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International Museum Day Explores Museums’ Roles in the Cultural Landscape

Paris, France (May 18, 2016) — Today marks the 38th annual International Museum Day. This year’s theme is “Museums and Cultural Landscapes”, which will be at the heart of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) General Conference, to be held in Milan July 3-9, 2016. This theme implies that museums have a certain responsibility towards the landscapes where they are located, to which they are able to bring their own specific knowledge and skills. The main mission of museums is to oversee the safekeeping and protection of the heritage that lies both within and beyond their walls.

ABOVE: For the first time in ICOM history, the President of the organization was invited to celebrate International Museum Day 2016 in Iran, a country that is well known for its secular and rich culture and heritage. On Sunday 15 July, ICOM President Hans-Martin Hinz was in Shiraz, in Iran, together with the Excutive Board members of ICOM Iran and an Armenian delegation. They visited the Historical Monuments belonging to the Zandieh Period (Arg, Hammam, Jame Mosque and Bazaar), Mosque of Nasir-Al-Molk. The President had the occasion to express its enthusiasm being welcomed in Iran as he made a speech at Shiraz Documentation Centre and he opened exhibitions of two Museums in Shiraz, Meshkin-Faam and Press Museum.

In the Siena Charter, the cultural landscape is proposed as “the country where we live, which surrounds us with the images and symbols that identify and characterize it.” According to this vision, the landscape is considered as the context – geographic, historical, economic, social and cultural – in which museums exist and operate. The International Council of Museums (ICOM) established International Museum Day in 1977 to increase public awareness of the role of museums in the development of society.

This initiative has proven successful, according to ICOM President Hans-Martin Hinz: “Museum visitors should learn about the past and enjoy the diversity of cultures”. The event benefits from growing popularity, and in 2015, gathered more than 35,000 museums which organised celebrations in some 145 countries on five continents.

In the words of Johanna Regalado, Project manager for the Ethnological Museum of Guayaquil, Ecuador, one of the museums involved in IMD: “Without a doubt, every year, every IMD brings about great expectations. Families, children, adults, everyone enjoys special activities created for them, and nobody knows how much time the museum workers devote to making sure that every moment, every programme is a success. It is a pleasure for us, of course! It is an extraordinary moment for museums!   In 2015 for the theme ‘Museums for a Sustainable Society’, our museum celebrated the whole month with different special activities. These included ‘ReciclArte’ for children (award for the best artwork made with sustainable material), ‘children’s guidance’ in the MAAC Museum, an inclusive programme with a ceramics workshop for disabled people, conferences, a ‘Night at the Museum’ and more, all of which were organised and enjoyed during this very special month.”

For the second year ICOM has created an interactive map, allowing museums worldwide  to update their activities planned for International Museum Day celebrations. This is a highly practical tool for museum visitors around the globe, as a quick and useful way to check which IMD activities are taking place in every part of the world. More than 1900 IMD activities worldwide are online on the interactive map, from Europe (including 1,422 activities in Germany, 129 in Switzerland and 70 in Spain) to Asia (India, Myanmar, Taiwan, Thailand), the Americas and Australia.

Most museums around the world celebrate International Museum Day from May 18 through May 22, with celebrations planned around the globe this coming weekend.

Visit the official International Museum Day website and interactive map: http://imd.icom.museum

Joe Kleiman
Joe Kleimanhttp://wwww.themedreality.com
Raised in San Diego on theme parks, zoos, and IMAX films, InPark's Senior Correspondent Joe Kleiman would expand his childhood loves into two decades as a projectionist and theater director within the giant screen industry. In addition to his work in commercial and museum operations, Joe has volunteered his time to animal husbandry at leading facilities in California and Texas and has played a leading management role for a number of performing arts companies. Joe previously served as News Editor and has remained a contributing author to InPark Magazine since 2011. HIs writing has also appeared in Sound & Communications, LF Examiner, Jim Hill Media, The Planetarian, Behind the Thrills, and MiceChat His blog, ThemedReality.com takes an unconventional look at the attractions industry. Follow on twitter @ThemesRenewed Joe lives in Sacramento, California with his wife, dog, and a ghost.

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