Lockdown is partially raised in Greece, archeological sites will open on International Museum Day, May 18, but museums will not open until the 15 of June, according to the announcements of Culture Minister Lina Mendoni on Thursday 7 May. The Minister also presented additional cultural sector measures to support artists and employees.

In the meantime, common goals and common needs of museums are more and more apparent around the world. The UK Museums Association issued on May 4 a statement on Reopening the Museum Sector, which also reflects the needs of the Greek museums too. Similarly, the American Association of Museums issued advice “On reopening: How to Get Ready to Open the Doors.”

We understand that many of you are looking for guidance and practical advice on the way forward. There are many contradictory feelings – eagerness to go back to our museums and collections, worry if audiences will visit, concern for ours and our visitors’ health and safety, uncertainty of what the future holds for cultural organisations. As Scott Stulen, one of our past speakers puts it, “The Museums that we closed will not be the museums that we reopen.”

We hope we will be helpful to you in this area, sharing useful perspectives, articles and presentations not only from museum professionals but also from experts in diverse fields, including health and technology. We are working to bring you more information and ideas from experts in the field in the coming weeks, as many of you requested in our survey.

Thank you for your feedback and ideas!

The CoMuseum team