[oberlist] PUBLIC CALL: DAY OF MUSEUM SOLIDARITY – MARCH 4

[veda popovici]

PUBLIC CALL: DAY OF MUSEUM SOLIDARITY - MARCH 4

February 1, 2013 *
*
TO REPRESENTATIVES OF MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES WORLDWIDE:

I ask you to participate in an important international cultural awareness
campaign. This campaign is a reaction to the acute crisis affecting major
cultural institutions in Bosnia-Herzegovina. On October 4, 2012, after 124
years of existence, the country's National Museum (Zemaljski
Muzej)<http://www.zemaljskimuzej.ba/index-en.php> closed
down due to the government's failure to secure legal status and adequate
funding. Your solidarity is needed!
[image: Foto_RSE_ Midhat
Poturovic_Oct2012_s]<http://i2.wp.com/www.cultureshutdown.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Foto_RSE_-Midhat-Poturovic_Oct2012_s.jpg?resize=532%2C353>

Planks nailed to the main entrance of the National Museum in Sarajevo
symbolically marked the closure of one of the most important cultural and
historic institutions of BH, Oct. 4, 2012. Foto: RSE / Midhat Poturović

Six other state-level institutions, including the National Art Gallery
(Umjetnička Galerija BH) <http://ugbih.ba/en/> and theNational and
University Library (Nacionalna i Univerzitetska Biblioteka
BH)<http://www.nub.ba/> are
also about to become permanently inaccessible. The safety of precious
artifacts and heritage are at stake.

Why am I doing this? I am one of the founding members of the platform *
CULTURESHUTDOWN* <http://www.cultureshutdown.net/>, an international
initiative connecting scholars, artists and cultural producers responding
to this crisis. Cultural institutions in Bosnia-Herzegovina are keepers of
the unique historical and cultural treasures that provide evidence of
coexistence in the region. Preserving them is crucial for securing a
sustainable peace.  Artifacts kept in these institutions are an important
component of the world's cultural heritage. Preserving them is a matter of
global relevance.

I call on you and other museums across the globe to demonstrate your
solidarity with threatened Bosnian cultural institutions by symbolically
"erasing" one precious artwork or artifact, rendering it inaccessible for
the *Day of Museum Solidarity*. How? On March 1, I ask you to place the
yellow barricade tape in front of the chosen object (ranging from a
dinosaurs skeleton to a painting, depending on your collection and your
choice). I will provide this custom-designed non-adhesive tape featuring
the CULTURESHUTDOWN logo. Take a picture of the "crossed out" object and
send it to me. The "crossed out" artifact should be publicly visible in
your institution from March 1 - 3.  The collected pictures of Museum
Solidarity across the world will be posted on the CULTURESHUTDOWN website* on
Monday March 4, *the scheduled *Day of Museum Solidarity*. As many museums
are closed on Mondays, our global campaign will take the form of a virtual
collective exhibition on CULTURESHUTDOWN website. We would appreciate it if
you were to post images of this campaign or host this virtual group
exhibition on your institutions' website, should that be possible.

*February 1,* the date of this public call, marks the 125th Anniversary of
Zemaljski Muzej's existence.*March 4, *the date of this Day of Museum
Solidarity, marks the six-month anniversary of the Zemaljski Muzej's
closure.

This crisis in Bosnia-Herzegovina requires political, economic, and
institutional solutions. By participating in the Day of Museum Solidarity,
you will make an important and much needed contribution to resolving this
crisis.


TO PARTICIPATE, PLEASE FOLLOW THESE SIMPLE DIRECTIONS:

*[image: MonaLisaShurdown_poster_ss.jpg]*

* **STEP 1:*

*February 1-15:*Provide your mailing address to receive the tape >>>Fill
out the form on this page.
<http://www.formstack.com/landing/museums-solidarity#http://www.formstack.com/landing/museums-solidarity>Spread
the word though your network and media.

*STEP 2:*

***On March 1:* Use the CULTURESHUTDOWN barricade tape that you receive to
"cross out" your chosen artifact. Edit and print the campaign
poster.<http://www.cultureshutdown.net/press-material/> Display
the poster next to the "crossed out" artifact to inform visitors. The
"crossed out" artifact should be publicly visible in your institution
during the period of March 1 - 3.

*STEP 3:*

*On March 1:* Take a picture of the "crossed out" artifact and send it to
me >>> Upload the image though this online
form<http://www.formstack.com/forms/museums-submit#http://www.formstack.com/forms/museums-submit>.
Pictures of "barricaded" artifacts from museums across the world will be
displayed on the CULTURESHUTDOWN website on March 4.



In solidarity,

Dr. Azra Aksamija for CULTURESHUTDOWN

Assistant Professor, Program in Art, Culture and Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

E-Mail: info at cultureshutdown.net


*http://www.cultureshutdown.net/*
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: </pipermail/oberlist/attachments/20130211/407c3054/attachment.html>