Museums New Approaches in Collections Care

and Community Engagement

Background

• Worked on Museum projects in nearly 40 Countries especially in the Asia Pacific Region

• Best Practice Approaches and not so Best Practice Approaches

• Career includes working for 5 years with the Getty in Los Angeles and 15 Years with the Australian Museum.

1) Relevance

• Local Community

• Source Communities

Connecting the Nation to the Museum

• Cultural Centre than a Museum-Connect to people

• Vanuatu Cultural Centre

• Field Workers program

Source Communities: Collections

• Why?

• Creator Communities

– Cultural Rejuvenation

• Diaspora

– Cultural Awareness Especially for Second Generation

Museum Travelling to Source Communities: Capturing the Stories

Repatriation

• Sacred Dancing Ground

• Collections are Happy

2) Communication

• Using Mass Media to create an “AWE” about Museum collections

O

• WWW Visitation Numbers

• Provide Access to a Majority of Collections

• Digitisation

• Involvement of Staff

Take it to the World

3) Intangible Heritage

4) Distributed National Collections

• Majority of collections are in private hands and not in a Museum

• Measures to assist in protecting this

5) Exhibitions

• Need more Temporary Exhibitions

• Audience Evaluation….

• Funding

• Topics of Relevance

Single Object Exhibition: Yogini @National Museum

http://www.google.co.in/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=fS-lIZOXlMveUM&tbnid=x4IdTtqy1YzU8M:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bathing_ghat_on_the_Ganges_during_Kumbh_Mela,_2010,_Haridwar.jpg&ei=sZ-tU8OQJsGwuATX3oHYCA&bvm=bv.69837884,d.c2E&psig=AFQjCNFzP2Dp6Qofs4JiqQujfUqubnEpGQ&ust=1403973918551000

6) Sustainability

• New Architectural Landmarks

• Historic Colonial Buildings

Energy

• Capital vs. Operating Costs

• Energy/Maintenance Costs

– Ex. Museum in Malaysia-15% Operating Budget

– Many Museums: Over half a million $ for electricity

• Decreasing Budgets

• Need for New Standards (T and RH)

• Solar/Low consumption bulbs....

7) Human Resources

• Over 90% of Staff not Trained to work in Museums

• Lack of Diploma and Degree Programs

• Selection Criteria for placements

8) Museum Renewal

• Need a Director

• Need People: Curators, Conservators, Designers, Exhibition Support Team, Administrators

• Rethink on the Structure of a Museum-Autonomy

Museum Renewal: Contracts

• Lack of skilled contractors

• Convoluted tender process

9) Collections

• Collections Keep Increasing

• Collection Development Policy

10) Vibrant Profession

• Peak Professional Bodies

• Representation to Government

• International Linkages

Singapore

• A Shining Example in South Asia/SE Asia

• Success Story

• Soft Power