Honor for GrazMuseum

Austrian Museum Prize goes to Graz

Museum director Sibylle Dienesch (2nd from left) with the team of the current exhibition "Habitat Graz"

(Bild: Christoph Hartner)

Every year, the Ministry of Culture awards a prize worth 20,000 euros for outstanding achievements in the field of museum work. This year it goes to the GrazMuseum.

Every year, the Austrian Museum Prize honors outstanding achievements in the field of museum work. This prize, which has been awarded since 2000, has only gone to Styria once before: in 2005, the Museum of Admont Abbey won the prize. This year, the Museum Advisory Board of the Ministry of Art and Culture has chosen the Graz Museum as the winner. 

State Secretary praises "courageous exhibitions"
"The Graz Museum has demonstrated with great commitment and a visionary approach what contemporary museum practice can look like. Through courageous exhibitions, it shows how art and urban history can enter into a lively dialog with the public," said Andrea Mayer, State Secretary for Art and Culture. "Congratulations to the Graz Museum! I am convinced that this museum will continue to be a shining example of innovation, participation, exchange and discourse. Here's to many more successful years!"

Sibylle Dienesch, Director of the GrazMuseum

(Bild: Sebastian Reiser)

"The award rewards an impressive team effort over the last few years," says Graz City Councillor for Culture Günter Riegler, congratulating the team led by museum director Sibylle Dienesch and her predecessor Otto Hochreiter.

"We are delighted that our approach of opening up the Graz Museum further and turning it into a contemporary, discursive and democratic place has also been recognized and appreciated beyond the region."

Sibylle Dienesch, Leiterin des GrazMuseum

In the jury's statement, the opening up of the museum, which Diensch has carried out since taking over the museum, is particularly praised: "The Graz Museum, which is also responsible for the Graz City Archives and for a branch on the Schlossberg, shows courage for controversial topics and thus consciously intervenes actively in the city."

The official presentation of this year's award will take place during the Austrian Museum Day on October 10 at the Wien Museum.