Creative Arts The Saviour Of Museums?

A News Focus by Kurniawati Kamarudin The last of the two-part series on the survival of museums discusses extending the role of museums and making it a source of income for the nation’s economy. KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 (Bernama) -- What would entice a person to spend an evening at the National Museum, when he or she has so many other exciting options? One could be catching up with friends, going out to the cinemas, shopping or engaging in other recreational activities. Certainly it would be one of the last places one would choose to spend the evening, much less recommend to a tourist. However, the perception takes a 180-degree turn when one travels overseas. Museums tend to be not only one of the main tourist attractions but a moneymaker for the state as well. STUCK IN A PLATEAU However, the management of the country’s museum leaves a lot to be desired, said Universiti Malaysia Kelantan’s Creative Arts Dean, Prof Dr Abu Hassan Hasbullah. "Today, the National Museum is nothing more than a government-run warehouse for a collection of items that is believed to be valuable, and repeatedly displayed to attract visitors,” he said when presenting his paper during a discussion programme in conjunction with the golden anniversary of the National Museum, recently. Abu Hassan said although the country has many museums, it did nothing to inspire the development of knowledge on archeology. This robs the museums of engaging content, making it hard to decide on suitable forms of presentation. The current form of exhibition is conventional and abstract, causing a decline in visitors and subsequently, the country’s income, he said. VIABLE INCOME OPPORTUNITY He gave the example of Estonia, a former Soviet bloc. During the Communist and Socialist rule, special importance was given to the function of museums. Anyone wishing to develop museums and galleries or sell antiquities was given incentives and subsequently, tax relief. Estonia became an independent capitalist economy in 1991. In 2005, it was suggested by the intellectuals among the Estonian leadership that the nation boosts its economy by developing its creative industry. The Tallinn Museum was given special focus. It worked, attracting visitors from the world over. “Previously, the population’s income per capita was US$5,000 (RM15,977.50) (USD1=RM3.20) but in 2012, it nearly quadrupled to US$19,000 (RM60,714.50), and it was partly due to the creative industry,” said Abu Hassan. In fact, he said, it was estimated that the income generated from the Tallinn Museum alone was enough to sustain the Estonian government for seven years. This is a far cry from Malaysia’s National Museum which can barely generate US$11,000 (RM35,150.50) a year. Therefore, the Tallin Museum model could be emulated when seeking for ways to develop a museum so that the museums could contribute to the country’s economy, he said. The same thing is happening across Western Europe. Austria has 21,000 galleries and 7,900 private museums that contribute some US$28 million to the government. “This is something that is not much talked about – that museums are lucrative business,” he said. CHANGE PUBLIC PERCEPTION Three elements can be used to gauge the rate of urbanisation in European cities – its museums, libraries and universities. “These three elements are their strengths. This is what we should emulate – especially on how they develop their museums to become economic development centres,” said Abu Hassan. Malaysia, rich in arts and culture, should seek economic opportunities to generate income through the creative arts industry, he added. Such opportunities are abundant in Kelantan, which is known for its fine textile, especially the batik and songket. He said priceless works of art could be found in almost every district from the southern coast of Tok Bali in Besut to Mersing in Johor. “You can find works of skillful carvers, wayang kulit, textile, clothes, folk musicians and so many more. “My own research shows that if marketed properly, such economic opportunities can yield an income of RM13.7 million a year,” he said. However, weaknesses in the country’s museum industry has blindsided society from seeing the nation’s heritage as way to develop the economy. GALLERIES AND PRIVATE MUSEUMS Abu Hassan shared his encounter with the process of monetising historical elements while pursuing his doctorate in Austria. “During the first day of enrolment at the local school, the school’s administrators had created a record containing my child’s personal data and photo. “During a parents and teacher’s day in the fifth year of school, the school showed me my child’s biography during those five years. This included the work my child had done and even a torn shirt from a football game,” he said, impressed that the school took such an initiative. Even more surprising was when he found out that the school had built a special gallery that kept the history of all the foreign students who had studied there. Several years after returning to Malaysia, Abu Hassan found himself once again on a trip to Austria. He decided to pay a visit to his son’s school. He sought the school’s permission to view his son’s biography in the gallery and found that he was charged for the visit. “That is the way the school generated income to fund its development and student activities. It is an example that we can follow.” -- BERNAMA