Barcelona has become a decisive city for the world of museums for three days, as it hosts the EMYA (European Museum of the Year) awards, which choose the European museum of the year. This is the most prestigious recognition in the sector at a European level, which focuses on innovation. Among the 33 nominated museums from 19 countries are Casa Batlló, L'ETNO in Valencia and Chillida Leku in Hernani. The winner will be announced this Saturday at an awards ceremony at Llotja de Mar, starting at 7:00 p.m.
Organized by the European Museum Forum and the Barcelona History Museum (MUHBA), this year's edition, from May 3 to 6, brings together 250 members. Joan Roca, director of the MUHBA, stresses the importance of the EMYA: "These awards not only change the world of museums, they also change Europe. We hope that after these days Barcelona can continue to be the capital of museums."
The conference is part of the 80th anniversary of the MUHBA, a museum that, despite its longevity, is in keeping with the innovative values of the event, since it has been renewed over the years. "The fact of having contact with the EMYA can be seen reflected in many changes in the museum," says Roca.
The main criterion that EMYA follows is innovation. Those that are new museums or that have opened in the last three years can be presented, but also those already consolidated museums that have renewed their organization and completed a substantial modernization or expansion.
Amina Krvavac, president of the jury and executive director of the Sarajevo Museum of Childhood and War, explained that these renovations must affect 80% of the facilities of these museums to be suitable: "It can be a large, small, well-known museum , lesser known, we accept applications from museums of all kinds that come from totally different social contexts".
This award has been granted without interruption since 1977, and centers such as the Museum of the Mind in Haarlem last year, the Design Museum in London, the CosmoCaixa or the Guggenheim in Bilbao have won it in other editions. This year it could be won by a Spanish museum, since there are three nominees: the Casa Batlló in Barcelona, L'ETNO in Valencia and the Chillida Leku in Hernani.
In addition to the EMYA award, the Council of Europe also recognizes a museum that has contributed to defending human rights and has focused on social issues. This award, on the other hand, is known in advance, and in this edition it has gone to the Museum of the Workers of Copenhagen, which in the words of the Council, "puts on the table issues such as the development of the future of democracy, climate change and political activism.
Jette Sandahl, president of the European Museum Forum, affirms that museums are not independent of these problems: "In the last decade, museums have contributed to raising awareness of sustainability and social justice issues. Museums are not part of a space empty, but are part of the society we live in," concludes Sandahl.
