Places of Past, Present and Future - The International Museum Day
Museums do not want to represent just the past. With old documents and artifacts from bygone days. They also want to document the presence and picture the future. "They should communicate that cultural heritage not only has a price, but also a value", sais the President of the Deutscher Museumsbund, Eckart Koehne the news agency DPA on the Museum Day.
Since 1978 in May it is the time again: The International Council of Museums (ICOM) invites international exhibition houses to open their doors for everyone. That means that the admission is usually free. Planned special guided tours, workshops, actions, lectures and looks behind the scenes of an operating museum. Last year around 35,000 museums in 145 countries participated. In Germany there were 6,500 participating museums.
The patron in Germany traditionally represents the President of the Confederation Council. He opens the event on this very special day in May. Here every year a different theme is brought to the fore. For example, in 2012 there was the topic: “World through the Ages - Museums in Transition”, in 2015 the theme was named: “Museum. Society. Future.”
Whether paintings, sculpture art, artifacts, installations, photography, museum education, crafts, traditional or modern design... …the list of offered museum exhibitions is almost endless. There are even workshops offered, which should already provide the smallest visitors a stimulus on art creation. For example, the Museum for Communication in Berlin offers children starting at the age of four a workshop with the topic: “The Earth in 2050 – Developing Special Machines of the Future”.
Whether museums of science or technology, art museums, city museums or regional museums, European-, African-, Oceanic-, Asian- or American museums - they all embody the global diversity of a fascinating museum community that is worth discovering. A visit to the next International Museum Day pays off!
