The International Book Fair will take place in May in the city
The decision to merge the State Museum of Contemporary Art with the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art in Thessaloniki was announced by the PAITHPA Deputy Minister responsible for Culture Kostas Tzavaras at a press conference in Thessaloniki at noon on Thursday 7 February. In the same interview, he also announced the dates of this year's 10th International Book Fair in the city, in the presence of the Governor of Central Macedonia Apostolos Tzitzikostas and the mayor of Thessaloniki Yiannis Boutaris.
Describing the fact that there are two museums with the same object in the same city as unthinkable, he commented on the merger of the State Museum of Contemporary Art with the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art as a "demand that has matured". By combining them it will be created, argued the minister, "one of the largest museums in Greece and one of the largest Museums of Contemporary Art in Europe with the aim of promoting contemporary art". The new museum will be a Legal Entity under Private Law and will be managed as provided by law. The Museum of Photography is not included in the merger, which will become autonomous and operate as an independent legal entity.
10the Thessaloniki International Book Fair
From the 16 until 19 The 10th Thessaloniki International Book Fair will finally take place in May. It will be, said the minister, "a great celebration of culture centered on the book, dozens of events, at least 30 international participations and the encouragement for all Greek publishers to participate". The aim of the ministry, he stated, is to strengthen the participation of Greek and foreign publishers, the better promotion of the Greek book to the Greek and international public and the synergies with the cultural institutions of the city in order for Thessaloniki to become a pole of culture.
The Ministry in collaboration with 18 supervised cultural institutions prepares a program 200 events, which will start before the start of the exhibition, acting as a "pre-shock of the great celebration" that will send messages to the international environment, in collaboration with the Region of Central Macedonia, the Municipality of Thessaloniki but also the world of publishers, such as the Panhellenic Federation of Book Publishers and the Union of Publishers of Northern Greece. The organization, which the minister characterized as the "beginning of a historic period in the history of the institution, which Thessaloniki deserves and deserves".
Following the recent decision to abolish the National Book Centre (THERE), the exhibition will be the first event under the new data that has been established. Honored country for 2013 -as had already been set in motion a long time ago- it will be Great Britain. The thematic exhibition will be dedicated to K. P. Cavafy, on the occasion of their anniversary 150 years since his birth, while the Municipality of Thessaloniki is preparing a tribute on the subject of "Cyril and Methodius" in a separate stand inside the exhibition where a photographic exhibition of heirlooms will be presented, which will then travel to the countries where the Thessalonian missionaries worked.
The Governor of Central Macedonia, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, emphasized the decision of the Central Macedonia Region to invest in culture and support all sectors and announced the decision to reactivate the Lazarist Monastery.
The mayor of Thessaloniki, Yiannis Boutaris, expressed his belief that the 10th Thessaloniki International Book Fair will be crowned with success and added that the municipality will continue to work closely with the ministry. Referring to the merger of the two museums, he pointed out the importance of highlighting both the collections of the Macedonian Museum and the Kostakis collection of the State Museum of Contemporary Art.
Also present at the press conference were the Presidents of the State Museum of Contemporary Art and the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art, Mrs. Katerina Koskina and Xanthippi Heupel, which for their part welcomed the ministry's initiative to proceed with the merger of the two Museums and described today's announcements as "historically important" as, as they mentioned signal the need for a change and focused on the need for the new museum to be an extroverted organization.
Archaeological Museum of Amphipolis, Serres
As part of his visit to Thessaloniki, the deputy minister visited the archaeological site and the Archaeological Museum of Amphipolis Serres, he congratulated the Ministry of Macedonia-Thrace and the Region of Central Macedonia for contributing financially to the progress of the excavations and declared that "the State will do its duty and this project will reach its end". They will be given initially 50.000 euros for the completion of the excavation and "at the beginning of March the project will be included in the public investment program and will be financed in its entirety by the Ministry of Culture".
Source : tovima.gr
