Independent foundations for museums to be set up
Independent foundations for museums to be set up
JAKARTA (JP): In an effort to have financially independent
city-owned museums, the city administration will establish
foundations to improve their performance and services, officials
said on Friday.
Consultant for the foundation establishment project Mary Jane
Edleson and head of the Jakarta Historical Museum Tinia Budiati
said separately that the museums had problems financing their
activities and improving their services.
"The foundations will unite all elements in the city community
who are concerned about the museums and their collections, and
will mainly financially support the museums.
"We've learned from other countries, where institutions like
museums are always supported by such foundations," Edleson said.
"The museums here are financially dependent on the city
budget," she added.
The city budget, however, is small compared to the museums'
operational expenses, which, according to several museum heads,
is about Rp 2 million (US$266) per month.
Edleson said that such a foundation was established for the
240-year-old National Archives Building on Jl. Gajah Mada in West
Jakarta.
"It is such a good example that funds for the building and its
activities have started to pour in," she said.
She said she expected that the museum foundations could be
established this year, with the Jakarta Historical Museum in West
Jakarta as the pilot project.
"Preparations have been made, like inviting heads of the city
museums to a series of meetings to get input from experts.
"The next step is that they (museum heads) should present
their visions for the future during the Festival of the Old City
of Kota in August," she said.
The city is home to 60 museums, seven of which belong to the
city administration. Four are located in the Kota area in West
Jakarta, namely the Jakarta Historical Museum, the Puppet Museum,
the Fine Arts and Ceramics Museum and the Maritime Museum.
Another three are located in Central Jakarta: the Memorial
Stone Park Museum, the Textile Museum and the 1945 Fight for
Freedom Museum.
Meanwhile, Tinia said the museums would still belong to the
city although each of them would have its own foundation.
"Policy making will still be in the hands of the city
administration. The foundations will pay more attention to
supporting the museums' activities to make them more attractive,"
she said.
Tinia said the museums had been having problems improving
their performance due to their limited budget.
"We cannot have, for instance, qualified exhibitions if the
budget is limited," she said. (ind)