2018.06.26 Tue, by Translated by: 房小然
the 4th International Museum Workers Day
Thursday JUNE 28, 2018

Thursday JUNE 28, 2018 marks the 4th INT’L Museum Workers Day
#IMWD2018 : http://museumworkersday.org/

Founded four years ago by museologist, artist and filmmaker, HOMA TAJ, the event aims to educate the broader public about various professions in museum and heritage fields – including all professionals who have worked with museums and heritage insitutions at various capacities, e.g. artists, designers, archaeologists, architects, publishers, etc.

Last year, in its 3rd edition, heritage workers in 150 countries around the world celebrated
#IMWD2017:
http://museumworkersday.org/imwd2017/

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Some of the inspiring participants were based out of:

Bhutan, Azerbaijan, Slovakia, Tajikistan, Moldova, Chad, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Tonga, Mozambique, Ghana, Cameroon, Belaize, Oman, Madagascar, Jordan, Swaziland, Botswana, Congo, Jamaica, Nepal, Kazakhstan, Zimbabwi, Benin, Vietnam, Papa New Guinea, Suriname, Brunei, Haiti, Cote d’Ivoire, Malaysia, Burkina Faso, Togo, Dominican Republic, Mali, Rwanda, Chad, Senegal, South Africa, Yemen … & numerous others …

There were also the great international museums, including:

The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Musee Louvre; Galleria degli Uffizi; LACMA; El Museo Soumaya; Deutsches Historisches Museum Berlin; The Gardner Museum; Modern Art Museum, Rio de Janeiro; International Center of Photography; American Federation of Arts; LA Opera; Hispanic Society of America; National Museum Philippines; AAMers (& Future of Museums); Museum Directors; International Council of Museums ICOM; ICOM USA; ICOM Canada; ICOM Italia; … & very many others…

IMWD2017′s success may be explained by our approach to connecting with institutions and heritage workers by not simply relying on the engagement of regular social media users, mainly in the West. After all, it is believed that (only) 2.7 billion people around the world use social media. So, we ask ourselves, how do we reach the cultural representatives of the other 4+ billion people? Even the majority of those who do use Facebook, Instagram, etc. do not have the luxury of high speed Internet – many use dial up which is excruciatingly slow -, or even regular electricity.

Having spent (too) many years in academia – http://homataj.com/ – Homa believes that ‘inclusivity’ has far less to do with complex theoretical theses and more with undertaking the simplest of gestures:

Examples) running a simple website; being open to email submissions for those without access to social media (or regular electricity), on #IMWD day; creating the opportunity for heritage workers from different corners of the world to connect – beyond governmental or institutional mediation; etc…

So, whether you’re an artist, designer, architect, dealer or archaeologist who at some point in your career worked with a cultural institution / museum, we invite you to share your (hopefully positive) experiences of working a heritage or museum professional. We’re pretty sure that they will appreciate your engagement.

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