Museums and Cultural Landscapes celebrated on International Museum Day 2016

Held around the world on 18th May, this year's International Museum Day has seen the involvement of in excess of 30,000 museums in more than 120 countries.

With the theme Museums and Cultural Landscapes, this year’s event focussed on the responsibility of museums towards the landscapes in which they are located, to which they are able to bring their own specific knowledge and skills. The theme links with main mission of museums is to oversee the safekeeping and protection of the heritage that lies both within and beyond their walls.

In the Siena Charter (a document presenting the Italian perspective on the responsibilities of museums towards heritage and its surrounding landscapes), the cultural landscape is proposed as “the country where we live, which surrounds us with the images and symbols that identify and characterise it.”

According to this vision, the landscape is considered as the context – geographic, historical, economic, social and cultural – in which museums exist and operate.

Commenting on the day, ICOM President Hans-Martin Hinz stated “museum visitors should learn about the past and enjoy the diversity of cultures.”

Perhaps the most significant of this year’ s events has seen Dr Hinz visiting Iran to visit museums in and around the cities Teheran and Shiraz.

Speaking during his visit, hosted by the country’s National Committee for festivities, visits and events, Dr Hinz stated “museums and cultural landscapes’ (is) a theme of great importance.

“In Iran, the combination of both nature and history, a changing and constantly evolving cultural landscape and transformations made by people over time, museums are in the position of explaining cultural landscapes by including tangible and intangible heritage in their exhibitions.”

International Museum Day celebrations in Teheran saw an award ceremony for Best Iranian Museum, held at the National Museum, during which Dr Hinz during which he highlighted ICOM’s “strong moral purpose to maintain positive cooperation among diverse peoples and nations,” based on the standards laid out in the ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums.

He added “guided by this international framework for ethical standards, museums are increasingly taking on an active role in protecting important parts of world heritage, in their collections and through cooperative programmes multilaterally, as well as beyond their walls.”

The ICOM President has also participated in 100th anniversary celebrations of the National Museum of Iran in the capital as part of IMD activities.

In Australia, International Museum Day 2016 celebrations sas the National Gallery of Victoria present a special tour of the NGV Collection, in person in the Gallery or digitally, with curators sharing their thoughts on collecting and curating in a public art institution.

In addition, the Freemasons Victoria Library and Museum presented an intimate tour of its collection displaying hidden treasures that are currently being conserved and researched by students in an effort to maintain this significant collection.

Since 1977, International Museum Day is organised around the world on 18th May each year,

The day is an occasion to raise awareness of the role and importance of museums in the development of society.

Museums and Cultural Landscapes will also be at the heart of debates that will take place during the ICOM General Conference, to be held in Milan, Italy from 3rd to 9th July 2016.

Visit the official International Museum Day website at http://imd.icom.museum

Lower image courtesy of the Freemasons Victoria Library and Museum.

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