Minister of Culture Shih Che (史哲) yesterday announced plans to open an architecture and culture center in 2026, while museums nationwide prepared to celebrate International Museum Day with special events.
“Museums are the most important foundation of a country’s cultural power,” Shih told a news conference in Taipei.
While the Ministry of Culture is in charge of setting culture-related policies, museums come into direct contact with the public, he said, adding that museums can perpetuate the finite human existence when people are willing to entrust precious creations and stories to them.
Photo: CNA
The architecture and culture center is the result of the long-term advocacy and efforts of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤), he said.
After consulting with experts, the ministry has chosen a building in the Railway Department Park in Taipei as the site of the center, he said.
The ministry is to allocate a budget of NT$160 million (US$4.94 million) to the project, including for renovating the building into exhibition spaces and curating exhibitions, he said.
Architecture represents the aesthetics of Taiwan’s social space, Shih said, adding that he hopes the center could facilitate studies of Taiwan’s architecture and bring the nation’s architectural aesthetics to the world.
He said that launching the project was meaningful to him before he on Monday next week hands over his position to incoming minister of culture Li Yuan (李遠), better known by his pen name Hsiao Yeh (小野).
Leaving the post is not a graduation ceremony, but the curtain call of a concert, Shih said.
“If we perform well and the audience feels it, I think we should continue to do this,” he said.
Wu said that museums should be close to society and people’s lives, adding that she has visited museums during legislative elections to calm her mind.
In 1977, the International Council of Museums designated May 18 as International Museum Day, and it organizes events on and around the date to “highlight the importance of the role of museums as institutions that serve society and its development,” the council said.
To mark the occasion this year, the National Taiwan Museum has collaborated with Taipei Garden Hotel to open museum-themed rooms and launch cultural sightseeing bus routes to encourage tourists to explore Taiwan’s culture, the ministry said.
The National Palace Museum, the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, the National Museum of Natural Science, the National Museum of Marine Science and Technology and other facilities around Taiwan are also to hold special events over the weekend to celebrate International Museum Day.
Details can be found on the Facebook page “518 International Museum Day” (518國際博物館日).
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