Capacity Building Workshop on Museum Object Display and Presentation Surabaya, Indonesia, 05-09 November 2012

A five-day Capacity Building Workshop on Museum Object Display and Presentation was held in Surabaya, Indonesia from 5-9 November 2012. The workshop was jointly organized by the Directorate of Cultural Heritage Preservation and Museums, Ministry of Education and Culture and UNESCO Office, Jakarta and supported by the British Museum. The aim of this workshop was to assist Indonesian museum staff in improving their technical capacity and knowledge of museum object display and security.

Gathering 35 participants from provincial and private museums from across the Indonesian archipelago, the workshop included theoretical presentations, interactive discussions, as well as practical work at a provincial museum in Surabaya. The holistic content of the workshop helped enhance the capacities of participating museum professionals in techniques of museum collection display and security. Mr Xerxes Mazda, of the British Museum, and Mr Robert Knox, formerly of the British Museum and a UNESCO Culture consultant, shared their knowledge and experience relating to museum object display including story-line creation, label and panel writing, exhibition narratives, use of lighting, use of display cases and appropriate ways to ensure object security and protection from seismic activity.

At the end of the workshop participants developed their own personal action plan to improve the condition of their museum collection, drawing on techniques and knowledge outlined in the workshop. The participants were also requested to share photographs of the changes they have made to their displays before and after they joined the workshop. These actions will show how the workshop has impacted on museums within Indonesia and help the participants keep in contact with the facilitators should any further guidance be needed with a view to improving museum displays.

The Indonesian government and UNESCO have organized a series of museum workshops from 2010, in order to meet the 2010-2014 Strategic Plan of the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture. The first workshop was held in 2010 and focused on museum object conservation, while the second workshop was held in 2011 and was concerned with storage room management. The British Museum has assisted the Indonesian Government and UNESCO in organizing these museum revitalization programs since 2010.

• 08-11-2012