Organised by Delft University of Technology and the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE), the programme brought together professionals from Italy and the Netherlands to exchange experiences, explore innovative storage solutions, and discuss the future of collection care.

The first part of the exchange took place in Modena, where participants visited the Palazzo dei Musei, the Museo Civico di Modena’s external storage facilities, and the Gallerie Estensi’s off-site storage, discovering different approaches to museum storage, conservation, and collection management.

The second part continued in the Netherlands with visits to some of the country’s most innovative collection centres, including CC NL, KEEP! by Helicon Collection Care, the Depot of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, and Helicon’s passive storage facilities for the archaeological collections of the City of Amsterdam. These visits provided an excellent opportunity to compare practices, share expertise, and reflect on common challenges facing museum storage today.

This initiative perfectly reflects ICOM Storage’s mission: creating opportunities for professionals to connect across borders, exchange knowledge, and strengthen the international museum community through collaboration.

A sincere thank you to everyone who contributed to making this exchange such a success, and especially to all the colleagues and institutions who generously shared their expertise and welcomed the participants. We look forward to seeing this collaboration continue and inspire new international partnerships within the ICOM Storage community.