World museums: International Museum Day celebration

18 May 2012
Source: RIA Novosti

The International Museum Day is celebrated annually on May 18. The purpose of the holiday is to draw public attention to the importance and the role of the museums in the life of an individual and the society as a whole.

The decision on establishment of the holiday was made on the initiative of the Soviet delegation at the XI General Conference of the International Council of Museums, ICOM, held in Moscow and Leningrad in May 1977.

In 1992 for the first time was proposed the general topic of the International Museum Day, that year it was “Museums and the environment”.

In 2012 the International Museum Day celebrates its 35th anniversary. This year the topic “Museums in a Changing World. New challenges. New inspiration” is proposed.

Traditionally in the framework of the celebration in Russia of the International Museum Day all the participants conduct different events dedicated to their professional holiday. This day museums open the doors to visitors of all the ages and professions. Many of them offer a free entrance. Museums organize excursions, academic readings, museum and theatre performances, and special activities with children, and open new exhibitions.

In the framework of the International Museum Day in many countries around the world and in Russia takes place the action “Night at the Museum”. This night many museums are closed very late or work through the whole night. European museums started opening their doors to visitors back in1970. In 2005 the French put forward the idea of the annual holding of the International museum-exhibition, cultural-educational action “Museum Night” and the same year this idea was approved by the Council of Europe.

In Russia the similar event was first held in 2002 in Krasnoyarsk, and the first “Museum Night” was held in Moscow in 2007, after which the action has been conducted in other Russian cities.

The action is intended to bring to the viewer the cultural heritage and to show through non-traditional acquaintance with museums and galleries the importance of museums in society as well as the diversity of the global museum community. The openness to the audience is the main motto of the “Museum Night” all over the world.