Celebrate International Museum Day

On May 18, museums throughout the world will celebrate International Museum Day. The event was created in 1977 by the International Council of Museums to encourage awareness about the role of museums in the development of society. The theme for 2012 is "Museums in a Changing World."
"Museums in a Changing World: New Challenges, New Inspirations" is recognition that institutions are faced with interpreting, and existing in, a field that is becoming increasingly fluid. Each museum faces a unique set of goals, interests and audiences while sharing its resources and interpretations of social, cultural, and environmental history with others. According to ICM:

• Museums face unique challenges related to their social, political and ecological environment. They play a key role in development through education and democratisation, while also serving as witnesses of the past and guardians of humanity’s treasures for future generations.
• Museums ensure they are the intergenerational guardians of the world’s heritage and create an ongoing link to the past thanks to universal messages.

Our loose confederation, Beaufort County Historic Resources Consortium, includes a number of member museums. In honor of International Museum Day, why not go visit their facilities? You might be surprised by the breadth, depth and scope of our local museums. York W. Bailey Museum, Penn Center Verdier House, Historic Beaufort Foundation Union Church Museum, Historic Port Royal Foundation Parris Island Museum Heyward House, Bluffton Historical Preservation Society Coastal Discovery Museum Billie Burns Museum, Daufuskie Island Historical Foundation Beaufort History Museum Opening May 19th! And, for a short while after opening, admission is free.