While the new Palestinian Museum will celebrate its completion on Wednesday, it will remain without exhibitions for the time being.
Although the new $24 million contemporary building, located in Birzeit, provides a stunning space to showcase Palestinian art, history and culture, the long-planned "Never Part" inaugural show has been suspended following disagreements between the former museum director, who has been removed, and the museum's board.
Omar al-Qattan, the museum's chairman, stressed that Palestinians are "so in need of positive energy" that it is important to open, even without exhibitions, according to the New York Times . "Symbolically it’s critical," he said.
The planned inaugural exhibition had been intended to feature artwork portraying objects and artifacts, such as keys and photographs, belonging to Palestinian refugees who fled or were forced from their homes due to Israeli occupation.
Jack Persekian, the museum's former director, expressed surprise at his ouster and at the suspension of the exhibition, which he had worked on for several years. "I can’t fathom what happened," he said.
However, Qattan explained that the board was not satisfied with Persekian's ability to "build expertise" among museum staff. He also said that outside artists had criticized the former director. "We didn’t feel that what was delivered was up to scratch," he said.
A new director, Mahmoud Hawari, has been appointed and a spokeswoman for the museum said that it would be fully open to the public, free of charge, by June 1. She explained that the "opening ceremony" was just intended to celebrate the museum's completion.
With or without exhibitions, President Mahmoud Abbas and other important dignitaries are planning to attend the opening. Regardless of a rocky start, the museum's completion marks an important step for cultural development in Palestine.
While Palestine continues to suffer under the pressures of Israeli occupation, cultural institutions struggle to survive. The museum stands as a testament to preserving Palestinian heritage, despite the ongoing conflict.