The celebration of the museums
What is a museum used for? For many things. Museum are like memories` boxes of the city; there, the collective memory is kept there but also it is built there too. The idea about what culture, art and history means for a society is discussed and takes shape in the museums.
Traditionally, they are places to visit, to walk through quietly, in the middle of a mass silence and with the hands behind the back. In its more prototypical version, they are places to look, which means a lot. Undoubtedly, museums are places to learn, know and also recognize. But also, they have become participatory spaces, with own perspective and sense of humour, which invite people to get involved with and watch other unknown realities. Thus, beside the traditional exhibitions, people can appreciate theatre performances and musical shows but also they can take guided tours which help to learn the meaning of what people see – and, even, to think new meanings.
The city’s museums present a great variety. There are more than ninety museums, between public and private, which go from the huge and wonderful ones such as the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, with the biggest collection of Argentine paintings, up to the Museo de la Caricatura Severo Vaccaro, a small and modest museum but very active and funny for people fond of the graphic humour. There are some ideal for children, such as the Museo Participativo de Ciencias, where there is a sign that reads “It`s forbidden not to touch” or that one of Natural Sciences, which proudly exhibits reconstructed skeletons of dinosaurs. Some museums make people have painful reflections ; such as Museo del Holocausto or the Penitenciario and other aimed at the recreational enjoyment, such as the Museo de la Pasión Boquense or the Museo del Cine.
On this Sunday 18th May, museums celebrate their day, in commemoration to the
Crusade for Museums, an information campaign organized in 1951 by the Unesco and International Council of Museums (ICOM), with the purpose to raise awareness about the roles that museums take in the society. And if there is a party, Buenos Aires will not go to without this opportunity to celebrate. Museums dependent on the Minisjtry of Culture of the Government of the City will add to the celebration with tens of free activities: guided tours, exhibitions, plays and musical shows and contests. For instance, the Museo de Arte Español Enrigue Larreta invites to pay homage to the singer Miguel de Molina, “the king of the couplet”; the Museo de la Ciudad presents a homage to the tango singer Ignacio Corsini; at the Museo de Arte Criollo José Hernández, people will be able to appreciate a live show of fillet art. At the “Casa de Carlos Gardel”, there will be an exhibition of films and tango. What it is more, the one-person performance “Espantapájaros”, based on the book of homonym poems of Oliverio Girondo; the “Museo de Artes Plásticas Eduardo Sívori” presents activities for children. And more…
Of course, only one day is not enough to visit all the museums, know all the patrimony and enjoy all the activities. But every cloud has a silver lining: museums are still open everyday, available for the public. The party of this Sunday , then, will be a promising first date.
Do you know the city’s museums? Which is your favourite one? Why?
Mayo 15, 2008 a las 12:48 Editar
I was impressed by the works at the Fine Arts MUseuem. One of the best museums I’ve been to.