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Today, the Science and Research Centre (SRC) Koper introduced to the media its visiting Fulbright scholar, Dr Brent D. Glass, a distinguished American historian and museologist and former long-serving director of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History (Smithsonian National Museum of American History), based in Washington, D.C.. Dr Glass will be hosted at SRC Koper from 15 to 27 March, during which time he will deliver a series of diverse lectures in both Koper and Ljubljana on topics related to American history.
The activities are organized within the framework of the Office for Mediterranean Archaeology and the Institute for Historical Studies at SRC Koper. The programme will be carried out as part of the Cross-Border School for Archaeological Research of Hillforts and Dry-Stone Structures under the Interreg Italy–Slovenia project KAŠTellieri.
“At my lectures, I will discuss collective memory, which is passed down from generation to generation. The way we remember history sometimes differs from historical facts themselves. History is composed of written, material, and physical sources, as well as oral testimonies. Memory, however, is subjective—and I am particularly interested in this intersection between memory and history,” said Dr Brent D. Glass at today’s press meeting.
The first lecture, titled Museums, Exhibitions, and Historic Sites as Spaces of Debate and Reflection (Museums, Exhibitions, and Historic Sites as Spaces of Debate and Reflection) – will take place on Wednesday, 18 March at 11:00 AM in the conference hall of the National Museum of Slovenia (Metelkova, Ljubljana). The event will take place in cooperation between SRC Koper, the U.S. Embassy in Ljubljana, the Community of Museums of Slovenia, the Slovene Museum Society, and ICOM Slovenia.
The lecture will address key issues of contemporary musealization: from interpreting complex and contested pasts and addressing historically sensitive topics that provoke public debate, to ethical challenges and the responsibilities of museums in defining the limits of neutrality and their moral obligations. It will also explore the foundations of musealization and heritage interpretation, particularly in setting standards for future generations.
Lecture programme by Dr. Brent D. Glass at the Centre for Humanities, SRC Koper (Kreljeva 6, Koper):
- Women’s History and the Power of Place – highlighting the role of women in the United States (Friday, 20 March 2026, at 6:00 PM)
- The Sing Sing Prison Museum (Monday, 23 March 2026, from 9:30 to 11:30 AM)
- Vietnam: War and Peace – Establishing the Vietnam–U.S. Museum in Vietnam (Wednesday, 25 March 2026, from 9:30 to 11:30 AM)
- Case Study: Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe and the Development of the United States on the Occasion of the 250th Anniversary, along with the lecture Public Memory of George Washington (Thursday, 26 March 2026, from 9:30 to 11:30 AM)
During his visit to SRC Koper under a Fulbright scholarship, the visiting lecturer will also carry out several professional visits and meetings (on Tuesday, 17 March, he will visit museums in Pula; on Saturday, 21 March, he will visit Trieste. On Tuesday, 24 March, a professional meeting with members of ICOM in Ljubljana is also planned).
About the lecturer
Dr Brent D. Glass is Director Emeritus of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, the largest museum dedicated to telling the history of the United States. He is widely regarded as one of the leading experts in the preservation, interpretation, and promotion of history and public history.
Since 2012, he has worked as a consultant in cultural institution management, collaborating with more than 50 museums and educational institutions in the United States and abroad, including the Presidio Trust, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation, and the DeVos Institute for Arts Management at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the University of Maryland. He is currently involved in the development of several museums, including the National Museum of Industrial History in Bethlehem and the Sing Sing Prison Museum in Ossining, New York.
Dr Glass has also served as a member of the advisory commission for the Flight 93 National Memorial, a senior fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and a board member of Lafayette College. He has lectured on museums and public history in countries including Russia, China, Egypt, Serbia, Portugal, Lithuania, France, Germany, Italy, and the Czech Republic, and is also known to wider audiences through appearances on The Colbert Report and The Oprah Winfrey Show.
He is the author of several publications, most notably the book 50 Great American Places, in which he explores the significance of key historical sites and their role in understanding major themes of American history.
Dr Glass earned his PhD in history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a master’s degree in American Studies from New York University, and a bachelor’s degree from Lafayette College.
