Ministry of Culture appoints Joan Ferrer as new director of Museums

Santo Domingo. – The Minister of Culture, Roberto Ángel Salcedo, appointed Joan Ferrer as the new General Director of Museums, who assumes the commitment to promote a management style oriented towards strengthening the national museum system through the preservation of heritage, innovation, research, and a greater connection between museums and the public.

During the inauguration ceremony, Ferrer explained that his administration will be structured around six strategic pillars: the strengthening of the custody and projection of cultural heritage; the accessibility, democratization, and innovation of spaces and their contents; financial and institutional sustainability; the implementation of a standardized and collaborative management model; the promotion of national identity and international dialogue, and the fostering of research and knowledge production.

Likewise, he highlighted the importance of establishing a coordinated work agenda with the Ministry of Culture and the different actors in the cultural sector, with the purpose of strengthening the dissemination, conservation, and enhancement of the museum heritage of the Dominican Republic.

Ferrer is a lawyer, historian, genealogist, and researcher. He holds a master’s degree in Genealogy and Archival Studies from the University of Córdoba, Spain, in addition to specialized studies in paleography, archaeology, and international relations.

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The new general director of Museums is a research associate at the Dominican Studies Institute of the City University of New York (CUNY) and has been part of various national and international academic institutions, including the Dominican Academy of History and the Royal Matritense Academy of Heraldry and Genealogy.

When referring to his experience in public management, he recalled that for five years he was in charge of the Book Fair Directorate of the Ministry of Culture, a period in which a new organizational model was implemented that improved the experience for the public, bookstores, and participating publishers, while also contributing to the international positioning of the International Book Fair.

“It has been a rewarding journey, sown with irreplaceable people and extraordinary experiences,” expressed Ferrer when taking stock of his time at the Book Fair Directorate.

Joan Ferrer succeeds the sociologist, anthropologist, writer, and researcher Carlos Andújar, who led the General Directorate of Museums with a management approach focused on the research, conservation, and valorization of Dominican cultural heritage.

The Ministry of Culture expressed its gratitude for Andújar’s dedication and contributions during his tenure and stated its confidence that Joan Ferrer’s academic, research, and cultural management experience will contribute to the strengthening of Dominican museums as spaces for the preservation of historical memory, education, and the construction of national identity.