What is a Museum?
The International Council of Museums (ICOM) defines a museum as follows “A museum is a not-for-profit, permanent institution in the service of society that researches, collects, conserves, interprets, and exhibits tangible and intangible heritage. Open to the public, accessible and inclusive, museums foster diversity and sustainability. They operate and communicate ethically, professionally and with the participation of communities, offering varied experiences for education, enjoyment, reflection and knowledge sharing.”
International Museum Day
A resolution was adopted during the ICOM General Assembly in Moscow, Russia to create an annual event “with the aim of further unifying the creative aspirations and efforts of museums and drawing the attention of the world public to their activity” which led to the official establishment of International Museum Day in 1977. This day is celebrated to convey the message that “Museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation, and peace among peoples.” The theme for Internation Museum Day 2023 is Museums, Sustainability, and Well Being.
Changing Role of Museums
Museums have come a long way from the cabinets of curiosities to modern-day digital museums. The earliest museums were private collections shared with only a close group of people. Ennigaldi-Nanna's museum, collected and curated by Princess Ennigaldi dated from 530 BC is said to be the oldest known museum, located in Ur. The first public museum opened in Rome followed by several other museums all across the globe. Earlier museums served as significant centers for preserving, studying, and displaying art, natural history, and cultural artifacts, paving the futuristic way for today's diverse and engaging museum experiences.
Indian museums
The Museums in India have continued to evolve from the first museum in Calcutta in 1814 called the ‘Indian Museum’ to the most recently opened Museum of Art and Photography in Banglore. Currently, India has around 1186 museums comprising both public museums under the Central, State governments and private museums spread across the country. The museums directly under the Ministry of Culture include the National Museum, Delhi, National Gallery of Modern Art (Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru), Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya, Delhi, Indian Museum, Kolkata, Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata, Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad, Allahabad Museum, Prayagraj, Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, Bhopal, and National Council of Science Museums.
Internation Museum Expo 2023
The International Museum Expo 2023, a three-day event is organized by the Ministry of Culture from the 18th to the 20th of May 2023 in Delhi to celebrate International Museum Day. The expo aims to promote a holistic conversation around India’s rich and diverse cultural heritage exhibited by museums across the country. It will promote cross-cultural learning and understanding with various events around museums and technology, several seminars, workshops, and panel discussions highlighting the recent advancements in the museum sector.