Art as a Driving Force: The Minister of Culture’s Vision to Elevate Moldova’s Development Status

“Museums of the Future” project aims to combine the value of heritage collections with creative art, according to the Minister of Culture, Sergiu Prodan. The project is financed by development partners and is a pilot project for the Republic of Moldova. The digitization of art and the diversification of museum content will make them more attractive, thus contributing to the country’s economic development. Prodan suggested that museum admission prices may increase, but the government would offer discounts to various population groups, according to ipn.md.

Prodan said the “Museums of the Future” project aims to increase the visibility of cultural institutions by integrating innovations and modernizing spaces. The project assumes that the museums in the country will become spaces of the future, hosting digital installations and new media art exhibitions, so that visitors can have interactive cultural experiences.

“Art must become the locomotive that will bring Moldova out of the list of developing countries and bring it into the list of developed countries. Apart from this resource, we do not have many others that we can exploit. This initiative is supported by our external development partners. The Ministry of Culture, with subordinate museums, is the beneficiary of this project. The Ministry of Culture did not invest any money from the budget in this project. It is about digitalization programs and the diversification of museum content. Museums do not have the task of bringing economic profit, but following museum activities, everyone in the locality or nearby should have economic profit. The museum is a point of attraction, not a source of monetization,” said Prodan on the “Public Space” program on Radio Moldova.

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Within the “Museums of the Future” project, nine teams consisting of museum representatives, artists, and creative industry professionals have obtained the jury’s approval and the necessary financial support to implement innovative projects. The winners will receive a total of 200,000 euros to put their creative ideas into practice. Prodan said that experience should contribute to increasing the museums’ attractiveness. According to the minister, the price of one museum ticket should be increased to offer increased value to the art.

“What is now hindering the development of museums is the price of 10 lei, which is symbolic and insulting because we offer heritage values to visitors. When the price is so low and the same for everyone, it means that this is the value, it means that we ourselves appreciate our wealth and heritage. This is a bad signal we are sending to society. The intention and desire of the Ministry of Culture is to change this. This does not mean that people with lower incomes will not have access to heritage values, to know them, and admire them. On the contrary, discounts must be made for certain categories of people, we must have days with free admission, and more museum nights. Access at the price of 50 cents is insulting for the collections we make available,” explained the Minister of Culture.

The “Museums of the Future” project is implemented by Artcor, the Association of Creative Companies COR, under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture, with the support of USAID, Sweden, and the UK through the Future Technologies Project and the Rural Competitiveness and Resilience Project.