Cafe spruces up Jakarta museum
By Edith Hartanto
JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta History Museum has made the bold leap of opening a cafe in the hope of drawing more visitors.
Kafe Museum, which opened in the west wing of the museum building on Thursday, is a first for the country in a concept that has proven successful in many ancient European cities.
The cafe at the Louvre in Paris is one of three places upon which Kafe Museum was modeled, according to Haswidi Taufik, the head of Jakarta's Museum and Renovation Agency.
"We want Kafe Museum to have the taste of Indonesia and be a bit of European niche," Haswidi said of the cafe's Indonesian and European decor and cuisine.
The cafe is managed by PT Markindo Citra Pesona, a private company, but the concept had the full support of the city administration. No less than Governor Surjadi Soedirdja opened the cafe.
If the museum's rich collection of artifacts on the capital is not enough to lure visitors, the cafe comes with a library with a collection of more than 2,000 books, and a chamber music ensemble playing keroncong traditional music or classical tunes.
Twilight Orchestra provided music on opening day.
Haswidi said Museum Sejarah and the other two museums within Taman Fatahillah -- the fine arts and wayang (puppet) institutions -- only draw some 1,000 visitors a year.
"This is appalling," he said, underscoring that the public's general attitude toward museums was as a place to store artifacts.
"I hope this cafe will wake people up to the fact that Jakarta has a lot to offer," Haswidi said. "This cafe will bring new blood to the lives of museums in Jakarta."
If the concept proves successful, cafes may be opened at the maritime and textile museums.
He admitted that the public's perception of museums as warehouses was because many museums in Jakarta lacked an artistic touch.
The administration has been trying to improve the museums with its limited funds, he said.
Kafe Museum's interior combines Indonesian ethnic and 18th century European style.
The gothic ceiling and pillars complement the dozens of ikat traditional woven cloths from Irian Jaya, East Timor, Central Java, West Sumatra and Madura.
Director of Markindo Citra Pesona Linaras Oceania said constructing an antique cafe at an investment of Rp 1.4 billion (US$500,000) was a challenge because she could not alter the building's structure.
The walls are fragile because of salt intrusion, the doors are made of oak and the windows from carved mahogany woods and stained glass.
"It was a very complicated process. We had to put board and wood panels to cover the original walls," she said.
The cafe, which features a small gift shop, has 120 seats inside and 300 others in the garden adjacent to the museum.
The library, on the second floor of the cafe, has books on art, history, culture and tourism.
The cafe's hours are from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m, but it could remain open until midnight for special occasions.
"Visitors to the museum are visitors of the cafe. We only charge them for food and services," Linaras said.
The cafe received ringing endorsements from those attending the opening.
Governor Surjadi praised the museum and renovation agency for the innovative concept to spruce up the museum. "I hope this will bring Jakarta closer to becoming a service city," he said.
Noted businessman James T. Riyadi, art lover Pia Alisjahbana and critic Amir Sidharta were among the VIPs present.
Singer Vina Panduwinata, who performed at the opening, said she was delighted by the cafe.
"It is time Jakarta had a museum cafe," said the longtime resident of Germany. "Now we can show everyone that we have historical sites and a cafe comparable to those found in Europe."