Cultural Heritage exhibition sees few visitors
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
On a typical Wednesday morning at the National Museum, fewer than 10 people were seen strolling around the three-month Shared Cultural Heritage exhibition, which is displaying hundreds of ethnographic and archeological artifacts of the highest importance to Indonesia.
Since it was opened by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Aug. 18, the exhibition has received only 3,000 visitors -- an average of 50 per day.
In comparison, a busy bar in Jakarta could receive as many as 1,000 patrons in just one night.
"We (the Dutch organizers) expect to receive hundreds of thousands of visitors to Shared Cultural Heritage in Amsterdam in December," said Maarten C.D. Mulder, the counselor for culture and education of the Royal Netherlands Embassy.
After the closing ceremony on Nov. 15, the organizers will pack all 326 artifacts and send them to Amsterdam for a similar three-month exhibition. Mulder said upbeat anticipation of the exhibition in Amsterdam had convinced the organizers to hold two opening days there.
The generally low level of enthusiasm of Indonesians for museums cannot be compared with that of Europeans.
The National Museum, the country's largest, with an extensive and important collection, receives an average of 10,000 visitors annually, despite the cheap entrance fee charged. Tickets for adults are only Rp 700 (70 U.S. cents).
The most popular museum in the capital, Jakarta Historical Museum, was also unpopular until Tinia Budiati and her staff launched an intensive and effective promotion aimed at young Jakarta professionals.
Other museums in Jakarta that do not make promotional efforts have consistently experienced dismal attendances.
Nevertheless, it is disappointing to know that only 3,000 people have visited such an interesting exhibition.
Mulder said that from the start, the exhibition did not receive much publicity from the Indonesian press.
"Only The Jakarta Post and Kompas wrote articles. The one in Kompas was also very brief," he said.
He said he was surprised to see press indifference towards such an important event.
"Because we perceive it as very important, the (Netherlands) embassy shelled out hundreds of thousands of euros for the exhibition and another 10 billion for the insurance," Mulder added.
The exhibition is displaying 329 artifacts, of which 178 were carefully packaged and sent from Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde (RMV) in Leiden, and would soon be returned to the Netherlands.
The event highlights the collection of the Singasari Kingdom in East Java from the 13th century because the artifacts are the masterpieces of the period -- the secondary peak in arts achievement after the Syailendra era in Central Java.
From the total seven Singosari pieces on display, RMV sent five statues, of which two, Arca Durga Mahisasuramardini and Arca Ganesa, belonged to the main temple of Singosari.
Besides the Singosari collection, the front of the exhibition hall also houses a collection from the Trowulan site, Mojokerto, East Java, which is considered the center of the Majapahit Kingdom, as well as items from Borobudur temple, Central Java.
The exhibition is well arranged: After seeing the artifacts and the useful information in the front hall, patrons may stroll inside, where collections are categorized according to place of origin and respective collector.
Other collections comprise royal jewelry, antique cloth, household equipment, ceremonial gear and decorative items.
The explanatory text attached to each article is very informative, although patrons who wish to know more may ask for a guide or buy a catalog.
The exhibition will close on Nov. 15 and, especially for Shared Cultural Heritage, the National Museum will open longer on Saturdays.
Shared Cultural Heritage
National Museum
Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat No. 12
Central Jakarta
tel. 3868172