Musuems must innovate 'or lose visitors to malls'

JAKARTA (JP): Unless the city's museums offer more attractive concepts to lure visitors they will be overwhelmed by the popularity of malls and recreation parks, an official said.

The head of the local museums and renovation agency, Haswidi A. Taufik, said yesterday that museums in Jakarta were not on the public's list of entertainment priorities.

"People's interest in visiting museums is still poor. They aren't in the habit of coming to museums or do not consider them educational or recreational destinations," Haswidi said at the Fine Arts and Ceramics Museum at Taman Fatahillah in West Jakarta.

"People still prefer spending time at shopping malls or recreational parks, instead of museums."

This lack of public interest has forced museums to improve their services they offer.

The director of Jakarta's Historical Museum at Taman Fatahillah, Adji Damais, agreed that significant improvements were needed to attract more people and encourage them to stay longer.

"We want people to bring along their families to museums and feel comfortable," Adji said. "That's why we should create a better atmosphere."

New concepts may help rid museums of their "old ambience", which does not attract patrons.

Museums will not only display valuable artifacts but be replete with book stores, libraries and cafes, he said.

The book stores, for instance, could offer a wide range of travel guides or specially designed postcards while the libraries could offer visitors in-depth information about the artifacts on display, Adji said.

When visitors are exhausted and wanted to rest, they can relax at the cafes, which would be similar in design to those overseas, he said.

"With those facilities, I believe people will stay for more than an hour instead of the usual quick trip in a few minutes."

Haswidi said that under the new concept, museums would have to spend money on updating security devices.

For example, the traditional entrance ticket would be replaced by an electronic system, which would cost at least Rp 300 million (US$100,942) per unit, he said.

Early start

Some museums have started implementing these new concepts and their unveiling will coincide with the launched a series of exhibitions on Thursday.

The exhibitions, organized by the city municipality, are located at six museums in a bid to promote Jakarta's treasures and lure more museum enthusiasts.

The first exhibition, a two-month display of ancient ceramics, will feature ceramics from the Majapahit Kingdom in Trowulan, East Java. The Majapahit Ceramics Exhibition will be held at West Jakarta's Ceramics Museum.

Governor Surjadi Soedirdja is scheduled to open the exhibition, which will include a workshop and discussions on Indonesian ceramics.

On the same day, the governor will open a cafe built in the museum's right wing. The cafe, the first built inside a museum compound, features colonial architecture and serves both Indonesian and European cuisine.

The cafe provides chamber music and keroncong, traditional music, for the entertainment of patrons.

A painting exhibition, From Mooi Indie to Persagi Era, will also open Thursday at the Fine Arts Museum and run until Dec. 24.

Two other exhibitions, one on wayang (puppets) and one on traditional boats, will be held in October.

The month-long puppet exhibition will start on Oct. 26 at the Puppet Museum and display a wide range of puppets from Indonesia, Asia and Europe.

A month-long History of Indonesian Vessels exhibition will be held at North Jakarta's Maritime Museum on Jl. Pasar Ikan starting on Oct. 28. (ste)