Museums do not serve only exhibitions

To really revive the concept of modern museum spaces that will follow global changes, it is not enough for the museum as an institution to be approached only as an exhibition space, first and foremost thinking about community experiences. The road to inclusive and open spaces that can serve the different needs of all citizens is a long and complex process even in the world, and for us it is far from reality

The International Day of Museums, May 18, this year, was marked by various activities, so the Museum of Macedonia marked the day with the promotion of the publication « Kuzman Josifoski-Pitu-Life Story », and in the Archaeological Museum in Skopje, various events were organized under the heading of « Museums, Education » and the protection of cultural heritage. Special emphasis was placed on the educational role of museums and their connection to the wider community. These activities were in line with this year’s topic of the International Museum Day, proposed by ICOM, « the future of rapidly changing communities », which aims to emphasize the role of museums as active stakeholders in modern society…
This year’s topic of the holiday actualizes the topic of the state of our museums compared to what is happening on the world cultural map. Just as an illustration of where the world is going, global climate change, the worrying situation has also prompted the world’s cultural institutions to get involved in mitigating the consequences of climate change. Relatively new practice is the conversion of some of the world museums and other cultural institutions into « climate shelters » for vulnerable members of society, such as homeless people, during extreme climate disasters, such as heat waves in summer or low temperatures in winter. Institutions, mainly museums, which are often buildings with thick walls and infrastructure to maintain optimal and stable temperature, access to sanitary facilities and drinking water, are beginning to be used to shelter vulnerable categories of people in atypical weather conditions. Opening the doors of museums during summer heat waves and winter disasters are proven to be vital.
What is the situation in our country and whether such and similar museum trends could be implemented? The question first arises as to how much domestic museum institutions meet the standards for developing such a concept, especially given that only a small part of them are in good condition, and even less have rooms with optimum temperature. In our country, the museum premises in winter are calculated, and in the summer.

Our cultural institutions and this are barely found, so increasing the cost of electricity for warming and cooling would certainly affect their modest maintenance budget. A few years ago, due to damage and roof, the valuable icons gallery of the Museum of Macedonia was withdrawn. The icons were housed in a depot until creating better conditions to expose them. The roof was later repaired, but the facility is still only partially functional due to damage to the construction. Such problems are particularly common in cultural institutions outside the capital. He has repeatedly written about the Krushevo « Makedonium », whose walls around the stained glass are whitewashed only to mask and hide the catastrophic situation. When it rains, stained glass and corroded metal construction leaks inside the monument, and water enters the cracks in the concrete construction of the building itself. Often the water is found in such large quantities that it makes whole bends on the floor itself…

A few years ago, when Macedonia also celebrated May 18, the International Day of Museums, the Macedonian National Committee of the International Council of Museums (MNC ICOM) said that as many as 90 percent of its institutions were in very poor condition, they mainly face infrastructure problems, depots, but also

These are just a few examples of carelessness about museum and cultural institutions in our country. A few years ago, when Macedonia also celebrated May 18, the International Museum Day, the Macedonian National Committee of the International Council of Museums (MNC ICOM) said that as many as 90 % of its institutions are in very poor condition, they mainly face infrastructure problems, depots, but also …
Having all this in mind, to really revive the concept of modern museum spaces that will follow global changes, it is not enough for the museum as an institution to be approached only as an exhibition space, first of all one needs to think about the experiences of the community. The road to inclusive and open spaces that can serve the different needs of all citizens is a long and complex process even in the world, and for us it is far from reality.