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13. Correlation with the local economy and society
The new Mercedes Benz Museum - a corporate museum
Introduction
“Museums have established themselves right in the middle of the community. They initiate and nurture partnerships with various layers of society, with the public sector as well as with the commercial world. They join forces with the education sector, with local community initiatives, with big companies, and individuals like volunteers, researchers and collectors. Last but not least, they collaborate with their colleagues in the cultural heritage field and assist each other in need, as had been shown during the major flooding in Central Europe in 2002.”
Manus Brinkman, Secretary General, ICOM cited by NEMO
NEMO – Network of European Museum Organisations [1] identifies some key functions museums can play in furthering the local economy and society:
- Cultural adaptation to the Information Society (implementation of the Lisbon declaration to place European economies on the knowledge society), and this by facilitating the transition from traditional to modern society. This shows that museums act somewhat like observers of history in the making. By tracing developments, changes and finding bridges for ruptures they preserve the continuity of society in order to facilitate meaningful changes. As institutions they provide the local economy and society with a consistency needed if contradictions in life and production are to be worked through positively. Here not only collective processes from creativity to memory play an important role but also how citizens feel that they can participate in the shaping of the economy and society. It goes without saying that learning to adapt to future needs goes hand in hand with realizing what receives recognition in society, what not as having also to do with innovation and doing something for the benefit of all.
- Sources for life-long learning: “Increasingly, European museums are contributing to the life-long development of competence and qualification of European citizens. More than a billion objects provide an opportunity to learn about the human and natural world of people from all backgrounds. Millions of children, young people, families, adults, older learners and disadvantaged groups find inspiration and enlightenment in European museums as a means to make sense of our ever-changing world. Volunteers or friends of museums are the true champions of citizens. By contributing to the service of their local museum they play an active part in society, which in many cases leads to life-changing results.”
- Museums as ‘forums for European dialogue’ in order to contribute to cultural diversity and integration of all people despite their diverse backgrounds. “Cultural heritage is at the heart of a closer union among the people of Europe. Museums are keepers of Europe’s cultural heritage offer a unique opportunity to deepen respect for other people’s history, culture and traditions. Their collections are a key to an infinite number of stories and a variety of interpretations. Museums have the means to illuminate the ties that link the people of an expanding Europe. Collaborative projects between European museums are numerous; their outcomes vary from touring exhibitions to exchange of staff, loans of collection items, shared websites, educational programmes and publications. Multilingualism is a sine qua non.” Example of a current project is the one on “Migration, Work and Identity. A history of European People in Museums”. It is a joint project of museums in Austria, Spain, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom, coordinated by the Arbejdermuseet (Copenhagen). Each museum runs a programme of research, exhibitions and educational workshops to develop a European perspective on the theme. Partially funded by Culture 2000. Term 2000 – 2003. www.migration-identity.org
- Generators of employment: “More than half of the museums in the European Union were established after the Second World War. Since then they have been an important source of direct and indirect job creation. The number of full-time jobs in and around Europe’s museums is estimated to be over 250,000, supported by many thousands of volunteer jobs. The economic spin-off from museums is huge. Museums are often at the heart of successful urban regeneration schemes. They allow a region to assert its identity and to develop its tourist potential. As places for interpretation of local, national and international heritage, museums are a key factor in cultural tourism, the most rapidly growing tourism in the EU.” Example of a relevant project: CHIMER (Children’s Heritage: Interactive Models for Evolving Repositories) is one of the Heritage for All Projects from the Sixth Call, funded by the European Commission’s Information Society Technology R&D Program. Using the latest technology, twelve year olds in different parts of Europe, guided by museum staff and teachers, create a digital archive of their own towns, villages and surrounding communities, with the aim to enhance interest in the region. Term: 2002 – 2004 www.chimer.org
- Guardian of Europe’s Cultural Heritage: “European museums safeguard material evidence of the man-made and natural world of current and future generations. Museums do not limit themselves to the conservation of objects only, they also preserve a significant part of Europe’s built heritage. Furthermore, a growing number of European museums acknowledges the need to protect Europe’s intangible heritage. Documenting, researching and presenting oral history, customs and rituals, is regarded as an important future challenge. An immediate effect of this widening scope of museum scholarship is the increased opportunity for cross-border exchange of expertise, revealing the roots and history of Europe’s cultural heritage in its widest scope.” Example: Knowledge Partnership in Northern European Traditional Boat and Ship Building – see www.shipspreservation.com
Museums and Urban renewal
Vital linkages can come into existence once a museum brings about urban renewal best done by locating itself in a depleted area and thereby helping to upgrade the surrounding area. This has to be done with care for otherwise it may lead to either over alienation with regards to the poorer surrounding while visitors with high incomes just come to the museum or else the museum fuels gentrification with the final outcome being no communication between museum and the local community.
On the other hand, museums can focus in special exhibitions on novel ideas to be used for urban renewal and regeneration. By showing other possibilities exist insofar as an overview but an informative one can give visitors a chance to evaluate their own chances of doing something in that area, the museum can become an instigator of change.
Naturally design and standard of the building, including materials used for construction, should take into account what has been stressed in cultural planning, namely the need for heeding certain constraints. They can be communicated by using the human matrix as way of arriving at decisions.
Cultural centers
Museums should not be confused with cultural centers or for that matter with newer concepts of urban development e.g. Hong Kong plans to construct a ‘cultural centre’, or something like a cultural quarter or the “West Kowloon Cultural District”. This includes concert halls, theatre, an art school and four big museums but the entire project is uncertain since one thing is missing to justify all expenditures and public support in terms of property: the art.
Cultural centers
Example: Eugenides Foundation in Athens, Greece
Glykeria Anyfandi states that for the Eugene Foundation (Planetarium) in Athens there is no direct linkage to the local economy and society. However, there is cooperation between the Foundation and the Local Municipal Council. Local people are encouraged to become members and to use the library. There is a conscious effort to encourage scientific studies by giving scholarships and through an effort to make possible publications at a low level prize so that people can afford the purchase of these publications.
Cultural centers
How the museum question is approached – involvement of local people e.g. opera and impact upon job creation due to many new and diversified needs expanding activities in the cultural and related service sectors
Cultural studies
The level and quality of studies on this topic has risen over recent years as ever more museums interact and take into consideration the local economy and society. Still there is no point of making more studies if they are not being discussed not only within a special circle of experts, but also as part of a cultural strategy encompassing citizens, youths, students, politicians, museum experts etc. by a wider audience. The level of reflection is important insofar as citizens with cultural qualifications can be much more receptive but also innovative in their own way of dealing with issues of the local economy and society. Thus to have these studies be discussed in museums rather than at university or in special meeting places can mean a chance to link intangible with tangible meanings insofar as it can be accompanied by an exhibition to illustrate the points being made by the study. If the subject is, for example, about cultural resources of the city, then an exhibition would be a good way to gain an overview what cultural resources the city has at the moment and then through a combination of expertise knowledge and visitors' comments this viewpoint can be enriched by letting hidden potentialities being brought to the fore.
Cultural coordination - management
Cultural management may not be the right term when seeking ways to enhance cultural development within the city. Here NGOs, artists and their networks, are crucial to ensure that the city has a lively cultural scene. Since this can never be planned, encouragement can be given to go further once something has come into existence by providing space and support to go to the next level. In most cases cities gained a lot by identifying innovative capacities. All famous institutes, including Ars Electronica in Linz, started from a small initiative but given the chance to grow it has become world famous in terms of media festivals. It is, therefore, essential how the practical and the general levels are connected to make the city into a vibrant cultural environment.
Improving the cultural management: local authorities need to elaborate some more sustainable "culturscape" patterns. We shall integrate cultural with social and economic development so as to improve the identity and the quality of life for our citizens. The culture-based projects for cultural sustainability are able to provide a store of information for future cultural development practitioners.
References:
Maurizio Carta, CULTURAL IDENTITY AS SECOND LIGHT OF LOCAL DEVELOPMENT - Urban Renewal, cultural sustainability and social participation, EU CIED Conference, Leipzig 1999
Study by Effie Pappas:
Clearly if one type of management is suggested as model of operation of a museum, this will have the impact of erasing a certain number of other jobs considered to be essential tasks of any museum e.g. Effie Pappas’ studies does not take into consideration the need for artistic directors, curators, story tellers, exhibition makers, media specialists etc. by looking at the operational set-up only from the point of view of services and management design linked to financial considerations.
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