The Heritage Agency of Denmark [Kulturarvsstyrelsen]

A snapshot of Life at
the Danish Museums
Ole Winther, Head of Department
National Heritage Agency of Denmark
National Heritage Agency
Ministry of Culture
National Heritage
Agency
Arts Council
Libraries
and Media
Tour of the Day
> The basic facts and figures
> Where are the Danish Museums
today?
Three major reports
> Affects on the field of museums
> Why museums in the 21.
century? – or preparations for a
new museums act
A new reform of the Danish
public sector was introduced
st
on January 1 2007
>
271 local authority districts
(pop. approx. 19.000) were
reduced to 98 (pop. approx. 55.000).
>
13 county authorities were abolished.
They are replaced by 5 regions,
whose only job is to manage the
hospitals.
>
Major changes in the distribution of
tasks between central government,
regions and local authorities.
Facts on the Danish
Museums – I
7 state owned museums
116 state subsidised museum

20 with a regional or national
responsibility
96 with a local responsibility
State owned museums
Regional museums
Local museums
Facts on Danish Museums
– II: Public Funding
7 state owned museums
342 mio. dkr.
116 state subsidised museum
825 mio. dkr.

20 with a regional or national
responsibility
96 with a local responsibility
1,159 bill. dkr.
(≈160 mio. €)
(334 mio. dkr.)
(491 mio dkr.)
State owned and subsidised
museums in 2006
Strukturudvikling
Strukturudvikling
2010
Merged museums
Future mergers
Museums in 2015?
Strukturudvikling
Structural trends
> Mergers and larger museums
> Development of a new role for the museums in
society
> Public debate on sustainability
> Partnerships on teaching and research
> Joint venture on certain areas - fx storage
facilities
> Higher quality on basic areas as registration
and teaching
Very different
institutions…
Wiking Ship Museum
- 5 objects?
Art Museum of Skagen
1800 objects.
A major collection of Skagen Painters –
but without the economy to extend the
collection
Museum of Bornholm
- 700.000 objects,
1 farm og 2 factories?
Museum of Contemporary
Art
1.500 pieces of soundart,
videoart, intermedia art,
installation art, media art, and
documentation.
- Originals or copies?
Cold War Museum Stevnsfortet
- 1 object below surface?
- but all have to do the
same:
Secure and
provide access
for the visitors
to the national
heritage
The Museum Act
§2: Through collecting, registering, preserving,
researching and disseminating the museums shall
i)
ii)
iii)
iv)
v)
work to safeguard Denmark’s cultural and
natural heritage,
illuminate cultural, natural and art history
enhance the collections and documentation
within their respective areas of responsibility,
make the collections and documentation
accessible to the general public, and
make the collections and documentation
accessible for research, and communicate the
results of such research.
Preservation
Collection
Registration
Research
Dissemination
Preservation
Collection
Registration
Research
Dissemination
Three Major Reports
2005: Collections management
2007: Dissemination
2009: Research
(+ a number of minor ones)
Collections management –
2005
Plan for preservation and registration with a strong
focus on the collections and their conditions
>Shared storage facilities
>Conservation,
>Unique national value
>Digital registration og all museums pieces and
>Disposal
The government allocated 40 mio. dkr/7 mio. €
per year from 2004-to reach the agreed level of
collections management.
Dissemination in Danish Museums
- A National Strategy 2007-
Access to Cultural Heritage and to
developing the Educational role of
museums in society
Report on Dissemination in
museums(2006)
€ 6 mio. annually for the
Dissemination of Cultural Heritage
2007-10
Finance Act (2006)
€ 5 mio. annually to compensate
Free Enterance for children and
young people under 18
Free entrence to The National
Museum and The National Gallery
of Denmark
Action points
1. Innovative development of dissemination in
museums
2. Research in Dissemination in Museums
3. Education and Training
4. Museums and Education
5. User Studies
6. Evaluation and Knowledge Sharing
Innovative development of
dissemination in museums
> Support to specific museums’ international exhibition
collaboration
> Funds for innovative dissemination in museums from a
user perspective
Research in dissemination in
museums
> Funds for research
> Support for Ph.D.-projects in collaboration with
universities
> Center for Resarch and Evaluation
Museums and Education
>
Funds for Educational
programmes in museums
>
National survey on
educational programmes in
Museums
>
National website on
Museum Education
- www.e-museum.dk
A national survey on
educational programmes in
danish museums
Objective:
To examine, how museums understand and practice
educational programmes and pinpoint the challenges
museums are facing related to a professional handling
of their learning potential in the 21. century knowlege
society.
>
>
>
>
>
Educational programmes in Museums
Educational ressources in Museums
Users of educational programmes in Museums
Eksternal collaboration
Strategic considerrations
Can be found on our web site: www.kulturarv.dk
User studies
Funds for focused quality
assessments on users of
museums.
Development of museums
statistic.
A national survey of
> Users
> Non-users and
> Web-users of museums.
National User Survey 2008-2010
Objectives:
>
>
>
>
To establish a systematic
national overview of users of
Danish museums.
To use the results as material
for local and national analyses
and iniciatives toward users.
To give every museum an
overview of their specific users
and a strategic tool to develop
relationships with their users.
To make a bacis for the
museums to compare users an
exchange knowledge and
experience.
Non-User Survey
Objective
 The survey of non users must be used as
a strategic tool to develop the educational
role of museums.
What will the survey focus on?
Non users socioeconomic background
variable.
Non-users expectations to museums offers.
Organisation
Consultants will realise the survey based on the results of the national
user survey.
Method:
>
Non-users can be kan identified through telephone interviews.
>
Non users of museums expectations to museums can be
investigated through telephone interviews and focusgroups.
Web-Users
Objective
The survey of web users must be used as a
strategic tool to develop the educational role
of museums.
What will the survey focus on?
Web users socio economic background
variable.
Web-users expectations to museums digital
resources.
Organisation
Consultants will realize the survey based on
the results of the national user survey.
Research
Support to a Ph.d research project along with
the survey.
Research - 2009
There’s only one kind of academic research –
no matter whether you are working on a
museum or at a university.
That’s a fixed principle.
The question is – how do we secure volume
in museums to do research on university
level?
Due to the financial crisis the government
has not reserved any money to
implementation and strenghtening of the
museum research.
Quality Assessment
> 10 annual quality assessments
per year
> Danish Museum Statistics
– from 2010
> 4 year working programmes
- from 2010
Three Museum Acts
1958: Defines the need for local history
museums, that can focus on
Danish history and make parallels
from the past to post war Denmark
1976: Introduction of regional museums
and a inclusion of art museums in
the act.
2001: National focus – a specifik
definition of the workfield and
inclusion of the natural history
museums.
2011: ??
Museum definitions
ICOM
A museum is a non-profit,
permanent institution in the service
of society and its development, open
to the public, which acquires,
conserves, researches,
communicates and exhibits the
tangible and intangible heritage of
humanity and its environment for the
purposes of education, study and
enjoyment.
CANADA
Museums are institutions created in the
public interest. They engage their visitors,
foster deeper understanding and
promote the enjoyment and sharing of
authentic cultural and natural heritage.
Museums acquire, preserve, research,
interpret and exhibit the tangible and
intangible evidence of society and nature.
Museums are permanent, not-for-profit
institutions whose exhibits are regularly
open to the general public.
AUSTRALIA
A museum helps people understand the world by using objects and ideas to
interpret the past and present and explore the future. A museum preserves and
researches collections, and makes objects and information accessible in actual and
virtual environments. Museums are established in the public interest as permanent,
not-for-profit organisations that contribute long-term value to communities.
Museum of the Future?
New methods?
New ’products’
A new raison d’etre?
A new???
But I am almost sure, that
>
>
there will be a new museum
landscape. A radical change?
there will be new kind of
collaboration and types of
institutions.
>
That sustainability will be one the
new buzz words.
>
that the government will be much
more explicit on how to run a
museum – professionalizing
management in all cultural institutions.
Thank you for listening!