Museum Development Introduction

The Venezuelan American Endowment for the Arts (VAEA) promotes through the visual and performing arts a deeper and richer understanding of Venezuelan and American cultures.

VAEA also promotes culture, diversity and education internationally by giving educational grants and organizing cultural-exchange programs for young artists, regardless of their nationality.

In its commitment to continue to support and promote arts and culture, VAEA acknowledges that the Venezuelan cultural institutions are underfunded. Hence, VAEA has decided to create a new Museums Development Division to support  these institutions who desire to ameliorate their spaces, in order to grow and enhance their programs.

This division, born from a completely private initiative, will be in charge of screening applications and determining the necessities of Venezuelan Museums that request its support.  VAEA will start collecting data and assessing the condition of Venezuelan Museums during the second half of 2020, aiming to start these support program in 2021.

The criteria to asses these necessities, will be based on the Ethics, Standards, and Professional Practices guidelines stablished by The American Alliance of Museum (AAM),  the standards and guidelines of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) that provides best practices to museums, and the UNESCO recommendations concerning the protection and promotion of museums and collections.nezuelan Museums during the second half of 2020, aiming to start these support program in 2021.

“To develop their social role, museums must be a microcosm of the society – but rather than just a mirror, a mirror of the future. In other words, it must incorporate in its operational mode what we want society to be. Therefore, museums must be open to everybody and promote equal access to opportunities.” – Milene Chiovatto, Chair of the ICOM International Committee for Education and Cultural Action and Head of the Education Department at the Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo in Brazil