Recent
This page contains a selection of news regarding TiMe Amsterdam's assignments
For more information (in Dutch language) see NL pages.
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News, March 7, 2027
TiMe Amsterdam partner in Surabaya heritage site collabiration
In the week of February 25 - March 1, an innovative collaboration project was launched in Surabaya, East Java. This is a project that should make the Peneleh colonial cemetery a more meaningful place for residents of Surabaya and visitors to the city.
In the centre of Surabaya lies a special legacy from the Dutch colonial past: the almost complete European Peneleh cemetery, locally known as Makam Peneleh. An enclave of 4.5 hectares with the remains of approximately 15,000 people (2011 census). A plan has been developed to revitalize the heritage site as a ‘Living Library’ revealing colonial biographies op people buried there. This concept has been developed by Nanang Purwono and his Begandring Surabaya heritage community. For the implementation of the first plans, Beganding Soerabaia, TiMe Amsterdam, international museum and heritage advisors and the Universitas 17 August 1945 signed a cooperation agreement (MoU) at the end of February 2024. The project is supported by the municipality of Surabaya, and from the Netherlands by the International Cultural Heritage Matching Fund of DutchCulture. The Dutch East Indies Commemoration Centre (IHC) in The Hague supported the application to this fund. DutchCulture provided a contribution for 2024. The other parties mentioned also contribute through sponsorship in kind.
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News, March 01, 2024
Proceedings International VISACA Conference Bali, 2023 published
Petra Timmer and Max Meijer, TiMe Amsterdam International Museums and Heritage Consultants were invited to participate in the Seminar VISACA 2023 (Tourism Heritage Empowerment - Visual Colonial Architecture Conference & Documentation), 28 October 2023, Denpasar, Bali. Organizer was the Udayana University, Bali. As part of our collaboration - and the MoU signed with this university - we provided key note lectures during the symposium on the origins, role and heritage values of Bali’s first tourist hotel (1928): currently the Inna Bali Heritage Hotel. Joost Dankers of Utrecht University also contributed at the symposium. An important part of the symposium consisted of research papers by Master and PhD candidates from Indonesian universities. This week, the proceedings of the VISACA 2023 seminar were published. In addition to 9 key notes, 37 case studies are included.. The book is available at Unud University Press.
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News, January 27, 2024
Overall initial plan National Slavery Museum presented in Amsterdam
Thursday, February 15, 2024, the concept for a National Slavery Museum in the Netherlands, has been published. The three quartermasters presented a main report entitled ´Tell the whole story´ and three annexes on respectively the intended location, the program of design requirements and the selection of architects. TiMe Amsterdam had been involved in the process since January 2023. Max Meijer provided support to the museological quartermaster, in the initial conceptualization and development of the museum concept. This led in mid-October to TiMe’s recommendation document 'National Slavery Museum - Building Blocks Presentation Concept'. Among other things, it addresses the 'big idea', presentation concept, theme’s, storyline and visitor journey. Elements that have since been well incorporated into 'Tell the whole story'. The Groene Amsterdammer magazine of February 15 reports on the comprehensive and rather complex development process. Niels Matthijssen of the Groene observed all preparations for nearly a year and spoke regularly with quartermaster Peggy Brandon and others involved.
The reports are available as PDFs on the website of the City of Amsterdam. The relevant issue of de Groene can also be ordered as a PDF from the magazine's website. (The image is from the quartermasters' report).
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News, November 13, 2023
AMI Malang Workshops Museum Devekopment
Invited by the Asosiasi Museum Indonesia (AMI) East Java, we contributed at a Museum Development Workshop in Malang. We were invited to highlight the topic of 'Story Line' based museum from different perspectives. Both from theory and museum practice. A great opportunity to highlight the exhibition 'Our Country, decolonization, generations, stories' of Museum Sophiahof (The Hague) as an example of a BIG IDEA based storyline and 'narrative space' design (by kossmanndejong). It was great to perform together as team TiMe Amsterdam for a diverse, extremely motivated and professional group of museum colleagues. They generated a lot of energy, many positive reactions and numerous in-depth questions.
There is a lot going on in the Indonesian museum world. Especially among the young generation of directors and curators. They work hard on museum concepts that are not a copy of the classic colonial museum that still forms the institutional foundation of museums and heritage sites in many places in this country. We had been asked to address these issues from our own perspective, taking into account cross-cultural awareness. Thanks go to the organizers of the workshop, the AMI, museums in Malang, especially Pak Dwi Cahyono, Sister Lucia of Cor Jesu Malang and the organizing committee. And last but not least participants from central and east Java and Ibu Grace Leksana assistant professor in the History Department, Malang State University, East Java who managed to build solid bridges between our input and the participants.
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News, August 24, 2023
TiMe Amsterdam participates in Seminar Denpasar October 2023
The seminar VISACA 2023 (Tourism Heritage Empowerment - Visual Colonial Architecture Conference & Documentation) organized by Udayana University, Denpasar, Bali – Indonesia. Thehistoric Inna Bali Heritage Hotel Area on October 28, 2023 will be the meeting venue. The seminar’s theme is Architecture, Tourism, Colonial Buildings, Heritage, Built Environment, and Culture: Empowerment of Architecture, Space, Meaning and History for Regional Tourism Development.
The targeted participants are decision-makers interested in the cultural, built environment, and architectural issues, ranging from academics, practitioners, decision-makers, architectural and environmental experts, social activists, policy advocates, non-governmental organizations, and students.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:
1. Wakil Gubernur Bali, Prof. Dr. Ir. Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardana Sukawati, M.Si.
2. Prof. Kemas Ridwan Kurniawan, S.T, M.Sc, Ph.D (University of Indonesia)
3. Joost Dankers, Ph.D., Associate Professor (Faculty of Humanities, Department of History and Art History, Utrecht University, the Netherlands)
4. Petra Timmer, Ph.D., TiMe Amsterdam/Fellow Researcher (Faculty of Humanities, Department of History and Art History, Utrecht University, the Netherlands)
5. Dr Elmira Jamei (Victoria University Australia)
6. Dr Reazul Ahsan (Utah University Asia Campus)
7. Tri Anggraini Prajnawrdhi, S.T., M.T., MURP., Ph.D (Udayana University)
8. Dr. Jantanee Dumrak (Torrens University Australia)
9. Kadek Paramartha (Artist and Cantonist, Conservatorist)
10. Max Meijer, Museologist, Independent museum consultant TiMe Amsterdam, the Netherlands
More information:
ar.unud.ac.id/pages/the-visaca-tourism-heritage-empowerment-visual-colonial-architecture-conference-documentation
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News, June 16, 2023
Small Museums publication TU Delft Architecture and Heritage
As part of the project 'Small Museums Change; Volunteers for Social Engagement' of TU (Technical University) Delft, TiMe Amsterdam was asked to write a short article for the project's English-language publication, edited by Silvia Naldini and Nicholas Clarke. 'Rondeltappe book series' are the importance of and new perspectives on the (social) role of museum volunteers. In their contribution, Petra Timmer and Max Meijer shared their views to consider volunteers more and mora as owners and developers of 'citizens knowledge'. The examples that are used come from a number of cases derived from Indonesian museum practice. The publication was presented on 15 July in the Faculty of Architecture at TU Delft. The publication is available as a book and as a (free) PDF.
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News, May 10, 2023
Petra Timmer Research fellow Utrecht University
Since April, Petra Timmer, PhD (TiMe Amsterdam) has been a research fellow at Utrecht University, Faculty of Hunanities, History and Art History. Research subject is the journey of architect H.P. Berlage in the former Dutch East Indies (1923), and his publication Mijn Indische Reis (Brusse Publishers 1931). The aim is an analysis and reflection on Berlage's views on art, culture, society, colonization and independence of Indonesia from four angles: Berlage the traveller, the architect, the thinker and the critic.
Some sub-studies are being carried out in collaboration with Universitas Indonesia (Depok/Jakarta) and Universitas Udayana (Denpasar, Bali). From Utrecht University, Dr. Joost Dankers (historian) is involved.
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News, February, 2023
National Slavery Museum, Amsterdam
The Municipality of Amsterdam has appointed three ‘quartermasters’ to develop initial plans for a National Slavery Museum. The team consisting of Peggy Brandon, John Leerdam and David Brandwagt focus on a museum business plan, temporary public programmes and the participation process about the location of the museum. Each does so from their own professional bacjground and competence. Part of their assignment is the development of a museum concept outline. Max Meijer, TiMe Amsterdam was recently commissioned to support the quartermaster who is involved with the museum concept.
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News, January 21, 2023
Universitas Indonesia Lecture, Depok (Greater Jakarta)
January 9, Petra Timmer (TiMe Amsterdam) delivered a lecture by request from the Department of Architecture of the Faculty of Technology at the Universitas Indonesia in Depok (Greater Jakarta). The introductory lecture on the life, work and context of architect H.P. Berlage was set up as a hybrid event. The audience consisted of live group of moderators, co-referents, and students, and over 200 online participants. Among them 50 Indonesian architects, who took part as members of the association of Indonesian architects (IAI) following the official accreditation of the event. The lecture was held in the context of the Project Berlage di Nusantara, a collaboration between Dutch and Indonesian partners. In addition to the Universitas Indonesia, the top ranking and largest university in the country, contacts were also established with ITB (Technical University Bandung) and other universities in Sumatra, Bali and Java
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News, December 12, 2022
Heritage visits Indonesia (Java and Bali)
Right now we visit in Indonesia some most interesting heritage institutions and -sites in Java and Bali.
Partly in the context of the project 'Berlage di Nusantara' in which Petra is involved. This project aims at reflection in Indonesia and the Netherlands by architects, heritage professionals and others on Berlage's travelogue and travel sketches. They date from 100 years ago when he visited the country. Berlage himself previously designed only two office buildings in Surabaya (1901) and Jakarta (1910). Nowadays there is increasing interest in this heritage from Indonesian parties. In the context of the project, we spoke with stakeholders and potential partners, such as universities, architects, historians and others in Jakarta, Bandung and Surabaya. We mainly discussed topics and questions raised by our Indonesian partners such as the significance of Berlage as an architect, but also decolonization, sustainability, bilateral cooperation and the value of architectural heritage for education, tourism and historical reflection in contemporary Indonesia. Conversations and support of representatives at the Dutch Embassy in Jakarta and the Consulate in Surabaya were most interesting and stimulating as well
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News, July 4, 2022
Sharing Stories on Contested Histories
The exhibition 'Ons Land, decolonization, generations, stories' is one of the leading cases for the 2022 edition of the training 'Sharing Stories on Contested Histories (SSCH)'. Heritage professionals and academics from the Netherlands and its 23 partner countries of the International Heritage Cooperation program (formerly: Shared Cultural Heritage) will participate. Beside the exhibition in Museum Sophiahof in The Hague, museological practices from Indonesia, Brazil and South Africa will presented during the on line training, organized by RCE and Reinwardt Academy. Yesterday interesting shootings for a documentary by researcher Margriet Kim Nguyen and filmmaker Ugo Petronin. The film will be presented during SSCH-2022. Max Meijer (TiMe Amsterdam) was recently interviewed to reflect on the exhibition.
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News, June 1 22, 2022
Assembly International Cultural Heritage
June 21, Max Meijer (TiMe Amsterdam) moderated a workshop during the assembly of Dutch Cultural Attachés. Once a year these officers od Netherlands Embassies abroad, gather here in their home country.Topic of the specific session: the joint International Heritage Cooperation programme of the Dutch Ministries of Culture and Foreign Affairs. The current and future programme agenda aims more than in the past on reciprocity, diversity, ownership and (thus) inclusive project definition. Het Nederlands Openluchtmuseum (with the Anton de Kom exhibition) provided an excellent platform for two most interesting introductory lectures followed by thoughtful and sincere reflections by participants.
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News, June 12, 2022
Indonesia visit, May-June 2022
For the first time in two years we were able to go to Indonesia again. There was also room for a visit to very diverse heritage: traces of the independence war 1946-1949, one of the oldest museums in Indonesia and the first colonial hotel in Bali.
The General Manager of this Bali Hotel appeared to be very interested in the history of his hotel. It was opened in 1928 at the initiative of the Koninklijke Paketvaartmaatschappij (KPN), which provided inter-island shipping traffic in the colony. According to many, the opening of the hotel marked the start of the relentless flow of tourists to Bali. The oldest part was designed by architect Frans Johan Louwrens Ghijsels (1882-1947). Later on, the hotel was expanded several times. Among other things, with a large open pavilion (pendopo) where the Denpasar conference was held in 1946. There, Indonesian and Dutch parties discussed a possible separate state of East Indonesia. Today the hotel is still in full operation as Inna Bali Heritage Hotel, part of Hotel Indonesia Group (HIG). At the request of the hotel manager, we try to provide additional information about the hotel dating from the colonial period.
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News, February 09, 2022
New permanent exhibition on ongoing Decoloization process
TiMe Amsterdam recently worked on the semi-permanent exhibition of Museum Sophiahof in The Hague. As part op the organizing teams from the East Indies Remembrance Center (IHC) and the Moluccan Historical Museum (MHM). Under the stimulating and provocative title 'ONS LAND Decolonization, generations, stories'. An exhibition ON decolonization made BY representatives of communities involved in The Netherlands. Their different perspectives make us discover that the decolonization of the former Dutch East Indies is an 'ongoing process' that continues to this day and ultimately affects us all. Kossmanndejong's designers created a strong immersive audience experience. From 8 February, it can be seen by everyone, also as a call for conversation, sharing your own opinions and experiences. TiMe Amsterdam was involved from the start: conceptualizing the first ideas and project management during later stages of the project.
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News, July 17, 2021
Joint Working session on Colonial History and Decolonization
Last week a joint working session on colonial history and decolonization exhibitions took place in Sophiahof Museum, The Hague, Holland. As project managers of the exhibition Our Country, decolonization, generations, stories, which is due to open the end of this year in Museum Sophiahof. TiMe Amsterdam participated in the meeting. Input was delivered by Rijksmuseum senior Staff on the museum's current exhibition Slavery, and the the upcoming exhibition Revolusi! (planned to open early 2022). On behalf of the Moluccan Historical Museum and the Indies Remembrance Center, the concept and content of Our Country was introduced. Online two Indonesian members of the Rijksmuseum curatorial team participated via Zoom. Thanks to the input of Bonnie Triyana and Amir Sidartha, Indonesian perspectives became part of this exchange of ideas and experiences.
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News, April, 21, 2021
Publication former WW2 Concentration Camp Amersfoort Memorial Site
April 19, Dutch Prime Minister Rutte opened the renovated National Monument Kamp Amersfoort (NMKA). He did so in the presence of former prisoner Mr Arie van Houwelingen. NMKA has recently been expanded with an underground museum, redesigned outdoor spaces and further adjustments to make this memorial site future-proof. The design that was realized was developed and realized by Inbo Architecs, Tinker Imagineers and Juurlink + Geluk landscape architects. In 2012 and 2013, TiMe Amsterdam was involved in the initial request of NMKA for a possible redevelopment of the location. This led to recommendations and scenarios for change. Last year, TiMe Amsterdam was requested to contribute to a publication about the project. This was done in collaboration with co-authors Floris van Dijk and Jacques Prins, and published this month by nai010 and Inbo. Max Meijer wrote a general introduction to remembrance sites and three interviews with resp. The bi-lungual (Dutch-English) book is available at NMKA, bookstores or web stores such as amazon.com. The meaning of a place; National Monument Camp Amersfoort; authors: Jacques Prins. Max Meijer, Floris van Dijk; Publisher: nai010, ISBN:978-94-6208-595-4
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News, January, 13, 2021
Berlage in Batavia
This is the (working) title of a new shared heritage project in Indonesia and the Netherlands. In 1923 the great Dutch architect Berlage boarded a steamer to Indonesia for a journey of a lifetime. His travel diary ‘Mijn Indische Reis’ written almost a century ago is filled with elegant sketches and thoughtful observations on local culture, architecture and society that are still very relevant today. It’s long overdue for this important publication to be translated in Bahasa, so that’s what this project will set out to do. We’ll creatively reinterpret Berlage’s original texts and drawings through the lens of today’s thought leaders and urban explorers and we’ll share these on social media via tweets and audio-visual content to engage a discussion with a young audience on topics of identity and diversity. This way we make Berlage a modern-day influencer, almost 100 years after his journey.
Berlage in Batavia is an initiative of Urban Discovery Asia (Ester van Steekelenburg, Hongkong), TiMe Amsterdam (Petra Timmer) and Konsorsium Kota Tua (Angeline Basuki, Jakarta). A grant application has been submitted to Dutch Culture matching fund (2021).
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News, December 23, 2020
We wish all our partners, friends and clients anywhere in the world ahappy and healthy 2021,
Petra Timmer & Max Meijer
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News, March 22, 2020
Corona Virus (Covid 19)
The measures related to the outbreak of the Corona Virus have affected us and our relations in many ways. We continue our activities in line with governmental regulations and recommendations.
That means that until further notice TiMe Amsterdam:
- is normally reachable by telephone and e-mail.
- adapts its activities to the circumstances, in consultation with clients.
- communicates with clients and/or other parties by calls (or group conference calls).
- Skype, Facetime, Whatsapp, Zoom and Microsoft Teams or mobile/landline telephone and e-mails are used.
We express our sincere hope that the situation will be normalized again as soon as possible, and we do so with the utmost respect for all those in the front line and our sympathy with those affected directly by Covid 19.
With kind regards,
Petra Timmer & Max Meijer
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News, June 16, 2019
Lecture International Museum Day, AMI/DKI Jakarta
May 18th is the annual International Museum Day of the Interational Council Of Museums (ICOM). This year's theme was 'Museums as Cultural Hubs, the Future of Tradition'. The Asosiasi Museum Indonesia DKI Jakarta (Jakarta branch of the Indonesian Museums Association) invited TiMe Amsterdam (Max Meijer) to present a key note lecture on this theme at the occasion of IMD. The session was held 18 May at the grand auditorium of Museum Santa Maria in Central Jakarta. More than 100 museum professionals from Jakarta Province attended the meeting. The subject of museums as cultural hubs will be discussed further bij AMI/DKI in the future.
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News, May 24, 2019
Panel discussion Indonesian Parliament Museum, Jakarta
May 15, the DPR RI (the Indonesian Parliament, House of Representatives) organized a forum discussion at the occasion of International Museum Day 2019. The public debate, which was broadcasted on DPR TV channel als well, dealt with the future of the DPR Museum as a bridge between parliament and the population. Max Meijer was invited by the Indonesian Museums Association AMI to participate in the forum as an independent expert. From Indonesia two eminent speakers participated, Member of Parliament Mr Putu Supadma Rudana and Dr Ali Akbar, head of the Cultural History section of the Universitas Indonesia. About 100 museum professionals attended.
(photo; Max Meijer and Petra Timmer in the grand assembly hall of MPR/DPR)
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News, March 21, 2019
Interview in Museumvisie Magazine
In this month's issue of the Dutch magazine Museumvisie, an interview with Max Meijer was published. The text in Dutch consists of some provocative questions concerning (ethical) issues, such as colonial heritage, contested issues in museums, commercialization of heritage, capacity building abroad.
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News, 21 February 2019
Netherlands - Bauhaus publication and exhibition in Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum, Rotterdam
Recently Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum published Netherlands - Bauhaus, pioneers of a new world. Petra Timmer (TiMe Amsterdam) contributed to this book with an essay about the Dutch department store Metz & Co and its relation with the German design academy Bauhaus in the 1920s and 30s. This publication is connected with the exhibition Netherlands - Bauhaus in Boijmans, in which Metz & Co is also one of the subjects. Bauhaus was founded in 1919, and this exhibition/publication is one of many commemorative manifestations.
Netherlands - Bauhaus, pioneers of a new world, Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum Rotterdam, 8 February - 26 May 2019.
The publication in Dutch and English is available via the museum's webshop.
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News, 21 February 2019
Feasability study loans Monet paintings Zaan area to Zaans Museum
TiMe Amsterdam (Petra Timmer) has completed the feasability study into the willingness of 24 international owners (museums and private collectors) of Monet paintings of the Zaan area / river Zaan to lend their work to the Zaans Museum. The report was delivered to the Zaans Museum on 15 February. (photo: Voorzaan and Westerhem by Monet, 1891, Collection Zaans Museum, Zaandam)
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News, 18 December 2018
Sino-Dutch Museum Seminar, Beijing
December 12, Max Meijer (TiMe Amsterdam) was one of the lecturers during the Sino-Dutch museum seminar, held in the National Arts Museum of China in Beijing (NAMOC). This event, aiming at capacity building and professional cooperation, was organized by NAMOC and the Netherlands Embassy in Beijing. Other Dutch lecturers present were Annemies Broekgaarde (Rijksmuseum) and Marc Pil (Reinward Academy/Jacob Ahlbom Company). 60 museum directors and senior staff from all over China attended the seminar.
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News, 05 December 2018
Capacity Building Training Indonesian Museums, Jakarta
Max Meijer, TiMe Amsterdam, participates as lecturer in a four days training, held in Jakarta Indonesia.
The training, part of a MoU between the Dutch and Indonesian Ministries of Culture and Education, focuses on Museum visitors, marketing and audience development. The training is partly held at museums, including the National Museum, The Jakarta Historical Museum, Museum Bank Indonesia and Museum Bank Mandiri. Alltogether some 30 museums from all over the archipelago participate. Hasti Tarekat (Heritage hands on) and Liesbeth Diepenhorst (Rotterdam Martime Museum) were also member of the Dutch team.
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News, 22 September 2018
Exploration cooperation new maritime museum Jakarta
At the request of a Dutch client, TiMe Amsterdam paid a visit to the management of the Indonesian Port Corporations (IPC, PT Pelabuhan Indonesia II, Persero) in Tanjung Priok (the seaport of Jakarta) on 19 September. This organization, which is responsible for all Indonesian seaports, will soon open a museum in the former head office in Tanjung Priok. This museum should develop into a knowledge center and public attraction. Subject is the narrative of maritime trade in Indonesia in the past, present and future.
Because part of this history and the origin of the Indonesian seaports is closely connected with our shared colonial past, IPC seeks cooperation with partners in the Netherlands. This collaboration aims at knowledge exchange and possible cooperation between museums. TiMe Amsterdam has been asked to play an intermediary and exploratory role. (photo IPC Tanjung Priok)
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News 15 September 2018
SWOT and advice Njana Tilem Museum, Ubud, Bali
The Indonesian Njana Tilem Museum is dedicated to the work of the Balinese master sculptors Ida Bagus Njana 1912 -1980) and Ida Bagus Tilem (1936-1993) (father and son). Their highly skilled wood carving represents Balinese subjects and style, with a discernible awareness of Western art, more specifically Art Deco. Njana and Tilem lived and worked in Desa Mas (Ubud), and that is where the museum is located.
The museum was founded in 2011 by Tilem’s two sons, I. B. Gede Ary Purnama and I. B. Alit Suryadi, to fulfill the dream of their late father: showing the extraordinary sculptures of Njana and Tilem, including Tilem’s collection of Balinese paintings and antique wood carvings. This dream originated in New York in 1964, when Tilem was invited to represent Indonesia in the World Exhibition. The New York museums inspired him to strive for a museum about Balinese wood carving, with his and his father’s work as nucleus.
The museum is privately owned and operated, and on behalf of the family managed by Alit Suryadi. He is supported by a small staff. A Dutch stakeholder requested TiMe Amsterdam to visit the museum and see if they could be of any assistance. The museum would like to attract more visitors and develop itself towards a more professional managed heritage institute. On May 10 2018, Max Meijer and Petra Timmer visited the museum and met Alit Suryadi. In July they finalized a paper that summarises their first impressions and proposal how to take first steps towards further improvement.
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News 15 September 2018
Feasibility study international loans Monet exhibition
The Zaans Museum has the ambition to devote a major exhibition to the Zaandam works by Claude Monet. In the summer of 1871 he stayed for four months North of Amsterdam, in Zaandam and the river Zaan area. He made no less than 25 paintings, an equally atmospheric and striking series that has a defined a place in the oeuvre of the great French impressionist. What he reflected was the archetypal Dutch landscape with windmills, sailing ships and the typical coloured Zaanse wooden houses, the image that every foreigner has of the Netherlands. Monet helped to create that image of Holland with this Zaandam series. In the exhibition these works will be reunited and can be viewed as a specific group for the first time. Moreover, it is the first time they return to their place of origin, where you can still see what Monet saw in 1871. The Zaans Museum has asked TiMe Amsterdam (Petra Timmer) to lead a feasibility study into the acquisition of international loans, and to develop a strategic plan for this. The 25 works and nine drawings are in museums and private collections around the world. This
The final report of the loan feasibility study is scheduled for December 2018.
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News, 8 September 2018
Interpretive museum planning Galle Fort, Sri Lanka
Since December 2016, TiMe Amsterdam (Max Meijer) has been secretary for a consultancy assignment in Sri Lanka. The Dutch embassy there provides guidance and development capacity to the Galle Heritage Foundation, the government agency responsible for the management of Galle Fort, Living Unesco World Heritage Site. The assignment is being carried out by TiMe Amsterdam in collaboration with Museum Mind (Paul Ariese). During this fourth visit, planning and execution of the previously formulated public presentations were discussed and tested for feasibility. To this end, conclusive agreements have been made with the Galle Heritage Foundation. A number of parties also discussed a possible extension of the project by linking it to a conservation master plan funded by the World Bank and directed by the Sri Lanka Ministry for Southern Development. At the request of the most important technical university of the country, the University of Moratua, a lecture plus Q & A session was held on 21 August for all students of the Faculty of Architecture. The Moratua university is strongly involved in heritage development and planning. It is expected that a visit to Galle will be made later this year for monitoring the progress of the various sub-projects.
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News 01 September 2018
Training museums Indonesia in Yogyakarta
From 16 - 20 July the kick-off took place of a three-year cooperation between the Netherlands and Indonesia in the field of museums and heritage. Up to and including 2020, a number of training courses will be provided annually. Initiating parties are the Directorate of Museums and Heritage of the Ministry of Culture in Indonesia and the National Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (Shared Cultural Heritage policy). For the training program the Reinwardt Academy is the executive party. TiMe Amsterdam (Max Meijer) has been hired by the Reinwardt Academy as an external trainer. On behalf of the Reinwardt Academy, Riemer Knoop is trainer and Hasti Tarekat coordinates the training.
During the first week, a series of lectures and workshops about how to develop social/external orientation in museum programs and policies, were presented to thirty museum directors and thirty staff members. On the Indonesian side, Professor Suratman (Universitas Gaja Mada) and Professor Kresno Julianto (Universitas Indonesia) were involved as guest lecturers. The Indonesian Ministry has already carried out an evaluation. This showed that this first training was very well appreciated and that the suggestions were stimulating. This is encouraging because Indonesian museums are still strongly internal focussed and collection oriented. The training’s mission seems to be accomplished: the acceptance of external orientation as a development model.
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News, 25 August 2018
Exploratory mission railway heritage Indonesia
Since 2011, TiMe Amsterdam has been involved in cooperation between the Netherlands and Indonesia in the area of railway heritage. Under the direction of the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE), a number of missions, workshops and training courses were completed in recent years for the heritage department of the national railway company PT Kereta Api. From 7 - 12 July, Max Meijer (TiMe Amsterdam) and Ben de Vries (RCE) were in Jakarta, Semarang and Ambarawa to map future cooperation needs. These mainly concern the use of the railway heritage, own revenue generation and strengthening of the public experience at the various locations. It concerns the former head office of the Nederlandsch-Indische Spoorweg Maatschappij (Lawang Sewu) in Semarang, the Indonesian Railway Museum in Ambarawa and two other sites on Sumatra.
TiMe Amsterdam has been asked to make a proposal for possible future consultancy, in close cooperation with RCE.
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News 25 August 2018
Exploration private museums Malacca
TiMe Amsterdam visited Malacca (Malaysia) between 29 July and 3 August. Interest in this historical Straits Settlement was twofold: on the one hand, there are similarities with TiMe's mission in Galle Fort Sri Lanka: the effects of mass tourism on world heritage sites. Secondly, there was a request from a party in the Netherlands to visit the the Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum, meet its management, share our ideas about managing and keeping a house museum and see if we could provide additional knowledge.
For this reason the Malacca visit focused primarily on the position and function of private museums in the cultural context of the city. Apart from private museums, Malacca has a dozen government museums that are all focussed on the classic nation building narrative. The private museums let the voice of the different cultural communities resonate. After all, Malacca is a melting pot of Chinese, Portuguese, Malaysian and other original inhabitants and settlers. TiMe spoke with Melissa Chan and Lee Yuen Thien, curator and manager of the Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum; with Jason Tiu, chairman of the Malacca Hakka Museum, and with Colin Goh, manager of Heerenstraat 8, the Heritage Center of Malacca. Later feedback with the various parties will follow. It became clear that the carrying capacity of the Unesco World Heritage Zone and the advancing urbanization in and around the buffer zone, not only physically burden the heritage, but also threaten the underlying social fabric. This development of gentrification and commercialization can be seen as the price of success of world heritage site. An adequate answer has not been found yet.
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News 25 August 2018
Assessment and workshop Museum Santa Maria Jakarta
Following the visit of the curator of the Museum of the convent Santa Maria (Sisters Ursulines) in Jakarta, Suster Lucia Anggraini, TiMe Amsterdam (Petra Timmer and Max Meijer) paid a return visit on 25 and 26 July 2018. First they made a quick scan assessment of the current museum setup and performance. The results were discussed during a workshop on the second day, for which around 25 internal and external stakeholders were invited. The workshop was moderated effectively by Piter Edward (policy adviser Australian Embassy), Petra Timmer presented TiMe’s vision on the museum, while Max Meijer provided a general introduction to museum development. A lively discussion followed. According to the organization, the day was an important step in the process of innovation and professionalization of this small but highly relevant museum within the Indonesian context. Its vitality is due to the embedding in the current convent - a conglomerate of various lower, secondary and vocational education institutions - opposite the presidential palace in Jakarta. There, this Ursuline convent has been established since 1856, as the first nunnery in Indonesia, with branches throughout Indonesia
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News, February 6, 2018
Assignment of future document NEMO
NEMO Science Museum in Amsterdam reflects on its future. Part of the process is the formulation of strategic documents that describe options for the future. TiMe Amsterdam was asked to provide support in the formulation of such a scenario. Work will start this week and will be completed this spring.
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News, 27 January 2018
Redevelopment permanent presentation Museum Bronbeek, Arnhem
TiMe Amsterdam and Duinzand Museale Projecten have jointly won the pitch that the Ministry of Defense issued at the end of last year for the new permanent exhibition in Museum Bronbeek in Arnhem. The museum wants to renew the entire permanent public presentation for the period 2020-2030. One of the reasons is the departure of the Indisch Herinneringscentrum - which was co-producer of the current presentation 'The story of the Indies' - to The Hague. Together with Duinzand we presented the new Bronbeek plans with the museum’s main stakeholders and colleagues, and developed a storyline for the new installation concept. It is the explicit wish of the museum to present itself more emphatically as a museum of colonial history. While taking into account its own position as Ministry of Defense Museum. (Image: De Gelderlander 26 January 2018) ____________________________________________________________________________
News, 24 November 2017
Evaluation federal museums Belgium
TiMe Amsterdam has been involved in the evaluation and peer review of a number of federal museums in Brussels. From March 2016 thru October 2017, TiMe worked as a subcontractor to the international research agency Technopolis, which evaluated the federal museums of Belgium. Petra Timmer was project leader for the research at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts. Max Meijer did this for the Royal Museums for Art and History. In addition to analyses, which were processed into a synthesis report and a self-evaluation by the respective museums, the research consisted of an international peer review, in which TiMe, among other things, composed the teams. From abroad, among others, directors of the Weltmuseum, Vienna, the Louvre, Paris, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, National Galleries of Scotland and the Centre Pompidou in Paris participated as peer reviewers. At Technopolis's request, Max Meijer was also a member of the peer review team of the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren in May 2017. The client, the Belgian Federal Agency for Science Policy (BELSPO), published summaries of the evaluations digitally: Summary of the KMKG Evaluation Abstract Evaluation Royal Museum Central Africa It is expected that the Summary of the evaluation of the Fine Arts Museums will also be published on-line soon.
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News, 21 November 2017
Business Plan Sarawak Museum Campus
During the last few months we have been working on a Business Plan for the new Sarawak Museum Campus that is currently being built in Kuching, the capital of the Malaysian state of Sarawak. On November 20, the first concept was discussed with the client in the Netherlands. The intention is that the document describing the future organization will be completed in the coming month, after which it will be presented in Kuching in January.
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News, November 18, 2017
Follow-up assignment Sri Lanka
The Dutch Embassy in Colombo (Sri Lanka) has given TiMe Amsterdam a follow-up assignment for advice and capacity building for the Galle Heritage Foundation. TiMe acts as the contracting party for this assignment, which is carried out jointly with Museum Mind (Paul Ariese). The start of the project, which is a follow-up to two previous sessions in the colonial Fort in Galle, takes place during a visit to Colombo and Galle in mid-December this year. The work will then be continued in 2018.
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News, 04 June 2017
Peer Review Afrika Museum Tervuren, Belgium
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News, December 12, 2016
Field trip Colombo and Galle
From December 4 till December 10 Max Meijer traveled to Sri Lanka. Commissioned by he Netherlands Embassy in Colombo, TiMe Amsterdam and business partner Paul Ariese have been requested to support the Galle Heritage Foundation. This institute works on the museum development of Galle Fort, World Heritage Site in South Province, Sri Lanka. Early 2017, both contractors will facilitate a capacity building workshop in Galle. There initial concepts for innovative heritage presentations will be presented and discussed. Photo: Galle Heritage Foundation President Channa Daswatte and Max Meijer during the site visit at Moon Bastion, Galle Fort.
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News, April 4, 2016
Evaluation Management Brussels Federal Museums
TiMe Amsterdam participates in the evaluation of two federal museums in Brussels, Belgium. The upcoming year the scientific institutes in Belgium, funded by the federal science agency BELSPO, will face a formative evaluation. The Royal Museum of Fine Arts and the Royal Museum of Art and History are part of this evaluation scheme. The main focus of the project is a self assesment and a peer review. TiMe Amsterdam will operate as sub-contractor of the international Technopolis-group who won the tender for the assignment. TiMe Amsterdam will provide complementary museological knowledge and has been requested to deliver the project managment. Petra Timmet will act as project manager for the Fine Arts Museum; Max Meijer acts as such for for the Museum of Arts and History. With appx. 80 advisory days, this project represents some of the larger assigments of TiMe Amsterdam in recent years.
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News, October 27, 2015
Training UNESCO Jakarta Office
From 18-22 October. Max Meijer presented lectures during a training on Buddhist World Heritage in Indonesia and Afghanistan. The training held at Borobudur temple complex and in Jogyakarta.
Aim was to increase the capacity of Museum Staff to manage and interpret cultural heritage represented in Buddhist heritage sites. 25 Indonesian museumprofessionals participated in this training, which will be followed bij an in depts cours mid-November.
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News, October 26, 2015
Workshop Collection Management and Development Railway Heritage Indonesia
The past month TiMe Amsterdam commisioned several projects in Indonesia. Late September/early October Max Meijer presented lectures in Ambarawa (Central Java) during a workshop on Railway Heritage in Indonesia. This workshop was co-organized by the Netherlands Cultural Heritrage Agency (RCE) as part of their Shared Cultural Heritage Program. Max Meijer was commisioned as an subcontractor by RCE and delivered lectures togehter with Ben de Vries of RCE. Their contributions focused on collectionmanagement and development, including valuation, marketing and target group policy, cooperation between railway heritage institutions in Indonesia and the completion of the revitalization of the railway museum in Ambarawa. The intention is that this museum will reopen in 2016. TiMe Amsterdam is participating in this revitalization project as a subcontractor of the RCE since 2010.
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News, October 25, 2015
Assessment Abanda Aceh Tsunami Museum Indonesia
From 7 to October 12 was TiMe Amsterdam completed an assessment of the Banda Aceh Tsunami Museum. TiMe Amsterdam was participated in a committe of 5 experts from Japan, Australia and the Netherlands, commissioned by UNESCO Jakarta Office. Aim of the assessment was to deliver a set of recommendations concerning the current performance and future potential and revitalization of the Aceh Tsunami Museum. In addition to exploratory talks in Jakarta, a field survey was carried out in Banda Aceh during three days, followed by a consensus building meeting, in Jakarta October 12th. In this plenary meeting stakeholders from governments and NGOs participated. Max Meijer presented there the findings of the assessment team. (Photo Max Meijer, with former Minister of Culture Prof. Djojonegoro Jakarta, October 12, 2015)
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News, April 17, 2015
Shared Cultural Heritage course Indonesia-The Netherlands
Indonesian museum staff members comptleted an intensive two-week training on museum-revitalisation and shared cultural heritage. This training organized by the Netherlands Cultural Heritage Agency (Rijksdienst voor Cultureel Erfgoed, RCE), TiMe Amsterdam participated as subcontractor for RCE. The course took place in close cooperation with Amsterdam's Reinwardt Academy Master of Museology programme. The two weeks in The Netherlands were a follow-op of a ten days course held in Sangiran and Solo (Central Java, Indonesia) in October 2014.
Max Meijer was one of the trainers there as well. During the closing session RCE's Head of Collections, Michaela Hanssen presented the Certificates of Training to the participants from site-museums in Pleret, Sawahlunto, Trowulan, UGM Yogjakarta and Borobudur Studio. RCE coordinates the Dutch governmental Shared Cultural Heritage Programme which aims at mutual cooperation with countries related to The Netherlands by historical links.
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News, March 16, 2015
Masterplan National Genever Museum (Gin Museum)
On March 16th, TiMe Amsterdam, presented a planning scheme for the preparation of a Master Plan for the renovation of the National Genever Museum in Schiedam. The presentation took place at Schiedam City Hall on request of Mayor and Alderman of the city and the museums Board. Following the exploration of a future-proof Jenevermuseum TiMe Amsterdam was asked recently to work out the recommendations presented in November 2014. These recommendations suggested a stronger connection between Museum and the City and more conceptual focus on Genever as part of local and national social history.
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News, December 16, 2014
Study trip Dresden and Berlin
Last week, the Foundation Museums and Memory Centers 40-45 (SMH 40-45) made a short trip to Berlin and Dresden. At the invitation of the National Committee 4 and 5 May, a number of museums and memorial centers were visited. The pary consisted of the 11 affiliated museums and remembrence centres and some representatives of the Ministry of WVS, vfonds, Liberation Route Europe and the National Committee. Max Meijer, TiMe Amsterdam attended in his capacity as project secretary of the SMH 40-45. Visits were made to include the Jewish Museum, Berlin, Haus der Wannsee Konferenz and Militarhistorisches Museum Dresden. During the trip, participants talked about the future of the Dutch museums and memorial centers and mutual cooperation. (Photo: Group at the Militarhistorisches Museum Dresden).
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News, October 27, 2014
Training site-museums Indonesia
On behalf of the Netherlands Cultural Heritage Agency (Ministry of Culture) RCE, Max Meijer (TiMe Amsterdam) presented from 10 to 21 October a number of contributions to a training-workshop for employees of Indonesian-site museums. The training team from The Netherlands consisted of RCE advisors Bart Ankersmit and Arjen Kok and TiMe’s Max Meijer. 30 Indonesian museum colleagues attended the meetings, held in Solo and Sangiran, Central Java. Focus was the revitalization of existing museums and planning some new site museums in the entire archipelago. Max Meijer’s contributions focused on the central role and importance of museum concepts and 'storylnes', community ownership and shared cultural heritage with emphasis on colonial heritage. Exploratory and informative visits were conducted after the training in Jakarta to the Cultural Department of the Dutch Embassy, the Director General of the Ministry of Culture and the Department of Culture of UNESCO South-East Asia. In Ambarawa the team visited the National Iundonesian Railway Museum. TiMe Amsterdam is also involved in the training of staff at this museum which is being completely refurbished and hopes to re-open next year.
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News, June 24, 2014
Training Course ITB Bandung
The Visual Communication and Multimedia Research Group of the Institute Technology Bandung (ITB) takes a three-week tailor made training course in the Netherlands, organized by MDF training & consulancy in cooperation with Reinwardt Academy.
Max Meijer was asked by Reinwardt Academy to participate as a guest lecturer on June 23 in The Hague During the morning he delivered a lecture on the cooperation between heritage institutions and creative industries. Examples from both the Netherlands and Indonesia served as examples for a group discussion on mutual challenges, threats and conditions.
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News, May 27, 2014
Museum Planning: heritage chain Battle of Arnhem venues
On May 20, Max Meijer presented plans at Arnhems Town Hall for a joint venture of Airborne Museum, Eusebius Church and municipality. The plans are following a request of this joint venture to research feasibility and possible concepts. The three partners are planning a revitalization of public presentations and information concerning the Battle of Arnhem in venues like the John Frost bridge visitors centre and the tower of the Arnhem central church. It is expected that the plans are currently being discussed by the Arnhem City Council on behalf of implementation.
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News, March 18, 2014
AMIEX Conference Torino
11 and 12 March TiMe Amsterdam took part in the conference AMIEX 2014 in Turin. On recommendation of the Museum Association and invited by the Dutch Embassy in Italy, Max Meijer moderated a workshop. During this workshop "Create-Sell” possible cooperation between museums and the creative industries were explored. With some best practices as major input. Introductions were delivered by six international experts: Shaika Nasser Al-Nasr (Museum of Islamic Art, Qatar), Martijn Pronk (Rijksmuseum), Kris Callens (Zuiderzeemuseum), Silvano Stracci (Sistema Museo Pesaro) and Lucca Melcionna (MART Rovereto), followed by discussion and a wrap up by Toine Berbers (Netherlands Museum Association). Max Meijer explored in a brief introduction the various common (added) values that museums and creative industries share.
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News, January, 12, 2014
War and Remembrance Centres Museums popular in 2013
Dutch museums and memorial centres focussing on the period 1940-1945 had more visitors in 2013 than the previous year. The thirteen institutions that are members of the Association of Museums and Memorial Centres 40-45 (SMH 40-45), were visited in that year more than 900,000 times . That's over 7% more visits than in 2012.
The additional visits were caused by the opening of new permanent presentations, like the Frisian Resistance Museum, Amsterdam Resistance Museum and National Monument Camp Vught. The fact that growth in almost all other institutions took place indicates that the public interest in these museums is growing and meets an increasing public demand. The growth observed is remarkable because most of the institutions concerned are located outside the Metropolitan West of The Netherlands, so they did not benefit from the spin-off of the big reopened metropolitan museums there.
In total 13 institutions participate in SMH 40-45. In total they counted 901,470 visits in 2013. That means this sector plays a significant role in the Dutch museum landscape, with over 21 million visits to all museums in 2013. TiMe Amsterdam provides the secr