International Council of Museums (ICOM)

Since 1977, the International Council of Museums (ICOM) has been organizing International Museum Day annually. In 2024, the theme “Museums for Education and Research” is chosen by ICOM. This theme highlights the significance of cultural organizations’ part in offering a holistic educational experience while conveying a message for a more conscious, sustainable, and inclusive world.

Today, museums serve as dynamic centers for education that spark curiosity, promote creativity, and encourage critical thinking. In 2024, the contribution of museums to the field of research as well as the impact of the platform they provide to propagate new ideas cannot be denied. From art and history to science and technology, museums function as vital spaces in which education and research come together to shape our comprehension of the world today.

International Museum Day has been supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals since 2020. The highlights of 2024 are as follows: ensure inclusive and equitable quality education, and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all (Goal 4 - Quality Education), build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation (Goal 9 - Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure).

Celebrated from May 18th to 24th in Turkey, the “Museum Week” will host various events within the scope of the theme. We have compiled the museum events that stand out with their current programs:

“Museum Week” at Isbank Museum of Painting and Sculpture

Isbank Museum of Painting and Sculpture will provide children with the opportunity to explore the historical structure of the museum in the event “My Museum”, organized by Atölye Pikolo on Saturday, May 18th. At the workshop, children will meet the discipline of architecture, and have a short conversation over the questions such as “How to create a building?”, and “What is the relationship between space and material?”. After that, children will redesign the building of Isbank Museum of Painting and Sculpture with everyday materials by familiarizing with “color and texture”, which are the building blocks of design.

For more information about the workshop, please check the website of Isbank Museum of Painting and Sculpture.

“Museum Week” at Erimtan Archaeology and Art Museum

The Erimtan Archaeology and Art Museum is organizing a training workshop exclusively for children aged 7 to 10 on May 18th, International Museum Day. At the workshop titled “Layered Museums”, children will discuss the concept of a museum, be familiarized with various types of museums, and then design a paper relief with various materials based on the types of museums they have just explored.

For more information and registration, please visit the website of Erimtan Archaeology and Art Museum.

“Museum Week” at OMM

Odunpazarı Modern Museum (OMM) is celebrating Museum Week with the documentary "Who is Mihri" as well as a painting workshop exclusively organized for children.

Focusing on the life of the artist Mihri who initiated the contemporary painting works in Turkey, the documentary "Who is Mihri" will meet the audience at 06:00 PM on Saturday, May 18th. Winner of the Best Documentary Award at the 59th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, winner of the Jury’s Special Award at the 4th International Golden Saffron Documentary Film Festival, and the winner of the Best Documentary Audience Award at Boston Turkish Festival, "Who is Mihri" tells the story of the artist Mihri’s journey from Ottoman Istanbul towards Rome, Paris, and New York at the end of 19th century. At the exclusive event for Museum Week, in addition to the documentary screening, there will also be an interview with Berna Gençalp, Yonca Ertürk, and Berat İlk from the production team.

The “Painting at Museum Workshop” held at OMM exclusively for this week will entertain children between the ages of 7 and 14 on Sunday, May 19th. Participants will gather at the exhibition area to present their creative interpretations inspired by Seyhun Topuz’s “Blue Knot” exhibited at "Under Two Suns".

For more information about the programs, please check the website of OMM.

“Museum Week” at Pera Museum

Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation Pera Museum is celebrating the Museum Week with a film selection in collaboration with Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum (DFF) as well as a painting workshop exclusively organized for children and teachers.

Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation Pera Museum Film and Video Programs (Pera Film), named based on DFF’s motto “Everything is film, and film is everything”, showcase four films selected by the institute curators and that shed light on various eras of German cinema. The wide DFF collection from German cinema’s classical and contemporary examples to the world cinema’s significant works, documentaries, and experimental films that shed light on the history of cinema will bring the films “Es” (1966), “Mädchen in Uniform” (1931), “Brand in der Oper” (1930), and “Weak Spot” (1975) together with the audience at Pera Museum Auditorium as part of “everything is film” program. The program will be screened at Pera Museum Auditorium from May 15th to June 1st.

Pera Museums Learning Programs are going to host face-to-face workshops such as “Museum from Outside to Inside” for children and “Drama in the Museum for Teachers” exclusively for International Museum Day. The two different workshops, specifically designed for International Museum Day which is the start of Museum Week celebrated between May 18th and 24th every year, feature a collage workshop for children where they will embark on a museum journey in the footsteps of Osman Hamdi Bey as well as a fun and interactive event for teachers using the creative drama method in the museum.

For more information about the programs, please check the website of Pera Museum.