Along with the worldwide community of museums, Iran will celebrate International Museum Day on and around May 18 under the theme "Hyperconnected museums: New approaches, new publics".
As part of the plans, all museums under the jurisdiction of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization will admit visitors free of charge on Friday and will continue the free admission for student groups over the following week that is celebrated as the cultural heritage week in Iran, CHTN reported.
Speaking at a Tuesday press conference on the occasion, Mohammad Hassan Talebian, ICHHTO's cultural heritage deputy, highlighted the key role of museums in connecting with the public with the purpose of safeguarding the country's national identity.
Broader Outreach
"This year's theme focuses on using innovative approaches in the management of museums so as to reach out to a broader audience," he said.
As per the ICHHTO chief's instruction, the development of software industry along with structural work in museums will take priority this year so as to meet the theme's goal.
"The museum affairs office will be in charge of using the potential of new technologies and electronic services such as online ticketing to attract new audiences as pointed out in the 2018 theme," the official said.
Talebian noted that the pictures and specifications of most of the objects in ICHHTO-affiliated museums whose number reaches around 250 have been stored in a database network titled "Jam".
"Other entities should be encouraged to register their cultural properties with the network, especially as the Economy Ministry has agreed to include the items in the list of government properties," he said, adding that this would make it easier to keep a statistical record of the objects.
1 Museum Every 5 Days
In its new approach, the ICHHTO has been giving new attention to the expansion of museums across the country by involving the private sector.
According to Talebian, one museum was established every week last year and the target is to launch one every five days this year.
But Mohammad Reza Kargar, museum affairs director at ICHHTO, expects that the number will be even bigger.
"There are currently about 650 museums in Iran which means one per 125,000 people," he said.
Reportedly, the museum affairs office has planned over 100 exhibitions in the museums over the current Iranian year (ending March 20, 2019).
Addressing the same press conference, Kargar pointed to the achievements of his office during President Hassan Rouhani's term.
"When the new administration took office, museums such as Sa'adabad, National Museum, Niavaran and Golestan were in a poor state. We immediately adopted emergency measures and today their condition has considerably improved," he said.
Iranian museums have managed to host three major exhibitions from Armenia, South Korea and France over the past years, the latest of which, a show of Louvre items, is still underway in the National Museum of Iran, having set a record in the number of visitors.
"The Louvre event improved the status of Iranian museums worldwide and prepared the ground for [increased] international cooperation," he said.
The grand project to renovate the National Museum of Iran is also among the significant moves in Iran's museum sector.
"After 80 years, it will be completely restored based on global standards," Kargar said.
Embracing Hyperconnectivity
Hyperconnectivity refers to multiple means of communication such as face-to-face contact, email, instant messaging, telephone or the Internet that is becoming each day more complex, diverse and integrated. As museums are joining the trend, the International Council of Museums has chosen the theme "Hyperconnected museums: New approaches, new publics" for the International Museum Day, according to ICOM's official website.
ICOM's announcement reads: "Thanks to technology, museums can now reach way beyond their core audience and find new publics when approaching their collections in a different way: it can be the digitalization of their collections, adding multimedia elements to the exhibition or something as simple as a hashtag that allows visitors to share their experience in social media."
"However, not all these new connections are due to technology. As museums strive to maintain their relevance in society, they shift their attention to the local community and the diverse groups that make it up. To engage these new publics and strengthen their connections with them, museums must find new ways of interpreting and presenting their collections."
ICOM has invited cultural institutions of all types around the world to join in this celebration and shift their approach to their collections by exploring all the connections that tie them to their communities, cultural landscape and natural environment.
