MUSEUMS, SUSTAINABILITY AND WELLBEING: #IMD2023

The International Council of Museums (ICOM) is the non-governmental organization born in 1946 to encourage the cooperation between museums and their professionals right after the end of the Second World War. In 1997, in a decade characterized by uncertainties and relevant historic changes, ICOM proclaimed a museum-inspired World Day, acknowledging cultural places as ‘important tools of cultural exchange, enrichment and development of reciprocal understanding, cooperation and peace between countries’.

The first edition of the International Museum Day was held on May 18th, 1977 in Moscow, Russia, with the aim to create an event able to ‘unify museums’ creative inspirations and efforts and to lead the audiences’ attention towards their programs’. The gained resonance made the event annual: in 1992 the first shared main theme was Museums and environments, while in 1997, on the occasion of the conference on the illicit trafficking in cultural goods, the first official poster was translated for 28 countries.

This year’s IMD title is Museums, Sustainability and Wellbeing and is linked with the UN’s Global Goals for Sustainable Development that the event has promoted since 2020. The Goals selected for 2023 are:

– 3. Good Health and Wellbeing: the guarantee, for all people, to have a healthy lifestyle, promoting wellbeing for all ages with a specific attention for mental health and social isolation; – 13. Climate Action: the urgency to take action against the impacts of global climate change, reducing emissions in the North and mitigating in the South; – 15. Life on Land: to protect, reactivate and promote a sustainable approach toward earthly ecosystems, amplifying native leaders’ voices and promoting awareness on the loss of biodiversity.

This article aims to celebrate 2023 International Museum Day and reaffirm Fondazione FILA Museum’s commitment with many of the UN’s Global Goals. From the production of sustainability certified gadgets to programs aimed at including diverse audiences, ours is a multifaceted, constantly learning institution. Our goal is to turn our Museum into a place of exchange, encounter and transformation, not only on May 18th.