ICOM Brazil Issues Open Letter on International Museum Day Amid Pandemic

On May 18, International Museum Day, ICOM Brazil published an open letter to the Brazilian museological community. The letter, from the International Council of Museums in Brazil, emphasizes the crucial role of cultural institutions during the Covid-19 pandemic, which has caused over 16,000 deaths in the country. Museums are described as contemporary, relevant, and powerful institutions focused on preserving collections, research, and public communication. The message honors essential workers in conservation, security, and maintenance who cannot follow recommended isolation measures. Following WHO guidelines, museums remain closed and face economic challenges while trying to retain staff, unlike the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, which conducted layoffs in late April. ICOM stresses museums' power to help people resist the current moment by activating memories, recording the present, and acknowledging social transformation. The council calls for institutions to rethink their post-crisis function, urging a reconfiguration of the museum experience to be socially inclusive and economically sustainable, moving beyond reliance on social elite or public funding. The letter was published alongside a series of interviews by arte!brasileiros with Brazilian cultural institution directors, including Jochen Volz, Eduardo Saron, and Ricardo Ohtake.