Over half way through the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018, Georgia has seen a great success in promoting cultural heritage, diversity, intercultural dialogue, and social linkage within a large-scale campaign conducted by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia.

Throughout the year, numerous activities are taking place to enhance the citizens’ understanding of shared European values and encourage their participation in heritage exploration. Among the most popular annual events, this year’s edition of Night in Museum offered an impressive number of experiences back in May, while European Heritage Days will be one of the highlights of Georgia’s cultural life this September.

In addition to these, Georgia’s citizens have an opportunity to enjoy various local and foreign exhibitions, international conferences, workshops, educational programs, and lectures.

Night in Museum

For the fourth year in a row, the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia celebrated Night in Museum, a European Council initiative celebrated all accross Europe. On May 19 2018, 101 museums in Georgia opened their doors for free late at night, welcoming more than 97 000 visitors to museums across the country.

Photo: A medieval exhibition hall at the Samtskhe-Javakheti History Museum. Source: Wikipedia

Students’ Participation in EYCH 2018

Within the framework of the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018, students from the Tbilisi State Academy of Fine Arts participated in a heritage-inspired initiative with the assistance of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia. The students have been creating video arts and animation infographics related to cultural heritage topics, which have become very popular on Georgian social networks. These visual products help raise awareness about cultural heritage and the project is a great example of a successful collaboration between cultural and educational sectors.

Within the Students for Cultural Heritage project, students created more than 50 visual products. All the videos have already gained a great attention representing Georgian theatrical heritage, archaeological artefacts in exhibition halls, textile from Georgia, rehabilitation of historical monuments, the Georgian traditional blue tablecloth, unique collection of silk cocoons of Georgian state silk museum, intangible cultural heritage of Shida Kartli occupied territories, and other topics.

Science in Focus

Within the celebrations of European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018, Georgia put a special focus on scientific projects and achievements. On 15 May, a large-scale research project Textile from Georgia was selected as a winner of the 2018 EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards in Brussels.

Cultural Heritage Preservation

This year has seen the launch of several significant projects on minorities' heritage issues in Georgia. A webpage of the Georgian National Museum Jewish collections has been launched to raise awareness of the value of Jewish heritage, while a large-scale project titled Research and Inventorization of German Historic Settlements in Georgia is being carried out to explore Germanic cultural influences in Georgia.

In addition to this, the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia continues the restoration-rehabilitation process of historical monuments in Nokalakevi, Tiseli, Geguti, Mutso, and Kumurtdo.

Exhibitions and Conferences

Within the framework of the EYCH, Georgia is opening 14 local and 6 foreign exhibitions. Among the local ones, several noteworthy Georgian museums' collections will be on display:Caucasus Biodiversity at Georgian National Museum, From the Colonial Policy to the National Museum at Georgian State Museum of Folk and Applied Art, 100 years Jubilee of Georgian Film at Georgian State Museum of Theatre, Music, Cinema and Choreography - Art Palace, of Niko Nikoladze at G. Leonidze State Museum of Georgian Literature.

During summer, Georgian National Museum and the Embassy of Italy in Georgia also presented an important collection of drawings from the Royal Library of Turin. Titled Geniuses of Renaissance, the exhibition was open for three months at the National Gallery exhibiting graphic works of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Raphael Sanzio, Sandro Botticelli, Giorgio Vasari, Bernardino Pinturicchio, Andrea Mantegna, Parmigianino and other influential artists.

When it comes to cultural heritage promotion outside Georgia, Georgian National Museum organized three exhibitions as part of the guest of honour program of the Frankfurt Book Fair 2018. Their titles are: Gold & Wine – Georgia’s oldest treasures, Medea's Love and The Quest for the Golden Fleece, and Dmanisi Discoveries. Besides these exhibitions, Georgian State Museum of Theatre, Music, Cinema and Choreography will promote Georgian heritage by showcasing the Georgian alphabet at the Klingspor Museum in Offenbach, Germany.

Other notable occasions marking the year of cultural activities in Georgia will include the opening of two new institutions: Bolnisi Museum in Kvemo Kartli and of a renovated State Museum of Georgian Medicine History in Tbilisi, while 12 international and local conferences will be held throughout the year.

At the international forum Museums for the sustainable development of the society, organized by ICOM Georgia in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia, Georgian National Museum and the National Agency for Cultural Heritage preservation Georgia (1-4 July), participants discussed the topical issue of the social role of museums.

With all these events, Georgia showcased its cultural richness as well as creativity in making European Year of Cultural Heritage closer to its citizens. The celebrations will continue in a similar fashion throughout the year, with European Heritage Days in Georgia being one of the key activities.

Information and photos provided by:

Teona Jakeli, National Coordinator of EYCH 2018
Cultural Heritage Department
Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia

Photos:

The Gialia Monastery in Cyprus
The Collection of Georgian Costumes at the State Museum of Theatre, Music, Film, and Choreography