Culture celebrates International Museum Day 2024 under the theme 'Museums for education and research'

Poster for International Museum Day 2024

The state museums of the Ministry of Culture are joining in the celebration of International Museum Day and European Museum Night on Saturday 18 May. Under the slogan 'Museums for education and research', different activities for all audiences are being organised throughout the week.

The aim of this year's proposal is to reinforce the educational role of museums in exploring and disseminating critical thinking and new ideas.

On the occasion of the anniversary of International Museum Day, created in 1977 by the International Council of Museums (ICOM), admission to the 16 state museums of the Ministry of Culture will be free of charge on Saturday 18 May. Throughout the week there will be activities for all audiences, including workshops for adults, young people and children, musical recitals, guided tours, dramatised entertainment, conferences and cinema.

Stimulate creativity and see how museums work and how their collections contribute to research and generate new knowledge are some of the objectives of these proposals, which include public access to museum store rooms and night-time tours, and the opportunity to learn about museology, photography, archaeology and textile techniques.

International Museum Day is also a good opportunity to visit the newly opened temporary exhibitions in state museums. These include 'Convivium: archaeology of the Mediterranean diet', at the National Archaeological Museum, and 'Chupas y parkas. Rockers and mods from Brighton 1964', at the Museo Nacional de Antropología, both in Madrid; and 'Travelling to paint. Sorolla and Painted Sculpture', at the National Sculpture Museum in Valladolid.

• Consult the full agenda on the state museums website.

European Museum Night: night-time activities

Also on 18 May, on the occasion of the 20th European Museum Night, eleven of the state museums will open their doors in the evening free of charge.

The activities are spread across Spain. The National Museum of Underwater Archaeology ARQVA in Cartagena will be organising a collaborative mural to stamp the footprint of all the visiting public that night. In Valladolid, the National Sculpture Museum will offer small evening concerts of jazz, swing and gypsy by Manusser. And in Santillana del Mar, the National Museum and Research Centre of Altamira will offer the traditional activity 'Altamira in its original light' to the public who have booked in advance.

In Mérida, the National Museum of Roman Art will present historical recreations that provide an in-depth understanding of different aspects of Ancient Rome and its inhabitants. And in Valencia, the National Museum of Ceramics and Sumptuary Arts 'González Martí' will offer dramatised nocturnal visits.

In Madrid, the National Museum of Anthropology, the National Museum of Decorative Arts, the Cerralbo Museum, the Sorolla Museum and the Garment Museum; in Valladolid, the Casa Cervantes Museum; and in Toledo, the Sephardic Museum and El Greco Museum will allow visitors access to their exhibitions at night, each with different surprises.

• Consult the opening times and activities on the state museums' opening hours website.

Virtual tours

For those who cannot visit the museums in person, the Ministry of Culture has recently launched new virtual tours for all 16 museums in the network of state museums. More than 46,000 high-resolution photographs have been included in these tours, allowing users to navigate through the halls and collections by means of 360º panoramic views. Virtual visitors can also delve into detail of the more than 200 digitised works.

Also included on the tours are annotated videos, scientific articles, sound documents and information on the historical context and related characters, as well as anecdotes that unveil the works' hidden secrets.

• Access the virtual visits from the website of the state museums.

The 16 state museums under the direct management of the Ministry of Culture are:

Cartagena (Murcia)

• National Museum of Underwater Archaeology. ARQVA

Madrid

• National Archaeological Museum
• The Garment Museum. Ethnological Heritage Research Centre
• Sorolla Museum
• Cerralbo Museum
• National Museum of Decorative Arts
• National Museum of Romanticism
• Museum of America
• National Museum of Anthropology

Mérida (Extremadura)

• National Museum of Roman Art

Santillana del Mar (Cantabria)

• Altamira National Museum and Research Centre

Toledo (Castilla-La Mancha)

• El Greco Museum
• Sephardic Museum

Valencia

• National Museum of Ceramics and Sumptuary Arts 'González Martí'.

Valladolid (Castilla y León)

• National Sculpture Museum
• Casa Cervantes Museum

Non official translation