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International Museum Day is celebrated on May 18 of every year. The day highlights a specific theme that changes every year, and that is at the core of the international museum community’s preoccupations. The day provides the opportunity for the professionals of the museum to meet the people and alert them to the challenges that museums face. Therefore, the day serves as a platform to raise public awareness of the role museums play in the development of society today.
“I’m noticing a new approach to art making in recent museum and gallery shows. It flickered into focus at the New Museum’s ‘Younger Than Jesus’ last year and ran through the Whitney Biennial, and I’m seeing it blossom and bear fruit at ‘Greater New York,’ MoMA P.S. 1’s twice-a-decade extravaganza of emerging local talent.” – Jerry Saltz
History of International Museum Day
In 1977, the ICOM (International Council of Museums) created the International Museum Day. Every year, all the museums in the world are welcomed to participate in International Museum Day to raise the importance of museums around the world by creating unique and enjoyable activities around a theme which are discussed with the community of the International Council of Museums for this particular day. Since its creation, the day improved attention every year. In 2003, it attracted nearly 20,000 Museums hosting events in more than 90 countries. 98 Countries participated in 2010, with 100 in 2011 and 129 countries in 2012. In 2011, the official poster of International Museum Day was translated into 37 languages. In 2012, it is translated into 38 languages.
Themes of International Museum Day
The current and past themes of International Museum Day are listed below
- 1992 – Museums and environment.
- 1993 – Museums and indigenous peoples.
- 1994 – Behind the scenes in museums.
- 1995 – Response and responsibility.
- 1996 – Collecting today for tomorrow.
- 1997 – The fight against illicit traffic of cultural property.
- 1998 – The fight against the illicit trade of cultural property.
- 1999 – Pleasures of discovery.
- 2000 – Museums for peace and harmony in society.
- 2001 – Museums: building community.
- 2002 – Museums and globalization.
- 2003 – Museums and friends.
- 2004 – Museums and intangible heritage.
- 2005 – Museums are bridging cultures.
- 2006 – Museums and young people.
- 2007 – Museums and universal culture.
- 2008 – Museums as agents of social change and development.
- 2009 – Museums and tourism.
- 2010 – Museums for social harmony.
- 2011 – Museum and memory.
- 2012 – Museums in a changing world. New challenges, new inspirations.
- 2013 – Museums (memory + creativity = social change).
- 2014 – Museum collections make connections.
- 2015 – Museums for a Sustainable Society.
- 2016 – Museums and Cultural Landscapes.
- 2017 – Museums and Contested Histories: Saying the unspeakable in museums.
- 2018 – Hyperconnected museums: New approaches, new publics.
- 2019 – Museums as Cultural Hubs: The Future of Tradition
- 2020 – Museums for Equality: Diversity and Inclusion
- 2021 – The Future of Museums: Recover and Reimagine
- 2022 – The Power of Museums
- 2023 – Museums, Sustainability and Well-being
Other Celebrations on May 18
May 18 is also celebrated as
- National No Dirty Dishes Day
- National Visit Your Relatives Day
- Global Accessibility Awareness Day
- National Notebook Day
How to Celebrate the day
Celebrating International Museum Day is quite easy and very simple to remember. Just visit the nearby Museum along with your friends or family members. Then raise awareness among the people about the role Museums play in the development of society today. If you decided to celebrate Museum day, don’t let this chance to find out about the story of the human race go to waste. People can use the hashtag #InternationalMuseumDay to post on social media.
Thank you for reading the post. Celebrate every day with Happydays365.org and Happy International Museum Day 2023.