WFFM: 18-22 September 2011 - Genoa, Palazzo Ducale, Salone del Maggior Consiglio
XIV Congress
of Friends of Museums
of the World Federation
Dear friends,
on behalf of the friends of museums throughout the
world who are represented by the World Federation
of Friends of Museums (WFFM), it is my great pleasure
to welcome you to the XIV World Congress of the
WFFM in the historical, cultural and art city of Genoa,
September 18-22, 2011.
The World Federation of Friends of Museums is
composed of 19 National Federations and 30 Associate
Members in 38 countries in Asia, Europe, Africa, North
and South America, representing millions of museum
friends and volunteers all dedicated to supporting
their museums in particular and the museum world
and culture in general.
This Congress is devoted to discussing the future of
the museums and their friends from several important
aspects. This is a wonderful opportunity for all of us
to congregate and discuss important matters while
enjoying one another's company in this most attractive
city hosted by FIDAM – the Federazione Italiana Amici
dei Musei together with the Associazione Amici dei
Musei Liguri e di Palazzo Ducale.
We wish us all a most stimulating Congress and
wonderful program together in Genoa.
Danny Ben-Natan
President, WFFM
Congress Chairman
Dear Friends of the Museums worldwide,
on behalf of the Friends of the Museums of Italy, I extend to you a warm welcome to our XIV International Congress.
Our host, the city of Genoa, opens itself to you with generosity and enthusiasm, offering you the opportunity to discover an extraordinary artistic patrimony and an authentic representation of the heritage of Italy as a whole.
Italy – museo naturale, as famously defined by Andre' Chastel – for us Friends of the Museums is also an "integrated museum". Therefore each of us, and you as well, is aware that the knowledge of the cultural patrimony
needs to always be joined with, if not preceded by, the understanding of the human context. In fact, without the latter the former would not make sense nor even exist.
For this reason this Congress is dedicated to "Museums and Their Friends in the Future," strongly connecting in a symbiotic relationship People and Art through cultural expressions.
We also extend the gratitude of the Italian Federation of the Friends of the Museums to the Friends of the Ligurian Museums and of Genoa's Palazzo Ducale, to the entire city of Genoa, and its political institutions, all of which have made possible this Congress with their support and enthusiasm.
We are confident that, with everyone's contribution, the XIV International Congress will produce many ideas and collaborations for the future, fueled by the understanding that not only Art but especially Culture will improve our
world perhaps more deeply than other elements of our civil societies.
With our earnest wish that the World Federation of Friends of Museums may continue on this path, we want to underscore that Italy is hosting this 2011 Congress in homage and commemoration of the 150th anniversary of our country as a united nation. May this celebration be the harbinger of a similar unity of all the arts, a true symbol of our identity expressed in countless and varied historic and artistic representations.
With our most heartfelt wishes and in true friendship,
Mauro Del Corso
President Italian Federation of Friends of the Museums
Dear Friends,
on behalf of the Association "Friends of the Museums of Genoa and Liguria" I would like to offer you a very warm welcome. So, why is this conference taking place in Genoa?
Genoa's history, geographical location, artistic and architectural legacy, and museums, make it a city of global importance. However, this is not the only, or even the main reason. The real reason – and here we are getting right to the heart of what this conference is all
about – is because, aware of the traditional importance of its museums, after the heavy bombardments it suffered during the Second World War, Genoa was the first Italian city to rebuild and refurbish its main museums. Most of the work was carried out by Franco Albini, a great architect whose work reinvigorated our
museums and has become famous across the world.
It is for this reason that Genoa is the perfect place to host a congress on museums.
I am also delighted that the congress is taking place in the historic Palazzo Ducale. This is also no coincidence, as the Palace is the cultural heart of our city.
Welcome, and I wish you every success in your work.
Giorgio Teglio
President of the Association "Friends of the Museums of Liguria and of the Palazzo Ducale"
Spatium Artis,
Museums and their Friends in the future