Celebración ICOM DIM2023, inmersa en la sostenibilidad y el bienestar

Caracas, November 27, 2020.

 

ICOM-Venezuela on safety and professional ethics in museums

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Last Wednesday, November 11, 2020, the Ministry of Popular Power for Culture (Mpppc) officially reported, through a press release, about the alleged theft of two works of art from the Collection of the National Museums Foundation (FMN ) guarded by the Museum of Contemporary Art of Caracas Armando Reverón (Maccar). This is an unfortunate event that has caused great impact and stir in the museum community, the cultural sector and the national public opinion, due to the fact that it is a disrespectful and irregular situation in which two FMN museum workers are involved.

 

What has happened deserves deep reflection. From the analysis of the events that have been added in recent years in the national territory, in which museums have suffered theft of equipment, materials and do not have adequate budgets and infrastructure, we are facing a serious problem: in the country there is no There are clear museum policies that promote strategies and actions to strengthen the basic principles of the work of the staff that allow the safeguarding of the important cultural and scientific heritage of the collections that are part of the national memory. Unfortunately, containers are systematically deteriorated, lacking adequate infrastructure and the necessary equipment to carry out their fundamental functions with dignity, as defined in the missions of each institution.

 

An urgent call

 

The Venezuelan State, through its governing bodies such as -the Ministry of Popular Power for Culture (Mpppc), the National Museums Foundation (FMN) and the Institute of Cultural Heritage (IPC) - must constantly ensure that museums can guarantee the protection, conservation, documentation and promotion of our tangible and intangible heritage assets. In this sense, we recall the binding aspects of co-responsibility that the national government has with museums and cultural heritage:

 

• As a principle, the first obligation of the State is to protect and promote the heritage of Venezuelans , as well as the human, physical and financial resources available for this purpose.

 

• It must guarantee the conditions of protection of the collections with protocols and adequate security systems , to protect the goods against any risk situation that could occur in the event of theft or theft.

 

• Allocate sufficient budgets and funds to carry out and promote museum activities ; in addition to allowing self-management as a way to generate economic resources for its sustainability and development.

 

 

• It is essential to hire personnel with the training and clear professional experience to assume responsibilities in any area of ​​museum management. This action includes the directors, coordinators, heads of areas, departments and security of each institution.

 

• It is necessary to permanently update the training and improvement, to maintain the effectiveness of the professionals who work in the museum, with a view to reinforcing the ethical commitment that must always prevail in the teams that work in these spaces.

 

• It is a priority that real actions are taken to protect the collections of our museums that are an expression of the cultural and natural heritage of the communities from which they come and, therefore, not only go beyond the characteristics of mere property but also They can have very strong affinities with national, regional, local, ethnic, religious and social identities.

 

• It is imperative to act quickly and make the necessary efforts to ensure that the professional responsibility for the custody and security of the collections is entrusted to individuals with appropriate qualifications and knowledge . In a very sensitive area, such as museum security, tasks and actions must be properly supervised.

 

• The Mpppc and the IPC must lay the foundations for a global reconsideration of priorities and lines of action according to the diagnoses that each institution has . With this action, the recovery of the infrastructures, vaults and collection deposits with optimal conditions of air conditioning, protection, security and custody should be promoted.

 

• It is vital that museum workers have decent salaries, commensurate with the responsibilities they exercise in these important memory centers.

 

 

Unpossible to protect collections

 

We must remember that museums are holders of relevant and transcendental collections that need to be conserved for the benefit of society and its development. These must have special protection to contribute to the safeguarding of the natural, cultural and scientific heritage. The collections constitute an important public heritage and are in a special situation with respect to the laws, since they enjoy the protection of international law. The notion of good administration is inherent to this mission of public interest and includes the concepts of legitimate property, permanence, documentation, accessibility and responsible transfer.

 

Likewise, we must think about how each citizen can proactively support these institutions. Our museums need to be seen from the good practices that their professionals carry out. It is appropriate to look at them from the commitment of many workers who continue in these spaces and assume great apostolates in museum management. Without them, museums would hardly exist in the national geography.

 

 

Museological ethics

 

Members of the museum profession must respect the norms, established laws, and maintain the honor and dignity of their profession. In Venezuela there are approximately 2,800 museum workers who work with mysticism and dedication. In this sense, we recall some articles of the ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums , regarding what has happened to the heritage of museums.

 

Professional conduct

 

8.5 Illicit traffic. Members of the museum profession should never contribute directly or indirectly to the illicit traffic or trade in natural or cultural property.

 

8.6 Confidentiality. Members of the museum profession must protect confidential information obtained in the performance of their duties. Furthermore, information on objects brought to museums for identification is confidential and should not be published or communicated to any institution or person without the specific authorization of their owners.

 

8.7 Security of museums and collections. Museum personnel will observe the strictest confidentiality with regard to information relating to the security of museums or private collections and premises that they visit in the performance of their duties.

 

8.8 Exception to the obligation of confidentiality. Confidentiality is subordinate to the legal obligation to assist the police or other competent authorities to carry out investigations into property that may have been illegally stolen, acquired or transferred.

 

8.9 Personal independence. Although members of a profession are entitled to a certain personal independence, museum professionals must be aware that no private business or professional interest can be completely separated from the activities of the institutions to which they belong.

 

 

The call and the proposal

 

From what has happened in the Museum of Contemporary Art of Caracas and, recently in other museums in the country (Francisco Narváez Contemporary Art Museum, Maracay Mario Abreu Contemporary Art Museum, Zulia Museum of Contemporary Art (Maczul) Museum del Transporte, Museo del Oro and Museo Salvador Valero) we call on each worker to collaborate and become aware that we are all jointly responsible for the protection of heritage, which is part of our memory and identity, as established by the Law of Protection and Defense of the Cultural Heritage of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

 

From ICOM-Venezuela we propose tables for reflection and debate to exchange, listen to each other and generate realistic, concrete and effective proposals in which the multiple voices of the national and international museum community participate. This initiative is about having an impact on the design of true and inclusive national, regional and local policies and regulations that aim to improve good museum practices in the country.

 

 

  

Board of Directors

Venezuelan National Committee

International Council of Museums, ICOM