On May 18, the worldwide community of museums will celebrate International Museum Day with programs, activities and special displays.  Since 1977, the goal of this global day of recognition was to raise awareness of the fact that, “Museums are an important means of cultural exchange and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.”

Museums are storehouses of our culture and community.  Every object they preserve and display has a story. The items in the Chandler Museum are no different.  From the Chandlerama ties worn during Chandler’s 50th anniversary, to the door of the first jail in Chandler, each item represents a moment in time and each adds to the cultural landscape of Chandler.

We would like to invite visitors to come to the Chandler Museum’s McCullough-Price House to help us celebrate International Museum Day on May 18, by taking a tour of the house, experiencing our exhibits and adding your statement about your love for museums to our collage wall. We will also have several “pop-up” museums throughout the community that feature our traveling banner exhibits. You can find these one-day exhibits at Chandler City Hall, Downtown Chandler Library and at the Chandler Museum. 

Beyond procuring objects of our past, museums infuse the community with educational programming that creates conversation and a view of the past, present and future with a new perspective. Museums provide that “ah-ha” moment when a person makes a meaningful connection with objects, images, stories and activities.  These moments have the power to spark curiosity and imagination, as well as inspire new expressions of art, language and action that benefit the cultural landscape of the community. They are unique gathering places that are open and waiting for a variety of voices, debates, discussions and discoveries to be shared.

We hope that Chandler Museum is that place that provides your “ah-ha” moment. Chandler Museum is located at 300 S. Chandler Village Drive, across from Chandler Fashion Center.

Visit chandlermuseum.org for more information or to print your own museum love sign, take a selfie with your statement, and share it on social media with the hashtag, #museumday2016.