History of Art) and the

University of Leicester , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_labe ...

(MA degree, Museum Studies). Alissandra Cummins served in lead positions for several intergovernmental committees and NGOs, in particular she was Chairperson of the Advisory Committee of the

International Council of Museums The International Council of Museums (ICOM) is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to museums, maintaining formal relations with UNESCO and having a consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Founded in 1946, I ...

, and successively President of the organization (2004-2010). As such she was the first even female president of the organization and the first to serve from the Caribbean region. Within UNESCO, Alissandra Cummins was a member of the Executive Board for two mandates, and between 2009-2011 she was elected as Chairperson of the Board’s Finance and Administrative Commission. Most recently she also chaired the Administrative Commission during the 36th session of the General Conference of UNESCO. Within the cultural programmes and conventions of UNESCO Alissandra Cummins acted as Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Country of Origin or its Restitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation (ICPRCP) (2003-2005), as Chairperson of the International Advisory Committee of UNESCO'

Memory of the World Programme Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future action. If past events could not be remembered, ...

(2007-2009) and she was Vice-President of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection of the World natural and Cultural Heritage (2009, 2011).

Selected publications

* ''Curating in the Caribbean'', The Green Box, Berlin 2012 (ed. with David A. Bailey MBE,

Axel Lapp Axel Lapp (born 1966 in Konstanz, West Germany) is a German curator, art historian and publisher, who is based in Memmingen. He is director of MEWO Kunsthalle as well as of Strigel- and Antoniter-Museum in Memmingen. From 2005 until 2013, he wa ...

, Allison Thompson). * ''Art in Barbados'', Ian Randle Publishers, Jamaica 1999, (ed. with Allison Thompson, Nick Whittle).

References

External links

International Journal of Intangible Heritage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cummins, Alissandra 1958 births Living people Alumni of the University of East Anglia Alumni of the University of Leicester UNESCO officials Academic staff of the University of the West Indies Barbadian historians Women art historians 20th-century Barbadian writers 20th-century Barbadian women writers 21st-century Barbadian writers 21st-century Barbadian women writers Barbadian women writers Barbadian officials of the United Nations Queen's College (Barbados) alumni