Make time for museums

While literature, dance, music, books, films and electronic media all have their intrinsic roles in the enhancement and preservation of a nation’s culture, nothing beats museums in presenting physical — and therefore incontrovertible — evidence of the historical epochs that occurred in the distant and not-so-distant past.

This utility of museums in our daily lives is again put to the fore with the celebration of International Museum Day on May 18 or thereabouts.

Both governments and the private sector have invested heavily in the construction, maintenance and operation of museums and art galleries, propping up these institutions in order for them to perform efficiently as custodians of culture, preserving works of art and artifacts of life from different time periods and contextualizing them within ever-changing perspectives.

One practical and most praised role of present-day museums is as a venue for educational field trips of young students, whose classroom lectures and book-reading assignments are greatly enhanced by physical, face-to-face interactions with objects and artifacts used by their ancestors.  These museum visits, if done regularly and with the help of their teachers, museum curators and explainers, will bolster the knowledge and experience of students, enabling them to better appreciate their forebears.

In the local setting, we have the National Museum of the Philippines located in the old Congress building in Manila.  Its primary mission is to acquire, document, preserve, exhibit, and foster scholarly study and appreciation of works of arts, specimens, and cultural and historical artifacts. Just beside it at the Agrifina Circle is the National Museum of  Anthropology,  its component museum which houses ethnological and archaeological exhibitions.  It also houses the wrecks of the San Diego — which provide a glimpse of 500 years of maritime trade — ancient artifacts and zoology divisions.

The Ayala Museum in Makati, one of the most respectable and well-run private institutions, is celebrating the International Museum Day tomorrow, May 20, with adherence to the  global theme of “Museums, Sustainability, and Well-being.”  It opens its door to the public for free on this day, and offers special activities on wellness and sustainability.

Ayala Museum offers a healing space for visitors, and invites students, researchers and the culturati to the “Touch the Object” corner and the Filipinas Heritage Library which are regular features of the place.
Museums worldwide are treasure troves of interesting stuff that make us think and see the world and our place in it differently.  They can increase our sense of wellbeing, help us feel proud of where we have come from.  They can inspire, challenge and stimulate us, make us feel good.
The Ayala Museum said experts have made several academic studies that identified evidence of an arts-mental health link.  People who participated in 100 or more hours of arts involvement per year reported much better mental health than those who participated in less.

Museums will always be relevant in our national life, both as custodian of Filipino culture and repository of historical artifacts and physical items that inspire us to feel proud of being Filipinos.

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Credit belongs to : www.mb.com.ph