How to relax on the weekend? Go to the countryside, go to the cinema, read a book at home ... A lot of classes. But how often does one want to visit a museum? And if it appears, then when is it better to do it? In order to at least once not even think about when and where to go, a holiday was created - International Museum Day. And it turns out that museums are not only naphthalene and silence. Today it is possible to spend there with interest not only day, but also night.
Do you like museums, as I love them?
People are divided into two categories: those who like to visit museums, and those who cannot be driven there by force. As a rule, the second was unlucky in childhood. At school, they were forcibly taken on excursions, where an old grandmother, a guide, tediously coined the same repeated words for years. The children were bored, they started to be naughty, they scolded them. And I had to stand, staring, and wait, when it will be possible to leave these endless halls, go out into the street and run. The second category of children, due to their natural curiosity, nevertheless captured the aura of the museum and was imbued with interest in the lecture. But, alas, as statistics show, there are more first ones.
Perhaps this is one of the reasons that prompted the creation of the festival International Museum Day. But it was thanks to him that the opportunity appeared to show the world of museums from a different, not so tedious and monotonous side. But first things first.
Such different museums
Having spent time and money, having received a charge of boredom and dust, people are perplexed: “Who might be interested in this?” So, sometimes rhetorical questions are asked by unsuccessful tourists.
It will be useful to recall that museums appeared back in 290 BC. And their story was not interrupted, but rather actively developing. The word "museum" itself came from the Greek museum, translated into Russian, it is literally - "house of muses." Initially, these were mainly some private collections. But over time, they expanded and changed. There was a need to expose them for all to see. So from personal possessions they moved to public places. In the modern world, most museums are former private collections. Various motives encouraged people to collect them and flaunt them. But this is not important. It is important that now anyone can find a museum according to their taste and interests. Undoubtedly, such a long history only confirms the necessity and importance of museums for the modern world.
Today it’s hard to imagine everything that visitors are offered to see in museums. The expositions are so different that sometimes there is no limit to surprise. The thematic focus of museums ranges from classical (historical, artistic and art criticism) collections to very unusual and extraordinary: food, erotica, torture, and even, excuse me, feces. But no matter what exhibits the exhibitors attract visitors to, all of them are united by one common holiday - International Museum Day.
History tour
St. Petersburg is not just rich in museums. The historical city itself is like one huge museum. And in 1977, then still Leningrad, once again secured the very honorary title of the Cultural Capital of Russia.
This year, Moscow and Leningrad hosted the 11th General Conference of ICOM (International Council of Museums). And it was on it, at the suggestion of the Soviet delegation, that it was decided to establish the International Museum Day. The history of the holiday dates back to May 18, 1977.
Theme of Holidays
Every year, interest in the holiday increased. More and more people came to take part in the events. And by 1992, it was decided to unite the entire museum community around one topic: "Museums and the environment." Since then, every year, the founders of the celebration initiate a new and interesting topic, which is shared by all participants. International Museum Day 2014 was marked by the words: "Museum collections unite."
And until this year, the festival organizers have always tried to focus on pressing social problems. So, in recent years, the following topics have been chosen:
- In 2009 - “Museums and Tourism”.
- In 2010 - “Museums in the name of social harmony”.
- In 2011 - “Museums and Memory”.
- In 2012 - “Museums in a changing world. New challenges, new inspiration ”(in honor of the 35th anniversary of the holiday).
- Last year, 2013, we devoted the theme “Museums (Memory + Creativity) = Social Change”.
Each year, the holiday is becoming larger and larger. New members appear. And in 2011, a website was created, the slogan was invented. Workers in this field are congratulated on the International Museum Day: tour guides, restorers, curators and caretakers on all continents of the Earth, in more than a hundred countries of the world.
Museum Night
The International Day of Museums is officially celebrated on May 18. But on the eve of this date there is another, no less interesting event, which is closely connected with it.
Since the 70s of the last century, European museums have introduced the tradition of “open doors” for visitors to popularize art. On such days, viewing the exposition was completely free. The number of people wishing to visit the museum was so great that they had to extend the working day. This action was called "Spring at the Museum."
Later, in 1997, a similar event was held in Berlin at night. “The Long Night at the Museum” - it was under this name that it went down in history. And already in Paris since 2001, nightly visits to exhibitions have become a kind of festivities. When the International Museum Day could no longer fully satisfy the interest of all comers, "Night at the Museum" helped visitors.
It is held on the night of Saturday to Sunday closest to May 18. At this time, the doors of museums are open to all comers, whose attention is presented to various programs, theatrical productions, lectures and so on.
Moscow festival
International Museum Day 2014 was not without its “night” in Moscow. More than 250 museums in the capital of Russia opened their doors to visitors, of which there were about 300 thousand. In addition to stationary expositions, visitors were invited to urban sites. For the first time, contemporary Russian and foreign artists, photographers were exhibited at them. Theaters presented new and already beloved performances by the audience.
Museum holiday in Belarus
One of the hundreds of countries participating in the International Museum Day is Belarus. In 2014, for the tenth time, Belarusians had the opportunity to celebrate the holiday. However, traditionally most of the country's museums invited visitors to themselves in the dark.
About 130 museums of the country celebrated the International Museum Day in Belarus. Each of them presented an original unique program. Unfortunately, not everyone adhered to the tradition of free exhibitions, but this did not prevent residents and guests from enjoying what they saw.
One of the most interesting programs was presented by the Art Museum of the city of Minsk. In order to get here, many people had to wait in line. But, as attendees attending the event, it was worth it. At half past twelve nights, the Silver Wedding group performed in front of the audience. The showrooms offered a variety of surprises, including an interactive installation based on the work of Chaim Soutine. And the one who had the determination to stand in line, got the opportunity to try to independently repeat using modern technology one of the artist’s many works. The event itself lasted until 5 in the morning. And this is only a drop in the sea of the diversity that prevailed at the festival.
A look into the future
Museums are not just old forgotten things. Museums are a kind of living organisms whose purpose is to strengthen the relationship between people around the world. These are the threads connecting the past, present and future.
The modern world is changing at tremendous speed. And people just do not have time to keep track of what is happening around. It is in this movement that the museum should remain a point that allows you to look back at the past, evaluate the present and believe in the future. Therefore, the relevance of such holidays as International Museum Day is only growing.