Italian hand to upgrade state museum

BHUBANESWAR: A rich repository of Orissa’s culture and heritage, the State Museum is getting an Italian helping hand for its upgradation as part of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Project which seeks to conserve eight existing maritime heritage sites.   In a bid to make it an institution of international standing, the ICZM Project has come up with a study which seeks to give the museum its first-ever management plan. As mandated by the State Government and the Ministry of Environment and Forests, the World Bank has engaged Italian experts, known for their expertise in museum development and promotion with the funding support from Italian Trust Fund for Culture and Sustainable Development, for carrying out a study. Conducted by the LASA-Intach consortium, the study looks at integrating conservation of the maritime heritage sites with enhancement of livelihood security of the local communities and building the brand of the State Museum. The study, which has called for a Museum Corporate Plan, has strongly pitched in for a Collection Management Policy for the State Museum. Though documentation process is the heart and soul of a museum, the State Museum does not have a systematic policy. There is a need for following the latest international documentation procedures and research methodology. Although the Intach has already set up an in-house palm leaf conservation team, the study has recommended establishment of an in-house conservation centre at the museum equipped with skilled conservators to treat artefacts. The centre should emerge as the conservation nucleus of the State. A major recommendation of the draft study is putting in place a museum security programme which is currently non-existent. Since museums are extremely prone to theft because of rise in illegal trafficking of heritage artefacts, a security system is the need of the hour. “The museum needs to restructure its existing security system. The goal should not be to close its doors but make it open to visitors in a responsible manner,” the report says. The LASA-Intach study has also called for strong marketing of the museum to reach out to the larger audiences and create its own brand image. Calling the current efforts sporadic and not comprehensive, the study says the State Museum needs to come up with strategies for a futuristic marketing plan by creating its own logo, brochures, leaflets, special events and advertisement through Internet and other media. Detailed proposals for developing and conserving the eight maritime heritage sites have also been made in the study which assesses each property on the basis of its advantages and constraints.