Day of Museum Solidarity

Day of Museum Solidarity

(Linz, March 3, 2013) March 4, 2013 is the Day of Museum Solidarity. More than 160 museums, galleries and universities in the USA, Europe, Asia and Australia are taking part in a show of solidarity with cultural institutions in Bosnia-Herzegovina that, due to political disputes and budget constraints, have had to close their doors or are on the verge of doing so. They include the National Museum in Sarajevo that opened 130 years ago. The www.cultureshutdown.net initiative has called upon cultural facilities throughout the world to put one of their exhibits off-limits to the public in early March 2013 as a means of calling attention to the plight of corresponding institutions in Bosnia-Herzegovina. At the Ars Electronica Center Linz this past weekend, the “Kazamidori” installation was sealed off by a length of barrier tape. Photos of the action are being posted online at www.cultureshutdown.net.

Lack of Financial Support

Dozens of museums, libraries, universities and galleries all over the world are participating in this action on March 4th initiated by Cultureshutdown, an international group of intellectuals, scholars and cultural activists, to make the general public aware of the crisis in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Sarajevos’s National Museum, the National and University Library, the National Art Gallery, the Museum of Literature and Theater Arts and other institutions are facing catastrophic problems because the various political factions in the Bosnian legislature have been unable to agree on financing legislation.

press release “Day of Museum Solidarity” / PDF

A post on the topic of the “Day of Museum Solidarity” as well as photos can be found on our Ars Electronica Blog.

Photo:

Day of Museum Solidarity / Michael Kaczorowski / Printversion / Album