Time to brush away cobwebs at museums

Time to brush away cobwebs at museums

M. Henaldy, Contributor, Yogyakarta

A child visiting the Kekayon puppet museum on Jl. Wonosari looked very unhappy when he found an idol of his hero, Gatotkaca, from Pringgondani Palace, covered in dust and clumsily displayed inside a glass box in a dim room inside the museum.

He also noticed cobwebs almost everywhere on the walls, creating a depressing backdrop for the strong, dashing knight from the Mahabarata epic.

Many other museums in the historic city are in a similar condition, including the biology museum on Jl. Kusumanegara, which houses a collection of flora and fauna.

There are 15 museums in Yogyakarta, yet only a few of them are well maintained.

Ullen Sentalu Museum at Kaliurang holiday resort is one of the few here that is well maintained and professionally managed.

Often dubbed the city of culture, Yogyakarta has not been able to manage and maintain its various museums or to turn them into a convenient public space, that is educational, informative and entertaining.

A museum is supposed to be a place where people feel comfortable and relaxed, and can have a dialog with the history of a nation, its culture, science and technology, art, the diversity of nature, the development of industry and mankind's great inventions.

Unfortunately, many museums here seem to have lost their soul, lacking a proper concept or model for museum development, mostly due to a lack of vision and proper management.

As a tourist destination, Yogyakarta has yet to address this issue. In most developed countries, including neighboring Singapore, museums are highly regarded.

Both the government and the people are aware that well-managed and well-packaged museums will boost the image of their nation.

It is probably unrealistic to imagine having a museum here like the Louvre in France, which attracts millions of tourists from around the world and produces substantial revenue for the country.

However, look at how Singapore has cleverly created an image for itself, not only as a global business hub, but also as one of the world's top centers for cultural tourism.

Although it is not as richly endowed, culturally, as Indonesia, Singapore has proved itself successful in creating a concept for developing museums through professional management, creative promotion and carefully selected collections. This is all done with the full support of the government, and has resulted in museums of world-class standard.

Generally speaking, museums in Yogyakarta have weak concepts, poor design, unattractive displays and poor management.

Furthermore, there is a lack of serious support from local government and a lack of awareness within the community over the function of museums.

One of the key approaches to change the image of museums in Indonesia as dusty, cluttered, outdated, and unattractive places to visit is by creating a more positive image of them.

This could be achieved by producing attractive logos, adding an aesthetic touch -- for example by maintaining the original old building and providing modern displays, interior design and lighting.

From the management point of view, creativity is critical. Creative promotion, which can be held in cooperation with other institutions or individuals, will also be of help to boost the image of museums and bring them closer to the public.

Local governments, similarly, should demonstrate greater seriousness in supporting the development of museums within their jurisdiction, for example, by allocating additional funding, helping to open up access points deemed important for the development of museums, inviting professionals from other countries to share their knowledge on the management of museums, etc.

To turn museums into a more integral part of people's lifestyles and as places that are as attractive as malls, discotheques, or cafes is indeed not an easy task.

However, professionally managed museums could contribute a great deal to the country's tourist industry. Attractive museums could generate a huge income.

Besides, many here long for welcoming and attractive museums that could be a source of pride and give the museum staff the inspiration to work.

They are fed up with the boring, dusty, unwelcoming places that are currently called museums.