The recently launched Art Museum is expected to be a centre for not only visual artists, but the general creative industry.

Located at Kanombe, in Kigali, the museum takes over the former Presidential Palace Museum, which was also referred to as the Habyarimana Museum.

“In line with the museum’s role of education, it was generally empty; it held nothing tangible for exhibition,” said Robert Masozera, the Institute of National Museums of Rwanda director general.

The museum hosts exhibition about the lifestyle of former presidents Juvenal Habyarimana and Pasteur Bizimungu.

This project is part of the ongoing restructuring of museums by Ministry of Sports and Culture following the successful revival of The Natural History Museum, Kandt House Museum and the Museum of Environment.

“These changes are all guided by wishes and suggestions from visitors, stakeholders, who have always proposed how the museum ought to change,” said Masozera.

Before the opening of the new Rwanda Art Museum, there existed the National Art Gallery.

Since its establishmentin 2006, the gallery has not been attracting visitors and artists.

“We never used to receive many guests. Most were foreigners, which explains how Art has not yet been embraced by locals,” said Nadine Umugiraneza, former manager of Rwanda National Gallery.

“Most of the visitors to the gallery were the ones who had visited the King’s Palace Museum, which definitely was closer,” said David Nkusi, a researcher and former museum guide at the gallery.

Umugiraneza recalled they discovered from suggestions how the gallery was accessible for it would be guests.

The new museum holds two buildings, one reserved for permanent collection, display and preserving outstanding local and international Artworks, while the other serves as an exhibition and sales area for local artist.

“We realised how artists don’t hold a collective public place for selling their works, which the management suggested should be availed,” said Vivaldi Ingenzi, Rwanda Art Museum Manager.

It also holds children’s art room and hopes to establish a library to help inspire more reading and art culture.

First exhibition

The launch of Rwanda Art Museum’s also saw the staging of its first exhibition dubbed Art For Peace, which featured artworks by Rwandan and a few international artists, which showcased 127 artworks produced by 51 different artists.

This followed a Memorandum of Understanding which the museums recently signed with the Rwanda Art Council (RAC), a loby bringing together local Artists.

The museum’s establishment is also in a bid to get closer to Rwandan Artists, who mostly are based in Kigali.

“It is also in line with the government’s policy of promoting the creative sector,” added Masozera.

With claims of lack of space to accommodate artistic activities, the launch of the museum is expected to ease the situation.

“We are grateful to the government for this It will solve artists’ problems,” said Ismael Ntihabose, Rwanda Arts Council’s president.

According to Jerome Karangwa, the museum’s director of Research and Publications, the renovation and upgrade of the museum cost Rwf210 million.