******************************************************
International Museum Day 2012, Hong Kong (IMD 2012, HK) will be held on May 19 and 20. All museums and the Conservation Office under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) as well as other local museums will take part in this event. All the participating museums will organise open days on these two days, enabling the public to visit their permanent exhibitions for free through these visits, and the public will be able to learn more about the unique characteristics, collections, facilities and services.
The 34 cultural institutions that will join the open days on May 19 and 20 are the Hong Kong Museum of History and its branches; the Hong Kong Museum of Art and its branch; the Hong Kong Heritage Museum and its branches; the Hong Kong Science Museum; the Hong Kong Space Museum; the Antiquities and Monuments Office's "Wun Yiu Exhibition"; the Hong Kong Film Archive; the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre; the Ping Shan Tang Clan Gallery cum Heritage Trail Visitors Centre; the Art Promotion Office; the Museum of Ethnology; the Tung Wah Museum; the Po Leung Kuk Museum; the University Museum and Art Gallery of the University of Hong Kong; the Stephen Hui Geological Museum of the University of Hong Kong; the Art Museum of the Chinese University of Hong Kong; the Dr & Mrs Hung Hin Shiu Museum of Chinese Medicine of Hong Kong Baptist University; the Hong Kong Museum of Education, the Hong Kong Institute of Education; the Hong Kong Racing Museum; the Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences; the Hong Kong Correctional Services Museum; City Gallery; the Lions Nature Education Centre of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department; the Police Museum; and the Hong Kong Jockey Club Drug InfoCentre (closed on May 20). Most of the cultural institutions will offer free admission on May 19 and 20 except the Hong Kong Space Museum's Stanley Ho Space Theatre, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum's Special Exhibition "PICASSO - Masterpieces from Musˆme National Picasso, Paris", the Hong Kong Film Archive Cinema and the Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences.
During the event days, a variety of educational programmes and activities will be held by various museums. For example, the Conservation Office will hold "Tracing Conservation - Discovering Hints of Conservation Work in Museum Exhibitions", which is a not-to-be-missed opportunity for the public to learn about the conservation work of the museum. The Hong Kong Museum of Art will organise "Set Off on a Journey of Living with Art!", which will turn the first floor lobby of the museum into a comfortable living space where visitors can enjoy art easily and comfortably. The Hong Kong Heritage Museum will hold "New Inspirations, New Prints: Printmaking Demonstration of the New Generation", which will offer young illustration artist Johnee Lau and printmaking instructor Yung Sau-mui an opportunity to meet the visitors and lead them to produce exciting and imaginative print works. The Art Promotion Office will organise "Drawing Upside Down" which will enable the participants to train the right side of the brain by drawing in an upside down way.
Some of the thematic exhibitions will also be open for free on May 19 and 20. Those who have not yet visited the "Hong Kong Currency" exhibition should take this opportunity to pay a visit to the Hong Kong Museum of History, where they will be able to find interesting stories about the development of Hong Kong currency. Visitors can also revisit Roman Tam's career and the development of pop music in Hong Kong by visiting the Hong Kong Heritage Museum's "Applauding to Hong Kong Pop Legend: Roman Tam" exhibition, which has been well received by the public.
Now in its 12th year, Hong Kong's International Museum Day (IMD) is one of the major cultural events organised by the LCSD in support of the International Council of Museums, which designated May 18 as the annual IMD in 1977. IMD aims to promote the activities and services provided by museums and interact with people from all walks of life to help raise public awareness of museums' functions and missions in society.
Under the theme of "Museums in a Changing World: New Challenges, New Inspirations", the IMD this year aims to prompt thinking on the role of museums in the rapidly evolving society, and how museums create the basis for their own sustainable development.
For more details of IMD 2012, HK, please visit the LCSD's website at www.lcsd.gov.hk/specials/imd2012/en/index.php.
Ends/Friday, May 4, 2012
Issued at HKT 16:48
NNNN
