Since 1977, the International Council of Museums (ICOM) has coordinated an International Museums Day, to celebrate everything we love about our museums and to raise awareness of issues museums face in their need for improvement.
Museums are loved and valued because of their education, their meaningful engagements, their role in social justice, and their impact upon personal and societal wellbeing.
The success of International Museums Day highlights every year how loved museums are, and how engaged museum professionals and the general public are in sharing that love, and fighting the challenges museums face.
The day has gained increasing attention: in 2012, 30,000 museums in 129 countries got involved, and this number grows every year.
Since 1992, IMD has had a theme, with the 2016 theme being Museums and Cultural Landscapes. Cultural Landscapes are a blend of the natural and the manmade, defined as the parts of the world that are valued because of their importance artistically, religiously or culturally. IMD asks museums this year to ‘contribute knowledge and expertise and take an active role in their management and upkeep’ of their cultural landscapes.’
Girlhood is recognised and protected in heritage through their art, culture and heritage. Galleries and Museums preserve, conserve, and often display objects and artworks related to girlhood. Cultural landscape, however, is out the doors of the museum or gallery. The cultural landscape of girlhood can be found in the playgrounds, the skate parks, and the schools.
One cultural landscape intrinsically linked to girlhood that is under threat is the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace Garden. Juliette was the founder of the Girl Scouts. Designed by Clermont Lee, the garden was made to be historically accurate of the time of Juliette’s birth. Now a tourist attraction for Girl Scouts nationwide, the garden is an important reminder of the influence and heritage of the Girl Scouts.
To help, you can contact Lisa Junkin Lopez, the executive director, about the threat of destroying the garden. See The Cultural Landscape Foundation’s site for more details.
-Chloe Turner
Junior Girl
Girl Museum Inc.