Interpretation, accessibility, sharing are keywords introduced in the definition of “museum” proposed by ICOM in 2022, the year in which the Museo Egizio took an innovative position, almost a manifesto, dedicating a specific department to various public outreach activities.
For its Bicentenary, the Museo Egizio celebrated its first 200 years of history with a rich programme of initiatives, events and transformations under the umbrella of the slogan “200 Years of the Museo Egizio. Memory is our Future”. The narration of the celebrations adopted a participatory approach, involving not only researchers but also external communicators, schools and supporters, through digital content, online events and in-person initiatives. The most significant activities included the Cultural Agenda, which for an entire year accompanied the celebrations of the Museum’s Bicentenary, culminating with Festival 200: three days of free events that attracted over 23,000 people, helping to strengthen the bond between the Museum and the city of Turin. Visitor turnout remained high, exceeding one million admissions for the second year running, despite the month of closure for the rearrangement of the rooms and the palace. This figure was further supported by intense digital communications activities and social media presence, which digitally amplified the scope of the initiatives and explained step by step the launches studding the entire year. The Museum has also reinforced the attention it pays to the community in which it is located, via an extensive accessibility project and promotion of activities aimed at families, children and people with disabilities. The variety of events, conferences and conventions, together with collaborations with local institutions and partners, has consolidated the Museum’s role as a research centre and promoter of cultural dialogue. All this has helped to keep the collections alive, making them accessible and stimulating for an increasingly broad and diverse audience.
For the Bicentenary celebrations, the Museum received the acknowledgement of the High Patronage of the President of the Republic, which has assisted in the launch a new institutional programme: the Museum’s Cultural Agenda. This is a series of free monthly events, with a wealth of diversified programming. Each month has featured a theme, giving rise to a dynamic schedule that has consolidated the Museum’s presence as an important cultural reference point for the city. Some of the events have indeed taken place in significant locations in the city, such as the Roman Cinema in the Galleria Subalpina, the Gallerie d’Italia, Infini.to Planetarium of Turin, partly as contingency plans during the impressive renovation works. The Museo Egizio has thus aligned itself even further with the city, strengthening the links with the community and new audiences. The schedule of the 2024 Cultural Agenda began with the promotion of the Museum’s Bicentenary during the New Year’s Concert in Piazza San Carlo, promoted by the City of Turin. The concert, with an attendance of around 10,000, included a speech by the director of the Museo Egizio and set out the launch of the Cultural Agenda.
On 20 November 2024, the Museo Egizio kicked off the celebrations of the 200th anniversary of its foundation in the presence of the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella. After visiting the new installations with the Director and President of the Museo Egizio – broadcast live on Rai 1 – the President of the Republic participated in the official greeting ceremony where he met the Italian and Egyptian authorities, including the Minister of Culture, Alessandro Giuli and the Egyptian Minister Sherif Fathy. Following the official presentation to the highest echelons of the Italian State, a press conference was held to set out the contribution made by the organisations that have embraced the projects related to the Museum’s Bicentenary, with previews of the new exhibition spaces. The celebrations of the Bicentenary were brought to life with Festival 200: three days of free admission to show and tell the story of the 200 years of the Museum and the new installations to the general public with a rich programme of events including workshops, guided tours and insights with the curators of the Museo Egizio. The Festival began with an extraordinary opening until midnight, providing visitors with access to the Museum’s rooms for free. The evening concluded with the dance show “Safe from the Sleep” curated by Marco Pelle and Antonella Albano in the Gallery of the Kings; the Festival ended on 22 November with two distinctive events: the presentation ceremony of the commemorative stamp for the Bicentenary, a solemn moment in the Conference Hall, in the presence of the Honourable Federico Mollicone, and the last event in the cycle of meetings “What is a Museum?”, hosted by the Director of the Cairo Museum Ali Abdelhalim Ali, in dialogue with Christian Greco, who offered a reflection on the role of museums in the contemporary world. The Festival was attended by a total of 23,004 people (20-21-22 November 2024), an important figure and proof of the great interest in the institution and its transformation.
The Bicentenary was set out through the various inaugurations and initiatives carried out during the year, illustrating the architectural and exhibition transformations of the Museum, explaining the reasons using digital content, informative video clips and other curiosities about the collection. The focus of this narrative was a participatory approach, entrusted not only to researchers and more generally to the staff of the Museo Egizio but also to the new, sideways glance of external figures and their view of the Museum. Science communicators, with different styles and backgrounds, have contributed to amplifying the programming and the new installations at the Museum created for the Bicentenary. During Festival 200, a special project (PCTO) was also launched in conjunction with the Liceo d’Azeglio, involving students, who participated in the activities of the Festival and, through a dedicated supporters’ TikTok channel, shared and set out their vision of the 200 years of the Museum and the initiatives of the celebrations. The participatory approach was also the common thread of the campaign to join the You&ME membership programme, which collected testimonials from members and museum staff in a collective video that conveyed the specific perspective of those who have decided to support the Museum and its transformation.
