Over the past three years, the America for Bulgaria Foundation’s #ATTHEMUSEUM awards have recognized the efforts of museums, galleries, and other cultural organizations to become welcoming places for children and their families and to open up to diverse visitor groups. In the 2018 edition of the competition, we received a total of 47 applications in three categories—Best Children’s Project, Best Families’ Project, and Best Partnership. The grand prize in each category was 5,000 Bulgarian levs.
The awards ceremony took place on June 8 at the Cartoon Hotel in Razgrad and was attended by more than 100 representatives of cultural organizations from across Bulgaria. Razgrad District Governor Gyunay Hyusmen presented the Best Children’s Project award to representatives of the Hristo Botev Regional Library in Vratsa for the library’s imaginative way of showcasing tradition through modern means. The Vratsa library prepared a special challenge for 10-16-year-olds from the city—a vlogger training titled #VlogOn: Tell Me about the Sights in Your City. The pilot edition of the three-month course started with 20 teenagers, who learned the ropes of shooting videos and creating a vlog.
Razgrad Mayor Valentin Vassilev presented the award in the Best Families’ Project category to the National Art Gallery for its Magic Blanket project. Each month, the “Magic Blanket” lands in front of a painting or sculpture, and 2-5-year-olds and their parents or grandparents enjoy stories populated by magical characters and inspired by the gallery’s artworks.
Have you ever built a bird island out of magic sand, held a salt miner’s spade, or read a letter from a stork? Do you know how many types of salt are produced in Bulgaria and what a coastal lagoon is? You’ll find all this information at a unique museum space at the Atanasovskо Lake near Burgas, founded by the Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation and the Black Sea Saltworks company. The space was named the Best Partnership in the 2018 #ATTHEMUSEUM competition. The award was presented by Mrs. Galena Radoslavova, director of the Abritus Archeological Reserve.
The America for Bulgaria Foundation gave two incentive awards in the amount of 1,000 Bulgarian levs. One went to the Ivan Vazov House Museum in Sopot, Central Bulgaria, for its Master of Crafts program, in which craftsmen from the Sopot Esnaf Association teach their crafts to children free of charge. The second award went to the Byala Cherkva History Museum for its Summer in the Museum program, in which more than 120 children have taken part. The Sofia Zoo received a non-monetary incentive award—training for work with children to be provided by the staff of Muzeiko, the children’s science museum—for its Zoo Summer School, Noah Zoo Club, and other educational activities for students.
The award ceremony was followed by a two-day retreat for all applicants featuring a treasure hunt, a quiz, games, and a brainstorming session to help the host, the Abritus Archeological Reserve, expand its programming and attract more visitors.
