Workshop
Storytelling in Museums

With Annissa M. Gultom, Paul Spies, and Puawai Cairns. In collaboration with Makassar Biennale Foundation

29.07 - 01.08.2019
9 AM - 4 PM

Fort Rotterdam

The program Storytelling in Museums — a Curatorial Workshop addresses an urgent topic for museums in Indonesia: How to develop museums content strategies that are engaging, relevant and practical to different communities and the public at large.
 
The workshop is facilitated by Annissa M Gultom (Indonesian Museologist), Paul Spies (Director of Stadtmuseum Berlin/Berlin City Museum), Puawai Cairns (Head of Mātauranga Māori/Māori Collection at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa), and Makassar Biennale Foundation. It aims to give participants a better picture of how to deal with the challenge of presenting a meaningful and layered narrative to an Indonesian audience in the overall context of the museum as a key institution while serving the purpose of nation building.
 
Storytelling in Museums — a Curatorial Workshop is a follow-up to the multi-year exchange program Transitioning Museums in Southeast Asia connecting museum practitioners throughout Asia Pacific and Europe that discusses current questions and challenges of museums in the ethnically, culturally and religiously diverse Asia Pacific region and Europe.

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Annissa M Gultom (Indonesian museologist) has been involved in different aspects of museum practice since 2002. Equipped with an MA in Museum Communication, she further focused on storytelling, curating and content development in museums. She has exhibited in Indonesia since 2006 as well as in Southeast Asia and Europe. She is currently the Director for the National Museum of Ras Al Khaimah, UAE. Her exposure to different museum contexts and strategies in storytelling provide her with a broad range of insights for the workshop.

Paul Spies (Director of the Stadtmuseum Berlin/Berlin City Museum) is experienced in the fields of museum concepts, exhibitions and organization. Developed together with critical friends and communities, his latest project “Berlin and the World” exhibition in the Humboldt Forum invites the audience to trace the developments and relationships, both past and present, that connect Berlin and the world. He is currently designing a large 5-year project (2020-2024) with decolonizing activists in Berlin on eye level.

Puawai Cairns (Head of the Mātauranga Māori/Māori Collection at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa) is specialized in contemporary Maori social history and advocates community-centered curatorial practice. She has a particular interest in increasing and enhancing Māori representation and participation across the heritage sector. Puawai is excited to be given the challenge to oversee the major conceptual and architectural redevelopment of the Māori galleries at Te Papa over the next five years.