Often Considered A Budget Cause, Menbud: Museums Must Be A Source Of Income
JAKARTA - The museum should not only be a budget burden. He must be a source of income, "said Culture Minister Fadli Zon when opening the 2025 Pusaka Nusantara National Exhibition at the Sri Baduga Museum, Bandung, Tuesday, July 29.
The statement marks the new direction of museum management in Indonesia. This year's Pusaka Nusantara exhibition features 238 collections of 26 museums throughout Indonesia, and is held as part of efforts to build a productive, modern, and independent museum ecosystem.
In his remarks, Fadli emphasized the importance of comprehensive improvement. The ministry is currently preparing a classification system for A, B, and C museums which will form the basis for the distribution of the Special Allocation Fund (DAK). He also invited the private sector to be involved through a public-private partnership scheme.
"We encourage more visitors. Museums must be attractive, comfortable, interactive. The use of digital technology, even AI, is the key to the future," he said.
He added that more than 194,000 artifacts at the National Museum are being reassessed. Local museums are encouraged to do the same in order to find out the cultural value of the collection as a national wealth.
This year's exhibition is one of three national agendas together: Traditional Cloth Exhibition, Traditional Musical Tool, and Pusaka Nusantara. In the future, the exhibition will be expanded to food themes, people's games, royal relegia, and regional jewelry.
The revitalization of the Sri Baduga Museum and the Pusaka Nusantara Exhibition must be a milestone for the revival of the national museum. Let's make it a museum of learning space, dialogue space, and space for cross-time meetings," Fadli invited.
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The exhibition will last until October 31, 2025, equipped with seminars, workshops, and UMKM bazaars. 21 provincial museums, 4 district/city museums, and 1 university museum participated.
Deputy Governor of West Java, Erwan Setiawan, also appreciated it. "In the past, the museum was identical to old buildings and outdated objects. Now it has changed, to become a technology-based educational center," he said.