Dear conference delegates and other guests,

Long into the 20th century the reputation of the museum was that of a staid academic institution: Things were collected, registered and perserved. Guests were tolerated rather than welcomed, and young guests were frowned upon at best, or seen as a nuisance in general.

This is all behind us. There are few institutions in society, that have transformed themselves to the extent we see in the world of museums. At the beginning of the 21st century the museums of the world are in a position that they have never been before. The recognition of the importance of museums has never been more universal, attendance figures are at an all time high, and public attention has never been more intense.

Museums are now seen as our most important keepers of history in all fields of human endeavour, the most impartial source available for scholarly research. They present an unequalled fountain for unbiased and inspiring education about the past, giving an unadulterated view of the present and a balanced perspective on the future.

This has not happened overnight, but those of you who have a long experience in the museum field can undoubtedly track this development through the last decades and point out milestones on the way. There is little doubt, however, that the explosion of museum education and cultural action in the last few decades is one of the most important factors in this development.

The conference that has brought us here tonight, Museum Education in a Global Context – Priorities and Processes is both a celebration of this fact and an indication of the importance of museum education for the future. The intense programme of the conference for the next few days is a good indication of the diversity of good things that are happening in this field all over the world; museums are a vibrant part of our times, that have an enormous amount to offer to help us prepare for the future.

Dear guests,

It is not often that an international conference of this size and importance it brought to a small country. I would like to thank all those involved for making the conference possible, and hope that all our visitors will leave with good memories and an appreciation of what they see and hear this week, both in the conference and during the numerous study visits, that I see are an important part of the agenda.

Education and cultural activities are now at the core of the work being carried out in all museums that want to stay relevant for the societies to which they belong. We have seen a great development in this field here in Iceland as in other countries, and we look forward to further progress in the coming years, even in the face of an international recession.

I hope the first steps in this direction can be taken in the next few days during your meeting, and wish you a good conference.
Thank you.