Cafe spruces up Jakarta museum
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."