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Maastricht Centre for Arts and Culture, Conservation and Heritage

Research Institute

The Maastricht Centre for Arts and Culture, Conservation and Heritage (MACCH) is an interdisciplinary research centre that brings together economic, legal, (art) historical, philosophical, sociological and practical expertise to the context of arts and heritage. In response to the demands of the increasingly complex challenges facing the fields of arts and heritage today, MACCH initiates collaborative research projects with researchers, professionals, and students from diverse backgrounds. MACCH is a joint effort of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, the Faculty of Law, the School of Business and Economics, the Faculty of Science and Engineering (formerly Faculty of Humanities and Sciences), and Tracé Limburgs Samenlevingsarchief (formerly SHCL) and the Stichting Restauratie Atelier Limburg (SRAL).

 

News

SpilloverEffect

Three new titles in the Springer book series Studies in Art, Heritage, Law and the Market:

New in the Springer book series Studies in Art, Heritage, Law and the Market.
Natuurmonumenten foto

Hoe mooi mag een vervuild landschap zijn?

Wat begon als een onderzoek naar historische watermolens groeide uit tot een gezamenlijke zoektocht naar hoe je een landschap beheert dat tegelijk prachtig én toxisch is.
Booklaunch

13 March 2026 Virtual Book Launch: "Field Notes on Artistic Participation in Europe’s Trans and Queer Archives"

Field Notes on Artistic Participation in Europe’s Trans and Queer Archives is a study of how contemporary artists access, question, and contribute to archival holdings.
Letterhead

17 January 2026: Book Presentation - Maastricht Letterheads

We are pleased to invite you to the book presentation 'Maastricht Letterhead', presented by MACCH affiliated researchers Bart Zwegers and Joris Roosen.
Performance documentation Last Will and Testament (2023). Merian Art & Science Lab of UCM (University College Maastricht). Image courtesy of Valentina Curandi

Call for Contributions MACCH Annual Conference - On Leaving: Contemporary Artists’ Estates and Legacies (19-21 March 2026)

We call for your submission of proposals for panels, papers and contributions in artistic research on these and/or related themes by Wednesday 10 December 2025, macch@maastrichtuniversity.nl .

Events

1 Sep
30 Sep
SPARK Session: Noah Littel "Archives of Passion: An Affective History of Dutch Gay, Lesbian and Women’s Archival and Information Activism since the 1970s"

In The Spotlight

Pr

Priceless

Crimes involving high-value unique goods, such as luxury items and works of art have evolved significantly: as opposed to forgery or theft, criminals now exploit luxury items by turning them into financial assets which are then used for laundering wealth, obscuring transactions and evading sanctions. To unpack how this process works and can be prevented, the transdisciplinary project PRICELESS has been launched, involving MACCH researchers dr. Christoph Rausch (project leader), dr. Donna Yates and dr. Rachel Pownall.

Pure3D

PURE3D

The world has moved online, with entire repositories, archives and cultures now in the digital realm. PURE3D is a groundbreaking initiative that addresses challenges those working in Digital Humanities are currently facing by developing access infrastructure for viewing interactive Digital Heritage and Digital Humanities 3D content online. This project is led by MACCH researchers dr Costas Papadopoulos and prof dr Susan Schreibman.

RivierAtelier

Rivier Atelier

Rivier Atelier is a newly funded research initiative by the Rijksdienst voor Cultureel Erfgoed and the Province of Limburg in collaboration with Natuurmonumenten, led by MACCH researchers Christian Ernsten and Claartje Rasterhoff. The project seeks to formulate nuanced landscape visions and heritage management strategies in response to the impact of climate change on watermill landscapes. Between 2023 and 2025, this initiative employs historical, archaeological and design research to examine the Geul River and its surrounding vicinities’ watermill landscapes.

About MACCH