Sun Quandang, a government officer addresses at the opening ceremony.

  

The government officers Sun Quandang, Yang liping sign at the opening ceremony.

  

The top leader Zhang Wenjun of Henan Museum makes a speech.

  

The visitors line up at the entrance of Henan Museum.

  

  

  

The experts appraise  treasures.

  

  

Some pupils study  at the history classroom of Henan Museum.

  

Huaxia Ancient Music Group of Henan Museum perform exciting programmes.

  

Huaxia Ancient Music Group of Henan Museum perform exciting programmes.

  

Henan Museum held an opening ceremony and a series of activities for the celebration of this year's International Museum Day on May 18, 2011.

May 18th is the International Museum Day. It is founded by the Advisory Committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) in 1977.

Each year, the ICOM defines a specific theme for International Museum Day. This year’s theme is “Museums and Memory”.

There were many styles activities held at Henan Museum, such as “Scientific Exhibition”,“Signature”，“Treasure Evaluation”，“History Classroom” “Handcraft”, “Ancient Music performance” etc.. Many visitors took part in these activities and enjoyed the special cultural banquet on International Museum Day.

Sun Quandang, Yang liping, Zhang Wenjun and many other principal leader of the local government were presented the ceremony and made addresses. The local Armed Police，students of the colleges and universities，Students in Primary and Middle Schools and people of all walks of life also took part in the festivities. Some experts appraised  treasures of the local residents.

Huaxia Ancient Music Group of Henan Museum performed exciting programmes. And each concert was  simply marvellous. Many visitors watched the wondful performs. Some people even could touch and play the replica musical instruments luckly. So they felt that was an amazing day and really learned a lot in the “International Museum Day”  at Henan Museum.

May 18th is the International Museum Day. It  was founded by the Advisory Committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) in 1977. The ICOM established IMD  to encourage public awareness on the role of museums in society. Momentum has been rising unabated ever since. In 2010, IMD garnered record-breaking participation, with almost 30,000 museums hosting events in more than 95 countries.

The event provides the opportunity for museum professionals to meet the public and alert them to the challenges that museums face if they are to be — as in the ICOM definition of museums — 'an institution in the service of society and of its development'.

Each Museum is a  wonderful place where the past meets the present. They are strongrooms of numerous masterpieces, the heritage of different generations and various cultures, which are open for the public. There is a special holiday dedicated to honor museums and their workers the International Museum Day. Every spring, for the past 34 years, museums around the world have celebrated May 18 as International Museum Day.

This year, the worldwide community of museums will celebrate IMD with the theme ‘Museums and memory’. Museums store memory and tell stories. They have numerous objects in their collections that are basic to the memory of the communities we live in.

These  themes are the expression of countries’ natural and cultural heritage. Many of them are fragile, some endangered and needing special care and conservation.

International Museum Day 2011 will be an occasion for visitors to discover and rediscover individual and collective memory.

  

Some supplements  about    5 .18 International Museum Day

The event provides the opportunity for museum professionals to meet the public and alert them to the challenges that museums face if they are to be — as in the ICOM definition of museums — 'an institution in the service of society and of its development'.  

International Museum Day – 18 May 2011 Museum and Memory: Objects Tell Your Story.

On and around 18 May next, museums worldwide will celebrate International Museum Day. Established in 1977 by the International Council of Museums, more than 30,000 museums in around 100 countries will hold special activities on this occasion.

Museum and Memory: Objects Tell Your Story
In 2011, the theme of International Museum Day is Museum and Memory. Through the objects they store, museums collect stories and convey the memory of our communities. These objects are the expressions of our natural and cultural heritage. Many of them are fragile, some endangered and they need special care and conservation. International Museum Day 2011 will be an occasion for visitors to discover and rediscover individual and collective memory.

Activities on the Museum and Memory theme
In Australia, the National Sports Museum in Melbourne is organising a programme called Remembering the Moments that Made Us where visitors of the museum will have the opportunity to meet and talk with sporting legends (“Memory Makers”) who contributed to great sporting moments and memories. In Sudan, the Natural History Museum in Khartoum has created an educational programme for families and school children who will be able to participate in a photography competition on the theme Documenting Our Natural History. In Argentina, the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Ridavia” in Caba, will offer a programme entitled Musecuentos specially established for this occasion. Storytellers will share stories that will be highlighted by the museum’s objects. In Belgium, the Musée royal de Mariemont will offer guided tours on the theme “Objects’ CV”.

International and Institutional Partnerships
The conservation and transmission of collective memory is a preoccupation for other heritage players, beyond the museum community. For this reason, for the first time ever, the International Council of Museums has initiated close institutional partnerships with other organisations that feel concerned by these questions and share ICOM’s preoccupation for the preservation of memory: the UNESCO “Memory of the World” programme, the Co-ordinating council of Audiovisual Archives Associations (CCAAA), the International Council on Archives (ICA), the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). In addition, ICOM will be a patron of the European Night of Museums on 14 May, 2011 for the first time since the event was launched in 2005. At the launch of the European Night of Museums, International Museum Day is announced.

  

Themes of “International Museum Day” of some other  previous years

  

              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
              1999     Pleasures of discovery
　　2000     Museums for Peace and Harmony in Society
　　2001     Museums: building community
　　2002     Museums and Globalisation
　　2003     Museums and Friends
　　2006     Museums and Young
　　2007     Museums and Universal Heritage
　　2008     Museums as agents of social change and development
　　2009     Museum and tourism
　　2010     Museums For Social Harmony
　　2011     Museums and Memory