🎉 May 18 – International Museum Day
Theme: The Future of Museums in Rapidly Changing Communities
💙 #IMD2025

On May 18, museum visits across Georgia are free of charge.

We proudly present the program of special events planned in museums across Georgia during the week of May 18–25 (updated regularly):

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TBILISI

🏛️ Tbilisi Museums Union
📅 Dates: May 18–25, 2025
The Union offers a diverse program of educational events, workshops, themed tours, and hands-on activities.

Ilia Chavchavadze Literary-Memorial Museum

• 12:00 – Workshop: “A New Life for the Book” – Creative book recycling techniques
• 15:00 – Program: “The Magic Lantern” – Interactive interpretation of museum objects for children
• 20:00–24:00 – Night at the Museum:
– Interactive tours
– Urban sketch exhibition of Chughureti
– Salon talk: “An Evening of Flirtation”
– Classical music concert
– Open-air activities and video projection in the courtyard

Zakaria Paliashvili Memorial House Museum

• 13:00 – “History of Georgian Music” – Educational program on classical and folk traditions
• 15:00 – Walking tour: “Golovini – From Opera to Opera”

Nikoloz Baratashvili Memorial House Museum

• 14:00 – “From Mouseion to Museum” – Evolution of the museum concept
• 16:00 – “History of Tbilisi City” – Popular highlights from the city’s past

Kote and Soso Tsereteli Memorial House Museum

• 12:00 – “Eastern Civilizations” – The influence of Asian cultures on Georgian traditions
• 15:00 – “How to Protect Our Planet” – Raising ecological awareness
• 📅 May 20, 12:00 – “Jeans Generation” – A program on jeans as a symbol of freedom

Galaktion Tabidze Memorial House Museum

• 12:00 – “From Galaktion’s Balcony” – A tour following the poet’s life and footsteps
• 15:00 – “The Captured Moment” – Reading historical photographs and documents

Vakhtang Chabukiani Memorial House Museum

• 15:00 – “From Ritual to Ballet” – Origins of Georgian dance traditions
• 17:00 – Workshop: “Carnival Masks” – Creating masks inspired by theatrical heritage

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🏛️ Tbilisi Toy and Puppet Museum
📅 Dates: May 21–23
Educational Program: “History of Dolls”
Part of the “Museum Outside the Museum” project, exploring the cultural significance of dolls with children.

📅 May 25, 11:00 – Special walking tour: “Nobel Prize Laureates in Tbilisi”
📍 Meeting point: Near Nikoloz Baratashvili Museum (Chakhrukhadze St. 17)

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🏛️ Georgian National Museum

📅 Date: 18 May 2025 (unless indicated otherwise)
📍 Free admission to all museums | Opening hours extended until 20:00

🔹 Simon Janashia Museum of Georgia

• Guided tours at 11:00, 13:00, 15:00, 17:00
• Curator tour: Stone Age in Georgia – 14:00 (Teona Shelia)
• Curator tour: Silverwork in Georgia (4th–19th centuries): Jewelry, Weapons, Vessels – 15:00 (Datunashvili, Mamiashvili, Kapianidze)
• Educational workshop for children (ages 8–14): The History of Jewelry – 16:00
• Educational workshop: Ceramic Restoration – 15:00

🔹 Shalva Amiranashvili Museum of Fine Arts

• Interactive program: Innovation in Museums – 13:00 (ages 12–15) | Author: Dali Gogorishvili
• Educational program: The Essence of a Still Life – 16:00 (ages 11+)
• Curator tours of current exhibitions – 17:00

🔹 Dimitri Shevardnadze National Gallery

• Educational program: Elements of Art – 12:00 (for children aged 7–9)
• Educational program: Pirosmani – Frame by Frame – 14:00
• Curator-led exhibition tour – 16:00
• Opening of a retrospective exhibition on Alexander Shirvashidze, featuring 250 objects from the Museum of Fine Arts’ collection (in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia)

🔹 Ioseb Grishashvili Tbilisi History Museum

• Educational program: …and Thus Tbilisi Arose – 13:00 and 16:00
📍 Location: 8 Sioni Street (Old Caravanserai Building)

🔹 Sighnaghi Museum and Regional School Programs

• 16–18 May: Interactive sessions on the life and work of Mose Toidze
• 18 May: Salon discussion on the history of the Signagi Museum
• 18 May: Salon discussion on Signagi’s cultural traditions
• 16 May: Landscape painting workshop with local art school students
• 18 May: Folklore concert and guided tours at 12:00, 14:00, 16:00

🔹 Otar Lordkipanidze Vani Archaeological Museum-Reserve

• Educational programs for children

🔹 Bolnisi Museum

• Visits by students, teachers, pensioners, and beneficiaries of the “Gantiadi” Rehabilitation Center
• Educational event: Pottery in Georgia – Exhibition of clay vessels and hands-on restoration workshop in the museum lab

🔹 Dmanisi Archaeological Museum-Reserve

• Interactive visitor engagement sessions

🔹 Svaneti Museum of History and Ethnography

• Free guided tours throughout the day

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🏛️ State Silk Museum
📅 Dates: May 18, 22, and 24, 2025

🕔 17:00–21:00 – Opening of the exhibition “Embroidered Kheberi”
In collaboration with artist Irma Sharikadze, this temporary exhibition explores the cultural memory of Adjara’s women through:
– Traditional embroidery collection
– Contemporary ceramic artworks
– Photographs from fieldwork (2019–2022)
– Documentary film “Color of the Adjara Dowry”
– Installation by Irma De Flore
The exhibition investigates intersections of myth and modernity, with embroidered stories as vessels of memory.
🎭 Opening performance at 17:00

May 22 – International Day for Biological Diversity

🕔 17:00–21:00 – Public seminars and interactive activities on nature and sustainability
Speakers:
– Sophio Injia, entomologist (Silk Museum)
– Kao Kayama, environmental education expert (Japan)

🗓️ Program:
• 17:00–17:45 – “Is Human Intervention in Nature Harmful?” (in English)
• 18:00–18:30 – “Natural Selection – Colors and Forms in Butterflies” (in Georgian)
• 18:30–19:00 – Microscope observation of butterfly specimens (Gvantsa Fotskhishvili & Valeri Petrov)
• 19:00–19:30 – “What Does Eco-Friendly Really Mean?” (Kayama)
• 19:30–20:00 – Sound collage performance by the platform Tan_Khmovani and artist Nino Davadze

May 24 – Research Presentations

🕒 15:00–18:00
• 15:00–15:45 – Public talk with art historian Anastasia Kalandadze, presentation of the project Avgavani
• 16:00–16:45 – Virtual map presentation: “Silk Roads of Tbilisi”, part of the Horizon Europe project ARACNE
– Combines historical and modern silk routes
– Technical support by Sakartvelo 360

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🏛️ Giorgi Leonidze Georgian Literature Museum
📅 Date: May 18, 2025
🕕 Time: 18:00–21:00

Exhibition of Memorial Objects
A rare display of literary and personal relics from Georgia’s prominent writers and intellectuals, housed in the museum’s collections since its founding in 1931.
Featured items include furniture, clothing, photographs, handwritten manuscripts, and portraits belonging to:
Alexander and Nino Chavchavadze, Nikoloz Baratashvili, Manana Orbeliani, Ilia Chavchavadze, Akaki Tsereteli, Vaja-Pshavela, Galaktion Tabidze, Titsian Tabidze, Niko Pirosmani, Vladimir Mayakovsky, and others.

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🏛️ Writers’ House of Georgia
📅 Date: May 18, 2025
🕖 Time: 19:00–03:00
Event: Night at the Museum

The David Sarajishvili Memorial Museum and the Museum of Repressed Writers will open their doors at night, offering immersive tours, special exhibitions, and theatrical experiences in the historic Writers’ House building and its terraces, atmospherically lit for the evening.

🗓️ Program:
• 19:00–03:00 – Guided tours of permanent and temporary exhibitions (every hour)
• 19:00–03:00 – Temporary exhibition: “Titsian Tabidze – 130”
• 20:00–21:00 – Theatrical performance: “We, the Blue Horns” (Dir. Giorgi Kashia)
• 21:00–22:00 – Narrative tour: “Stories of Repressed Women”
• 22:00–23:00 – Play: “History Lesson” – dramatization of the struggle of Georgian cadets and Maro Makashvili (Dir. Andria Vacharadze)

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🏛️ David Baazov Museum of the History of Jews of Georgia and Georgian-Jewish Relations
📅 Date: May 18, 2025
Explore the newly renovated permanent exhibition, reflecting the long-standing presence and cultural contributions of Jewish communities in Georgia.

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🏛️ Mirza Fatali Akhundov Museum of Azerbaijani Culture
📅 Date: May 18, 2025
🕘 Time: 11:00–21:00

The museum invites visitors of all ages to explore its collections, highlighting the life and works of Mirza Fatali Akhundov and the cultural legacy of Azerbaijani communities in Georgia.

IMERETI

🏛️ Kutaisi State Historical Museum
📅 Date: May 18, 2025
🕘 Time: 10:00–19:00
🎟️ Free admission all day

Special Program – 11:00

Educational Conference:
“Georgia – A Country of Cultural Vine and Wine”
Organized jointly with the Palace of Youth, this regional conference engages students from Imereti public schools and focuses on cultural heritage, education, and youth involvement in museum practices.

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🏛️ Kutaisi Historical-Architectural Museum-Reserve
📅 Dates: May 18–20, 2025
🕘 Time: 10:00–17:00 / 13:30–17:00

📍 May 18

Location: Dimitri Nazarishvili St. 7, Kutaisi
Program title: “Mother Tongue”

Activities (Part of the “Cultural Heritage for Children” series):
• Educational workshop: “Mosaic Art” – students learn about mosaic techniques and create Georgian letters with colored stones
• Participating school: Samtredia Public School No. 3
• Followed by a literary evening dedicated to the Georgian alphabet

📍 May 20

Location: Kutaisi Public School No. 30
Program title: “Museum Today”
Part of the project “Collaboration with Museums”

Mobile museum lessons include:
• Ceramic painting workshop
• Ancient Georgian housing: lecture and model activity
• Mosaic painting workshop

📍 Free entrance to Geguti Royal Palace on May 18 as part of International Museum Day.

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🏛️ Niko Nikoladze House Museum
📅 Date: May 18, 2025
🕐 Time: 13:00–15:00
📍 Location: Samtredia

• 13:00 – Project Presentation: “Museum in Digital Dialogue – From Word to Code”
An innovative collaboration with Samtredia Public School No. 11. QR codes placed around the museum link to multilingual audio guides (English, French, German, Russian) created by students and teachers.
Project initiator: Maiko Sakvadze, French teacher

• 14:00 – Student Conference: “Niko Nikoladze – A Multifaceted Contributor to Georgia”
Presented by students from Samtredia Public School No. 2

• 15:00 – Musical Evening
Performances by students from Samtredia Cultural Center, Arts Schools, and the village of Didi Jikhaishi

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🏛️ Prof. Jurkha Nadiradze Sachkhere Museum of Local History
📅 Date: May 18, 2025
Program title: “Link Between the Centuries”

• Exhibition and sale of student-made clay pottery
• Tour of a local pottery workshop
• Traditional Georgian games in the museum’s ethnographic courtyard
• Educational tour from the museum to Todadze Fortress with youth heritage club “Skhvitoreli”
• Educational trip to Kutaisi Synagogue on minority history
• New exhibition at Viktor Nozadze School Museum in the village of Modzvi
• Throughout the day – free admission and access to archaeological, ethnographic, and literary collections
• Upcoming exhibitions at the Paolo Iashvili Memorial Museum and Viktor Nozadze School Museum

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🏛️ Public School of Koreti, Sachkhere Municipality
📅 Date: May 21, 2025
🕑 Time: 14:00
Program: “In the Footsteps of Our Past”

• Public presentation by the school’s trained student guides
• Additional activities leading up to the event include:
– Guide training
– Webinar on cultural heritage
– Museum presentation
– Interactive meetings with visitors

This initiative focuses on youth engagement with local museums and storytelling of historical narratives.

AJARA

🏛️ Ajara Agency for Cultural Heritage Protection
📅 Date: May 18, 2025
📍 Location: Gonio-Apsaros Archaeological-Architectural Complex

Event:
🎭 Theatrical Performance – “HELLADOS”
An open-air play inspired by the story by Nodar Dumbadze, staged on the grounds of the heritage site.
Director: Petre Chargaeishvili
The production creatively combines cultural heritage with contemporary performance.

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🏛️ Ajara Museum
📅 Date: May 18, 2025

• 🕠 17:30 – Online video presentation: “Georgian Grandeur in the Palace of the Muses”
Posted on the official Facebook page of the Ajara Museum, the video explores the role of museums in preserving Georgian cultural identity.

• 🌙 Night at the Museum
The Ajara Museum of Art will extend its opening hours until 23:00, participating in the global “Night at the Museum” initiative and welcoming visitors after dark.

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KAKHETI

🏛️ Telavi Historical Museum
📅 Date: May 18, 2025
🕙 Time: 10:00–17:30
🎟️ Free admission

🕛 12:00 – Special Program:
Scientific-Practical Conference:
“Museum Practices and Their Role in Cultural Tourism Development”
Organized in collaboration with Telavi Historical Museum and Telavi State University (named after Iakob Gogebashvili), the conference explores the intersection of museum activity and cultural tourism.

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🏛️ Gurjaani Library and Museum Union
📅 Date: May 18, 2025
🎟️ Free admission in all museums

Multiple exhibitions, cultural events, and Night at the Museum activities are planned in the following locations:

• Ioseb Noneshvili Museum – from 13:00
🎨 Art exhibition featuring works by Elene Koreulashvili and Luka Mamulashvili

• Ivane Beritashvili Museum
📘 Public discussion: “The Future of Museums in Rapidly Changing Societies”

• St. Grigol Peradze House Museum – from 13:00
🎨 Solo exhibition by Tatia Iremashvili

• Giorgi Maisuradze Village History Museum – at 12:00
🖼️ Art exhibition and sale of works by Elene Amonashvili

• Gurjaani Glory War Memorial Museum
🎨 Exhibition of paintings by Nini Imedadze

• Nato Vachnadze House Museum – Night at the Museum
🕖 19:00 – Live music performance by Mamuka Tsiskarashvili
🕚 Museum open to visitors until 23:00

SHIDA KARTLI

🏛️ Gori Historical-Ethnographic Museum
📅 Date: May 18, 2025
🕙 Time: 10:00–22:00
🎟️ Free admission

• 🕑 14:00 – Opening of the photo exhibition: “From the Museum’s Past” – showcasing archival images from the museum’s early displays
• Throughout the day – folk and urban music and poetry evening, featuring performers from the older generation

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🏛️ Giorgi Khorguashvili Kaspi Museum of Local History
📅 Dates: May 16–18, 2025

• 🗓️ May 16 – Exhibition: “Traditional Georgian National Costume”
• 🗓️ May 18 – Educational sessions:
– Archaeology Talks – introducing students to archaeological discoveries
– Video screenings on the history and importance of museums around the world

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KVEMO KARTLI

🏛️ Rustavi History Museum
📅 Dates: May 18–31, 2025
🎟️ Free admission on May 18

• 🕚 11:00–17:00 – Open House Day
• 🕓 16:00 – Exhibition: “Our Yesterday” – community-based memories through photos and objects
• 🕔 16:50 – Educational session: “Agriculture in Ancient Georgia” – visual storytelling of historical farming practices

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🏛️ Gardabani Museum of Local History
📅 Dates: May 18–20, 2025
🕛 Time: 12:00–17:00

The museum will present:
• Permanent exhibition
• Temporary exhibition of works by young contemporary artist Nino Gurchiani, marking her debut in public presentation

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RACHA

🏛️ Oni Museum of Local History
📅 Date: May 18, 2025
🎟️ Free admission

• Visitors will have access to the existing permanent collection and archival materials throughout the day.

Note: A new state-of-the-art museum building has been constructed for the Oni Museum. While the museographic project is currently in development, no additional exhibitions or public programs are possible in the former building during this period.