Welcome

Welcome to the fifteenth newsletter of the Maastricht Centre for Arts and Culture, Conservation and Heritage (MACCH). MACCH is a transdisciplinary research centre that brings together economic, legal, (art) historical, philosophical, sociological and practical expertise in the fields of arts, culture and heritage.

This fifteenth newsletter marks a special occasion: As of September 1st, Dr Vivian van Saaze stepped down from her role as director of MACCH. After co-founding MACCH in 2015, Vivian van Saaze has worked to initiate many collaborative and interdisciplinary research and valorisation projects in response to the increasingly complex challenges facing the field of arts and heritage. Under her guidance MACCH managed to become well embedded in the region while operating on an international academic level, through, for example, ongoing collaborations with arts and heritage organisations, the annual international conferences convened during TEFAF, and the Springer book series: Studies in Art, Heritage, Law and the Market.

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Claartje Rasterhoff as new Director. Claartje works at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences as assistant professor in cultural policy and management. She is looking forward to, together with the many MACCH members across the faculties and partner organisations, continue strengthening the position of MACCH as a linking pin in knowledge production. One of the main themes of interest for the coming years will be the interaction between academic research and knowledge production in cultural practice, with a specific focus on pioneering initiatives related, for example, digital and artistic research.  

Vivian will remain involved in MACCH as member of the Steering Committee, replacing Prof Renée van de Vall, Professor Art & Media at FASoS, who will retire from Maastricht University. Renée has been invaluable for the establishment and flourishing of MACCH, and on 19 January 2023, we will celebrate her career during a symposium and her farewell speech on “Caring for contemporary art: Reflections on ethics and aesthetics in precarious times”.

We’re also delighted to welcome Prof Lars van Vliet, full professor in art law from the Faculty of Law to the MACCH Steering Committee. His area of expertise is wide-ranging and includes the restitution of looted art and Second World War related claims of artworks.

And finally, we’re very happy to congratulate Prof Pip Laurenson on her new position as Professor or Conservation at University College London. In January 2016 Pip took up a special chair as Professor of Art Collection and Care at Maastricht University with (MACCH) and within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASoS), which she combined with her work as Head of Collection Care Research at Tate, and held until 2022.

In the rest of this newsletter, you will find the latest information about our MACCH research projects, past and upcoming events, and a new publication in the Springer Book Series ‘Studies in Art, Heritage, Law and the Market'.

Kind regards,

The MACCH Steering Committee:
Dr Lydia Beerkens, Stichting Restauratie Atelier Limburg (SRAL)
Dr Joop de Jong, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Maastricht University
Prof Rachel Pownall, School of Business and Economics, Maastricht University
Prof Nico Randeraad, Social Historical Centre Limburg (SHCL)
Dr Claartje Rasterhoff (incoming director), Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Maastricht University 
Dr Christoph Rausch, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Maastricht University
Dr Vivian van Saaze, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Maastricht University
Prof Hildegard Schneider, Faculty of Law, Maastricht University
Prof Lars van Vliet, Faculty of Law, Maastricht University
Dr Donna Yates, Faculty of Law, Maastricht University