Heritage Corner

In conjunction with the Revolusi! Exhibition , Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Jakarta have organized an Expert Meeting in the Netherlands on 16-20 May 2022 for the six Indonesian museums that have lent their collections for the exhibition. They have seen and discussed the exhibition on the first day of the Expert Meeting, and also exchanged information about lending museum collections and public education programs. For the rest of the week, they have visited various depots and museums, especially those that have collections and plans for exhibitions about Indonesia.  This kind of program is a long-term visioned effort for both countries to enhance cooperation, build understanding, and bridge gaps, in museum development and the possibilities of exchange collections in the future. Indonesia and the Netherlands share a history that opens up countless possibilities for a shared exhibition from various angles and perspectives.  It has been a hect

Para arsitek di Medan membantu Museum Perkebunan Indonesia (Musperin) untuk mentransformasi gedung bersejarah AVROS dan BKPPS yang sangat cantik menjadi museum-museum yang hidup dan menarik. Transformasi sebuah gedung menjadi museum bukan pekerjaan mudah bagi para arsitek. Selain itu, mendirikan museum yang secara ekonomi bisa mandiri dan secara sosial bisa berkontribusi pada masyarakat juga menjadi tantangan bagi para pekerja museum. Ada referensi dalam Bahasa Inggris (2019, Job Roos, Dorus Hoebink, Arjen Kok, Metamorphosis: Transformation of Dutch Museums, ISBN 9789463661805) yang mungkin bisa menjadi inspirasi bagi para arsitek dan pekerja museum di Indonesia. Referensi ini ditulis berdasarkan pengalaman puluhan museum di Belanda yang melakukan transformasi secara fisik, ekonomi, dan sosial sejak tahun 1990 hingga sekarang. Buku bisa diunduh gratis melalui link ini Metamorphosis: Transformation of Dutch Museums

On 29 April 2022 Sumatra Heritage Trust or in Indonesian called BWS (Beranda Warisan Sumatra) celebrated its 24th anniversary. As one of the founders and the former Executive Director (1998-2005), I am happy for them and proud that the younger generation continues the ideal to raise awareness about cultural heritage. It has never been easy and will never be easy to keep the ideal and to share it with many stakeholders for a long time.  An ideal can fade away easily. It needs to be communicated continuously and promoted tirelessly. What helps is that we are passionate about cultural heritage. Passions keep us all motivated. At least that is my experience. After more than 30 years of working and being active in cultural heritage, I never get bored with cultural heritage. I see cultural heritage everywhere I go and that makes my work interesting, always.  I do hope that BWS will survive for another 24 years, another 24 years, and another 24 years. These are pictures sent by BWS from Medan