CIMAM Issues Urgent Appeal to Rio Mayor to Protect MAR Museum Funding

The International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern and Contemporary Art (CIMAM), an organization affiliated with the International Council of Museums (ICOM) representing over 600 museum directors and professionals worldwide, has published an appeal to the Rio de Janeiro City Hall expressing deep concern about the situation at the Museu de Arte do Rio (MAR). The committee warns that the loss of public funding would result in the museum's collapse. In December 2019, a transfer of R$451,000 from the City Hall guaranteed the museum's operation until the end of that year and ended the advance notice given to its employees. However, this transfer does not cover expenses for 2020, and in the context of the city's economic crisis, new transfers to the Odeon Institute, which manages MAR, are threatened. CIMAM's statement asks Mayor Marcelo Crivella to maintain public funding for the museum. Founded in 2013, MAR has gained worldwide recognition for combining an international artistic vision with educational programs and focusing on low-income communities. The committee also acknowledges the broad range of actions by the artistic movement MAR VIVE, which has gathered nearly 45 signatures in an open letter calling for the museum's protection, demonstrating the institution's far-reaching social impact and unique importance.