Press release

February 2003


International Museum Day 2003


MUSEUMS AND FRIENDS


On 18 May 2003, museums all over the world will be celebrating International
Museum Day. This year's theme is "Museums and Friends".

Who are these "friends"? Some are voluntary workers, whilst others are
partners or benefactors, but "museum friends" are essentially people who
love museums. They may assist a museum in its daily work, enable it to add
to its collection, help build bridges between the museum and the public, or
intercede with government bodies on its behalf, acting either as individuals
or as members of an association or friends' group.

ICOM has decided to dedicate International Museum Day 2003 to museum
friends, to pay homage to the valuable and little-publicised role they play
and to strengthen links between museums and their friends. 

As Jacques Perot, President of ICOM, has put it, "Museums must place
themselves at the heart of society and ensure that they are open to the
communities around them. The development of our institutions depends in
large part on the support of the public, and we must offer that public
opportunities to support our aims and involve themselves in our activities.
So it is important that museums and their friends work together in a spirit
of creativity and innovation." 

The World Federation of Friends of Museums (WFFM), which comprises over a
million friends, volunteers and donors from all parts of the world and works
closely with ICOM and with museums, is joining forces with ICOM to celebrate
International Museum Day 2003, when it will be offering advice on how to set
up a friends' group if your museum does not already have one. 

International Museum Day was launched by ICOM in 1977. The aim of this
annual event is to raise public awareness of the vital role museums play in
society, and every year, museums all over the world mark the occasion with
open days, guided tours and public events and workshops.

18 May 2003 will be a celebration of museum friends as well as of museums.


For further information, see: 
ICOM News N°4/2002
        http://icom.museum/imd.html
The WFFM website: http://www.museumsfriends.org

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