Nominations

The Buzău County Museum is honored to announce that from September 28-30, 2017, it participated in the annual conference of the European Museum Academy and the Academy's awards ceremony, which recognizes excellence in European museology. The event was organized in Skopje, the capital of the Republic of Macedonia, and brought together over 120 specialists and experts from 30 countries. Each year, the European Museum Academy presents the Heritage in Motion Award, the Luigi Michelleti Award, and the DASA Award.

The Buzău County Museum submitted the exhibition Walking Around the World: The Story of the 497 Pairs of Traditional Romanian Shoes for evaluation by the European Museum Academy jury. This exhibition highlights the personality of the first Romanian globe-trotter, Dumitru Dan, while promoting and valuing a unique heritage both nationally and internationally.

In the fall of 2016, the Buzău County Museum was the only museum in Romania to submit its candidacy alongside more than 130 other European museums and was selected to compete alongside 34 museums from 21 countries (Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Switzerland, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, and Turkey).

The Academy's jury consisted of prominent figures in international museology, including Dr. Karl Borromäus Murr (jury president, Netherlands), René Capovin (Micheletti Foundation representative, Italy), Dr. Arno van Berge Henegouwen (Netherlands), Dr. Massimo Negri (EMA Director, Italy), Ann Nicholls (EMA Coordinator, United Kingdom), Dr. Virgil Ștefan Nițulescu (President of the National Museum Network of Romania), Dr. Andreja Rihter (EMA President and Director, Slovenia), Dr. Hermann Schäfer (EMA Adviser, Germany), Her Royal Highness Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg (art historian, Luxembourg), Danièle Wagener (Luxembourg), Dr. Wim van der Weiden (EMA President, Netherlands), and Dr. Henrik Zipsane (CEO of the Jamtli Foundation, Sweden).

Each nominated museum was visited by at least one jury member from the Academy, who submitted a final report containing an extensive analysis based on the following criteria: the condition of the building, the themes of the permanent exhibitions and innovative concepts, design, multimedia, graphics, public facilities, museum management and staff training, types of activities carried out (educational programs, adult education, courses, workshops, etc.), the museum's impact on the local, regional, national, and international community, marketing and PR activities, creative and innovative elements, and contributions to the development of ideas and best practices in European museology.

In April 2017, the Buzău County Museum was visited and evaluated by Dr. Wim van der Weiden, President of the European Museum Academy, who judged the exhibition Walking Around the World: The Story of the 497 Pairs of Traditional Romanian Shoes. The exhibition was part of the project of the same name, carried out between 2015-2016, with a grant offered by Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and the Government of Romania. The Buzău County Museum submitted its candidacy for the DASA Award, which recognizes excellence in museology based on the following criteria: the quality of learning and educational opportunities, museographic concept, storytelling quality, creativity and exhibition design, quality of educational programs, level of audience interaction, and the balance between education and entertainment.

The Buzău County Museum was represented at the events in Skopje by Mădălina Oprea (Head of the History Department and Project Manager), Răican Marinela (History Conservator), Duma Lucia (Expert Restorer), and Marica Nicoleta (Financial Assistant), all members of the project team for Walking Around the World: The Story of the 497 Pairs of Traditional Romanian Shoes.