Dear Members,

As many of you are aware, over the past several months, ICOM members (both Georgian and international) have lost the privilege of free access to several museums under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Youth of Georgia. These include museums within the Georgian National Museum, the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia, the Art Palace of Georgia – Museum of Cultural History, and the Historical-Architectural Museum of Dadiani Palaces. Previously, ICOM members enjoyed free access to these institutions by presenting their membership cards, as was also indicated on their respective websites (including the website of the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation).

ICOM members are typically granted professional privileges, such as free access, in the majority of museums worldwide, regardless of a museum’s institutional membership in ICOM. Unfortunately, this privilege has been suspended in the aforementioned museums. Some have unofficially stated that the change is due to their non-institutional membership in ICOM and have said that “ICOM Georgia refused their membership applications.” Please refer to ICOM Georgia’s official statement for clarification on this matter.

In response to this situation, ICOM Georgia has reached out to the relevant museums and the Ministry of Culture to clarify the reasons behind the suspension of free access for ICOM members. Regrettably, we have not received an official response to these inquiries.

Additionally, due to the spread of misinformation regarding institutional membership, ICOM Georgia feels it is necessary to clarify the facts surrounding the membership process. Two museums—LEPL “Art Palace of Georgia – Museum of Cultural History” and LEPL “Historical-Architectural Museum of Dadiani Palaces”—submitted applications for institutional membership within the established deadlines (initially December 15, 2021, to February 28, 2022, and extended to March 7, 2022). The newly elected ICOM Georgia board approved their membership at its first meeting on April 20, 2022. Written confirmation of membership was sent to both institutions; however, no response was received, and membership fees were not paid, resulting in the membership not being finalized.

Additionally, on April 21, 2022, after the extended deadline, ICOM Georgia received applications for institutional membership from the National Museum of Georgia and the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation. However, as these applications were submitted after the deadline, the ICOM Georgia board was not authorized to review them. Both institutions were informed in writing that they could reapply within the proper timeframe in the future.

All relevant documentation and correspondence related to these matters is stored in ICOM Georgia’s records.