Museums for Education and Research

This month, the cultural program of the Office of the Historian of the City of Havana (OHCH) is dedicated to Museum Classrooms, an initiative that has become a model of heritage education over time.

This year’s celebration of International Museum Day, under the theme of Museos por la educación y la investigación, seems particularly dedicated to the three decades of one of the most popular projects of this institution in the Historic Center.

For its celebration, a program has been designed that will begin on May 14 and end on May 18, International Museum Day.

This commemoration, chosen by the International Council of Museums (ICOM), aims to raise awareness of the fact that these institutions are «an important means for cultural exchange, the enrichment of cultures, and the development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.»

With a comprehensive program of activities, including exhibitions, workshops, competitions, games, guided tours, concerts and conferences, among other proposals and panels, the OHCH’s Cultural Heritage Department will also participate.

From academic panels to tours of museums and colonial courtyards

The program will begin at the Casa de los Árabes with the academic panel «Heritage Education: A View from Museum Management,» organized by the Museum Heritage Sub-Directorate, which will present the academic results of research conducted by specialists and directors of various museums within the Office.

The exhibition «Barajas del conocimiento: Educación e investigación a mano«, which will be held at the Playing Card Museum, and the awards ceremony for the Un museo para todos competition, which will be held at the Casa de la Obra Pía, will take place on the following days.

The exhibitions will continue at the Palacio de Lombillo, with an educational journey through colonial tableware used for tea, coffee and milk service.

One of the highlights will be the inaugural tour of the Courtyard Festival in the Historic Center, which will depart from Calle de Madera in the Plaza de Armas.

On May 18, the squares of the Historic Center will be a day to search for hidden treasures of Old Havana, with participatory games for adults and children organized by the Casa Vitier-García Marruz Cultural Center.

Later, at Casa Víctor Hugo, visitors will be able to admire archaeological findings. This includes a new museography of the archaeology room, with pieces found during excavations prior to the restoration and inauguration of the institution in 2005.

This tour of Havana on International Museum Day will take visitors to the Casa Oswaldo Guayasamín for the «Connecting Stars» tour, which offers a cosmological vision of the most important pre-Hispanic civilizations.

Translated by Luis E. Amador Dominguez