ISTANBUL — The 23.5 Hrant Dink Site of Memory was awarded the 2023 Kenneth Hudson Award for Institutional Courage and Professional Integrity at the European Museum of the Year Awards Ceremony, which has been given by the European Museum Forum since 1977.

The award is named after Kenneth Hudson, a journalist, museologist and writer who is also the founder of the European Museum of the Year Awards (EMYA).

The Kenneth Hudson Award for Institutional Courage and Professional Integrity is given by the European Museum Forum board to a museum, a group or an individual to celebrate courageous museum practices that challenge and expand common perceptions of the role and responsibilities of museums in society. 33 candidates from 19 countries competed at the European Museum of the Year Awards where 6 museums received awards in different categories.

The EMYA jury awarded the prize to 23.5 Hrant Dink Site of Memory for its holistic and universal approach to human rights, for its contributions to social transformation and democratization and for shedding light on the past while acting for the future.

The recipients, in turn, issued a statement thanking the organizers for giving them the Hudson Award.

“Each award is a celebration, however for us each award also represents a dilemma. We wish we lived in a world where we only built and created museums that would celebrate life, cherish diversity, co-existence, human rights, peace and acknowledge the courageous efforts of wonderful people while they were alive,” the statement noted. “Remembering and dealing with the past is a sort of resistance and a different form of activism that sparks transformative change within communities. 23.5 acts as a space that encourages people to deal with the past while also functioning as a space for dialogue, communication and comprehension. Since January 19th 2007, which marks the day when Hrant Dink was killed, our hearts are wounded and we are trying to heal our wounds through our mission and work. 23.5 offers a unique life story – not every life story can be exhibited. But at the same time killing someone doesn’t mean that that person is dead. As Hrant Dink’s wife Rakel Dink said, each death is a journey to eternity and we are aware how his death produced thousands of seeds.”

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They also paid tribute to their namesake, saying “his vision and the values he endorsed are inspiring, encouraging many minds and many hearts.”

 

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