The Palestinian Museum, a gargantuan project designed by the Dublin-based architectural firm Heneghan Peng, will open on May 15th, 2016.

The architectural project was revealed in 2014 and expected to open in 2015 — it has now been reported to 2016. The energy-efficient building is located in the North of Ramallah, on a 40 000 m2 campus next to the Birzeit University in Palestine, on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean.

"The Palestinian Museum will act as a dynamic, innovative forum for the exchange and development of knowledge and ideas connected to Palestinian society, history and culture," reads an official release on the museum’s website. In this sense, the museum is dedicated to preserve and celebrate the culture, society and history of Palestine, by combining exhibitions with educational programs and research projects, in order to become a place for dialogue and reflection, which transcends political and geographical borders.



Initially, the museum project was launched in the late 1990s by the Bord of Trustees of the Welfare Association (an NGO committed to providing development and humanitarian assistance to Palestinians), who realized the need for a modern historical museum in Palestine. In this context, the Board appointed Jack Persekian, the Founding Director of Anadiel Gallery and the Al-Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art in Jerusalem, as Director and Head Curator. Persekian has recently issued a general invitation to Palestinians living in historic Palestine and the diaspora to join with the Museum in producing and presenting new narratives of the Palestinian people, encompassing its history of dispersion, resistance, steadfast and hope.

"The Museum refuses to be constricted by geographical and political borders; rather, it is to be an institution capable of traversing such boundaries, and overcoming the obstacles to free movement faced by so many. To this end, it is working to establish a whole network of partnerships around it, as well as using its digital platforms and networks to connect with its publics wherever they are in the world," explained Persekian in an official release.

According to the museum’s website, Jack Persekian and his team are currently working out of temporary offices in Ramallah to prepare a full program of exhibitions and projects, both within historic Palestine and in other international cities, such as Jerusalem, Haifa, Nazareth, Gaza, Amman, Beirut, Dubai, London, San Diego, Santiago, and Cape Town.


More information on www.palmuseum.org.

Pictures courtesy of the Palestinian Museum.