Celebrate International Museum Day with Iziko Museums of South Africa. Iziko is celebrating the Power of Museums with a dynamic programme of events, activities and new exhibitions this International Museum Day. All this plus a dynamic programme of events, activities on 17, 18 and 19 May 2022
Entry to select Iziko Museums will be *FREE, and entry to the Iziko Planetarium and Digital Dome will be half-price, only on International Museum Day, Wednesday, 18 May 2022.
This year’s theme, titled The Power of Museums, looks at the power museums have to transform the world around us. The International Council of Museums (ICOM) states that, “As incomparable places of discovery, museums teach us about our past and open our minds to new ideas – two essential steps in building a better future.”
The 3rd Iziko Symposium – this year happening for the first time in-person!
Iziko is set to host the 3rd Iziko Symposium from Tuesday, 17 until Thursday, 19 May. These lunch-time talks provide the public with a glimpse behind-the-scenes of Iziko – and are an opportunity to engage with museum curators, researchers and conservation staff.
- Day 1 – Tuesday, 17 May – of the Symposium kicks off with a series of presentations on Iziko’s Art Collections, featuring Community and Collaboration by David Hernandez, The Importance of Art Collections in our Society by Anele Xhegwana, and Iziko Art Collections’ 150th Anniversary: Exhibiting the Past and the Future by Andrew Lamprecht.
- Day 2 – Wednesday, 18 May – of the Symposium features presentations on Iziko’s Social History Collections: Community Voices in Museum Spaces by Annelize Kotze, Contemporary South African Ceramicists inspired by Historical Trade Ceramics by Esther Esmyol, and Flood in the Arms and Armour Vault – Interventions and Conservation by Thando Ngcangisa. :
- Day 3 – Thursday, 19 May – of the Symposium focuses on Iziko’s Natural History Collections, with presentations on: Invertebrate Fossils as Geoheritage: Bridging the Gap Between Invertebrate Fossils and the Public at the Iziko South African Museum by Cameron Perumal, Curating Insects in the Iziko Entomology Collection by Aabid Abrahams, and Preservation and Conservation of Terrestrial Vertebrate Collections by Gabriel Lukoji.The Symposium takes place on 17, 18 and 19 May between 13h00 and 14h20 at the TH Barry Lecture Hall in the Iziko South African Museum (ISAM).
Walkabouts and Guided Tours
The Iziko South African National Gallery (ISANG) – the Mother City’s premier public art museum, housing a vast and critically engaging collection of historical, modern and contemporary artworks from South Africa and abroad – seeks to create frameworks that are mixed and mobile, operating in trans-disciplinary settings and contributing to the country’s diverse and dynamic cultural and artistic legacy. And this year, the Iziko Art Collections are turning 150. On Monday, 16 May at 11h00, join Iziko Curator of Historical Painting and Sculpture, Andrew Lamprecht, for a walkabout of the ISANG and a brief conversation about the upcoming 150 anniversary showcase
See real-life archaeologists at work and touch a one-million-year-old stone tool in a series of behind-the-scenes hour-long guided tours of Iziko’s Archaeology Collections – with tours starting at 10h00, 12h00, and 14h00 on Wednesday, 18 May. :
See, discover and explore select Iziko Museums for *FREE on International Museum Day
Visit the Iziko South African Museum, the Iziko South African National Gallery, the Iziko Bo-Kaap Museum and the Iziko Slave Lodge for free on Wednesday, 18 May and engage in a series of activities held especially in celebration of International Museum Day.
Between 10h00 and 14h00 in the Discovery Room at the Iziko SA Museum, the Natural History Educators will be showcasing Archaepteryx – the oldest known fossil bird of the late Jurassic period, as well as some mammal-like reptile fossils! And throughout the day, the Marine Biology department will have some interesting specimens on display in the Gathering Space at the ISAM. Other events planned for International Museum Day at the ISAM include a screening of the Puppet Planet Movie, and a series of exciting dinosaur activities!
At the Iziko SA National Gallery, explore the current exhibitions on show, including Territories Between Us curated by Tšhegofatso Mabaso, Buhlebezwe Siwani’s amaHubo curated by Ingrid Masondo, and Hotel Hernandez’s Graduate Exhibition I: an enquiry into pedagogy.
At the Iziko Bo-Kaap Museum, discover the diversity of Islam in Islamic Art – an African Interpretation – where curator Annelize Kotze endeavoured to bring together the work of a number of South African Islamic artists. And at the ISL, learn about the lives of those who lived under enslavement at the Cape of Good Hope in the new exhibition, Who were the Enslaved? Commemorating lives under enslavement at the Cape of Good Hope.
*Please note that FREE entry only applies to Iziko Museums open on Wednesday, 18 May 2022.
Half-price Planetarium shows at 13h00, 14h00 and 15h00
Wednesday, 18 May also means half-price entry to the Iziko Planetarium and Digital Dome! Watch Tycho to the Moon – and take a close-up look at the Sun, see Tycho play in zero gravity, witness Earth from space and watch meteors shoot across the night sky – at 13h00; go on a Search for Life in the Universe – a beautiful, scenic tour of our universe through the eyes of astronomers looking for clues about the origin of life and the development of intelligence – at 14h00; or enjoy Infinity Express – a remarkable blend of science, art and entertainment that dramatically communicates the latest breakthroughs in our quest to understand the universe – at 15h00.
When visiting the Museums, your health and safety, and that of our staff, is of utmost importance. Please note that there are Covid-19 protocols in place to ensure the safety of both staff and visitors; we thank you for all your efforts in maintaining social distancing to keep both yourself and us safe.
About International Museum Day
International Museum Day (IMD) is celebrated by museums worldwide on the 18th of May. Instituted by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) in 1977, IMD provides museums with the opportunity to showcase the importance, value and significance of museums in society.
WHAT: International Museum Day (IMD)
WHERE: Iziko Museums of South Africa open on Wednesday, 18 May 2022
WHEN: 18 May 2022 plus events on 17 – 19 May as above. See also the IZIKO MUSEUM ROUTE on the 2022 Arts + Crafts Map
INFO: T 021 481 3830 | E eagnew@iziko.org.za | Visit
See Iziko Museum Route
The WHAT, WHY & WHERE of the
arts scene in around Cape Town
see the 2022 arts + crafts map
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Arts Round Up Fridays @16.15
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