On 1 June 2019, the Tsaritsyno Museum-Preserve was the venue for a general meeting of the Union of Museums of Russia. Representatives of more than 230 museums belonging to the Union took part in the gathering as well as Vladimir Medinsky, the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation.
In his report, Mikhail Piotrovsky, President of the Union of Museums of Russia and General Director of the State Hermitage, stressed the importance of the active participation of the entire museum community in the development of the new legislation “On culture” that is being worked on right now. “In the Union of Museums, we have formed working groups for all the main directions of development of museum activities. Our community, together with ICOM Russia, should assess the current state of affairs in museum work and reach an understanding of how it is possible to remove unnecessary barriers that hinder successful development with the aid of new legislation,” Mikhail Piotrovsky said.
In his speech, Vladimir Medinsky shared news of the Ministry of Culture’s successes in the development of museums and the project for the construction in New Moscow of individual repositories for several federal and Moscow museums on a common territory. Speaking about the project, Vladimir Rostislavovich particularly stressed that its foundation was provided by the experience of creating the Restoration and Storage Centre for the State Hermitage in Staraya Derevnya.
The general meeting of the Union of Museums of Russia supported the proposal from the Ministry of Culture and resolved to request President Putin to declare 2021 the Year of Museums. At the meeting, speeches were made by the heads of a number of museums and on the basis of the results of the meeting a corresponding decision was taken. The materials of the general meeting will be published on the website souzmuseum.ru.
On 30 May 2019, in the run-up to the general meeting a collaboration agreement was signed at the international Intermuseum festival between the Union of Museums of Russia and Rossotrudnichestvo (the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation). “The signing of this agreement will make it possible to increase the representation of museums abroad,” Mikhail Piotrovsky commented. “And it is very important that this will be done not only in respect of museums in the two capitals, but also in respect of regional and municipal museums. The implementation of such programmes has already begun.” Within the framework of the agreement it is planned to prepare and operate packages of programmes and individual events abroad devoted to world and Russian cultural heritage. The parties also intend to provide support for the participation of Russian state and municipal museums belonging to the Union of Museums of Russia in international projects in the field of culture and the humanities organized and conducted by state and non-governmental organizations in foreign countries.
