Each year, the ICOM Advisory Committee proposes a theme that can be interpreted by museums to promote their issues within society.

The suggested theme for 2014 is Museum collections make connections

This theme reminds us that museums are living institutions that help create bonds between visitors, generations and cultures around the world.

The museum is an institution that preserves and communicates the past, yet it is grounded in the present. It is a link between the generations, as it allows present and future generations to better comprehend their origins and history. 

Organising International Museum Day

To help you organise the event and develop an activity programme linked with the theme, we suggest you four sub-themes:

• Design a visit tour. This theme reminds that an exhibition is made around museum items: the museum interprets the historic and scientific connections between these objects thanks to a visit tour designed to “tell a story”.
• An intergenerational link. Museums keep the relationship between a community and its history alive. They are spaces for dialogue between generations.  
• Displaying heritage in a modern way. Museums have quickly been able to seize the communication and mediation opportunities offered by new media and have broken away from the old-fashion image they once had.
• Collaboration between museum institutions or with other organization. Sharing collections as well as experience among museums is a good way to improve comprehension and emphasize intercultural exchanges. Partnerships with other structures, cultural or not, can also contribute to the museum’s mission.