Cultural heritage

The University of Sydney and the Indonesian Presidential Palace Museum, with the assistance of AEI Indonesia, recently developed an executive training program for six senior staff from the Presidential Palace Museum in Jakarta, Cipanas and Bogor. Funded by the Endeavour Executive Awards, Presidential Palace staff will travel to Sydney between June and September 2008 to undertake specialised postgraduate education, training and work placements with museums and art galleries in Sydney.

The program will develop important skills within the Presidential Palace Museum relevant to improving the general management of the Palace collections, exhibition development and prevention of further degradation to collection items. In addition, the program will build linkages between Australia and the Presidential Palace through delivering high quality, specialised training to a key cultural government institution. Upon completion program participants will be able to take a leadership role in capacity building within the Presidential Palace in keys areas relating to conservation, collection management, collection interpretation and museum administration.

To ensure the success of the program Dr Jennifer Barrett, Director of the University’s Museum Studies program, and Dr Chiara O’Reilly, Lecturer, Museum Studies, visited Indonesia in May 2008 with the support of an Australia International Cultural Council grant (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade). The visit provided an important opportunity to meet the Awardees, their colleagues and to view collections at each museum. Drs Barrett and O’Reilly gained an understanding of the management and administration of the Palace Museums and the role of these museums in Indonesia. Meeting with the Indonesian Director of Museums and visiting museums such as Museum Kebangkitan and Museum Nasional assisted in building an understanding of the function and value placed on museums and the cultural sector in Indonesia.

Drs Barrett and O’Reilly also met with the Awardees to discuss the training program in more detail and explore options for internship placements.

A follow-up visit, will facilitate exploration and development of opportunities for further collaboration between the University of Sydney and the Museum sector in Indonesia. 

The Endeavour Team in Australia is looking forward to the arrival of this group of Endeavour Executive Award holders!

For more information about the Endeavour Awards, please visit www.endeavour.deewr.gov.au or contact Siska Wilyhana on siska@aei.or.id