MUSEUM NIGHT: TO PARTICIPATE IS IMPORTANT
Museums and sports – faster, higher, stronger...
citius, altius, fortius...
Croatian Museum Association
26 January 2018
The Croatian Museum Association, in cooperation with numerous Croatian museums and other heritage institutions, is organising, for the thirteenth time, the Museum Night event on Friday 26 January 2018 in the year which was withal proclaimed European Year of Cultural Heritage.
In line with the positive practice and successful achievements, the 2018 Museum Night is conceived as a dynamic event under the title and Olympic motto:
Museums and sports – faster, higher, stronger...citius, altius, fortius...
The event emphasizes the analytical perception of existing collections and museums and creation of new ones on the topic of sport, fostering local initiatives as to conservation and comparative valuation of sports in all its forms, creating an environment of sensitivity to sports as cultural value and its presence in various forms of social and individual creativity, as well as actively involving visitors in museum activities and creating a new museum audience.
Sports, by widely accepted definitions, is a collective term for physical activity dominated by a competitive spirit; fostering bodily features and capabilities, checking and improving thereof through games, fights and competitions. Sports are a popular and widespread social phenomenon, an integral part of contemporary society culture.
Today, we see sports as part of modern society tradition and culture, not only through its numerous forms, from children games, popular competitions, recreational activities to amateur and professional sports of different branches, sports associations, individuals, fans and competitions, but also through science, art and policy.
The wide span of defining the theme of sports, offers museums, regardless of their type, unlimited opportunities to develop and perceive sports in the context of contemporary museum practice; by integrating it into everyday life, by developing and validating the identity of individuals, groups or communities through a multidisciplinary and multimedia approach.
Although materials related to history and development of sports have been systematically collected in Croatia since mid-last century and have now been partly exhibited in the Croatian Sports Museum in Zagreb, sports heritage is not adequately represented and presented in Croatian museums.
Therefore, choosing sports as the theme of the 2018 Museum Night aims at further fostering debates on the issue of sports collections and museums in Croatia.
The inspiration for the theme of the 2018 Museum Night emanated from the moment of the present as well; the European Handball Championship will be held in Croatia from 12 to 28 January and the XXIII Olympic Winter Games will be held in the South Korean City of PyeongChang from 9 to 25 February 2018.
In the spirit of sports, the message of the Croatian Museum Association to athletes, fans, museum people and visitors is – faster, higher, stronger, … mentioning in the Museum Night too, as in sports competitions - to participate is important !
Authors of the professional concept:
Dubravka Osrečki Jakelić and Vesna Jurić Bulatović
