May 12 is Welsh Museums Day - held annually by the Federation of Museums and Art Galleries of Wales with the Museums Association. This year, the celebrations of the rich diversity of museums across the country will be done on social media.
This was published under the 2016 to 2021 administration of the Welsh Government
Through following the #WelshMuseums #Amgueddfeydd, museums across the country will share their stories, collections, and showcase some of the innovative work they do and the positive impacts they make in economic contribution, learning, education and skills development, community cohesion, health and wellbeing.
Museums play an important part in our communities – and have also felt the immediate impact of the pandemic and the restrictions which are in place. In order to support the sector during this difficult time, the Welsh Government has implemented the COVID-19 Resilience Fund, administered through The Welsh Museums Federation, which has awarded £100,451 to 17 organisations to date. Members of the Welsh Museums Federation have also accessed the Government grant scheme based on business rates rateable values – which has resulted in £360,000 of funding. Applications are also being processed for the Welsh Government’s Cultural Resilience Fund.
Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, Lord Elis-Thomas, said:
“The Welsh Government is committed to doing everything possible to support the resilience, creativity and partnership which is being shown by the sector.
“Welsh Museums Day is an excellent showcase of this resilience and creativity - which we will enjoy this year from the safety of our own homes.
“I’m pleased that we’re able to work with partners to enable the sector to withstand this difficult time and to hopefully thrive again – and bring communities together once more when the emergency has passed.”
Victoria Rogers, President of the Federation of Museums and Art Galleries of Wales, said:
“Welsh museums are truly a network of community resources and the #WelshMuseums day is a chance to demonstrate just how much value they bring to Wales and how crucial they are for their communities. Museums from across the country, local and national, will be using Twitter to showcase powerful and innovative examples of the positive impacts they make with and for their communities – both before and during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Museums inspire us to learn from our past, to understand our present and determine our future. Through online home-schooling resources, social media collections tours, streamed lectures and podcasts, Welsh museums have been supporting their communities during lockdown. And they will be crucial to supporting Wales in understanding the pandemic and its legacy too – several local museums across the country, as well as Amgueddfa Cymru, are already working with their communities to record their experiences and what they are doing, feeling and missing during the COVID-19 lockdown.”