Jakarta - The international forum on museums and heritage, Museum Forward, since the first day (24/09) has presented a variety of topics that are very interesting and relevant to the issue of social change to address current global challenges. One of the interesting panel sessions was entitled "Agent of Change: Museums in Response to Current Global Issues" which became the last session on the first day of this forum. It featured four speakers, Nusi Lisabilla Estudiantin (Ministry of Education and Culture, Jakarta), Ajeng Arainikasih (Museum Ceria, Jakarta), Catherine Ritman Smith (Young V&A Museum, London), and Paz Guevara (Museum HKW, Berlin), and was moderated by Riksa Afiaty from Indonesian Visual Art Archives (IVAA), Yogyakarta.
The definition adopted by museums today is very different from museums in the past, which seemed to be just a 'warehouse' for cultural artefacts or antique objects. Quoting the latest definition of Museum issued by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) in Prague in 2022 museums are:
"Museums are non-profit permanent institutions serving the public that research, collect, preserve, interpret and exhibit tangible and intangible heritage. Open to the public, accessible and inclusive, museums foster diversity and sustainability. They operate and communicate ethically, professionally and with community participation, offering diverse experiences for education, enjoyment, reflection and knowledge sharing."
Today, museums can be directly involved in policy, social and environmental change. Important issues in social change and sustainable development such as women's equality, gender discourse, climate change, inclusivity, and diversity are becoming integral discourses in museum and heritage practice both conceptually and at the operational level.
The presentation from Nusi Lisabilla and Ajeng Arainikasih illustrated that the museum's perspective that began to adapt the issue of social and global change can already be seen in the museums in Indonesia today. For example, Museum Aceh in Banda Aceh shows the figure of women who have been marginalised in Indonesian history by presenting a narrative about Malahayati (1550-1615), the first female admiral in the archipelago and even in the world.
In addition, museums in Indonesia today are also starting to offer narratives that are not diverse and even show different perspectives. For example, the Multatuli Museum in Lebak presents an exhibition on leftist thought in Indonesia, which during the New Order era was considered subversive and against the establishment. At the La Galigo Museum in Makassar, narratives of local history from the collective memory of the community have been incorporated into the museum's narrative, such as the portrayal of Arung Palakka, who was considered a traitor during the New Order, but is now narrated as the King of Bugis who freed his people from the domination of Makassar. Thus, local historical narratives are not solely built from the authority of the government that takes care of museums, but from the collective memory of local communities. The diversity of narratives offered by museums in Indonesia today shows that the perspectives and perspectives used in responding to past history have begun to move by criticising and contextualising them with the present.
Meanwhile, Catherine Ritman Smith's presentation (Young V&A Museum in London) touched on the importance of museums introducing issues of climate change, inclusivity, and diversity to younger generations today. Museums can play a role through their collections and public programmes to engage young visitors. In line with Catherine, Paz Guevara (HKW Museum, Berlin) mentioned that global solidarity issues also need to be addressed by museums, such as issues of conflict and migration, environmental degradation, and even issues of fighting injustice and poverty.
The common thread that this panel tries to convey is that today's museums are no longer concerned with the number and scarcity of collections they have, but lies in what narrative they want to convey, especially in responding to global issues and including local perspectives in the study of their collections.
Yuli Andari Merdikaningtyas (Museum Bala Datu Ranga) reports.