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Description
The project of the Museum ''House of Humor and Satire'' and the Norwegian University College for Green Development (HGUt) lasts 22 months. It includes revitalization of three museum spaces, creation of a permanent exhibition from the Museum''s collection with the working title "The Address of Satire" and a temporary exhibition addressing the role of satire in social processes, created with the participation of various communities. The creation and presentation of the exhibitions will use innovative technologies and tools in order to provide a new way of understanding cultural heritage, engaging the experience of the audience and involving different social, cultural and ethnic groups and communities. The partner should develop an innovative methodology for creating exhibitions through community-based curation. Four trainings will be organized for museum specialists to increase their competence and improve the quality of the management of cultural heritage by the institution. As part of the project, the Museum will create a new library service that will provide accessibility to its unique specialized book collection. Two new jobs will be created at the Museum for specialists who will work to attract new audiences. An entrepreneurship plan with a implementation period of five years will be developed. In order to achieve those goals, 12 project activities are planned. The planned information and publicity activities will increase public awareness of the project, the Cultural Entrepreneurship, Heritage and Cooperation Programme, the EEA Grants 2014-2021, and the donor countries'' contribution at national, regional and local level.
Summary of project results
Through the implementation of this project, the Museum ''House of Humor and Satire'' in the town of Gabrovo was able to complete an important phase of its renewal and modernisation process. One of the most valuable achievements from the project would be to boost the confidence of the museum''s team to develop and manage large-scale projects – knowledge and skills that will continue to be developed in the years to come.
The third museum floor was renovated – the exhibition halls, foyer, and the new library. Equipment, furniture, software for managing and presenting the art collections, library software, and two exhibitions have been delivered, including a mobile application for one of the exhibitions. Strategic guidelines for the development of the museum library, entrepreneurial ideas for cultural products and services, and their marketing, an educational program, and a navigation system to improve visitor orientation within the museum have been developed.
A temporary exhibition "Humor and Satire through the Eyes of Gabrovo Residents" was opened, displaying works from the Museum''s collection. In this exhibition, the participants, in the role of curators, expressed their understanding of the role of satire as a moral corrective of society and power. As part of the opening, a vocal group "Nadezhda" from the Society of the Disabled - Gabrovo participated with a humorous repertoire. This exhibition is based on the principles of working with communities and involving visitors in the work process in cultural institutions. Expanding the dialogue with the local community is an attempt to make the exhibition spaces even more hospitable and accessible to Gabrovo residents and at the same time the participants present themselves and their commentary on the cultural heritage of Gabrovo''s humor and satire.
The project allowed for much needed renovations of the permanent and temporary exhibition halls of the Museum, as well as for major upgrades to the library with new equipment enabling innovative technological solutions for interaction with the audience, contextualisation of exhibitions with film and documentary footage, as well as screening area for presenting current visual satire. A significant capacity building has been achieved for the museum staff in the digitisation of visual artworks. Under the guidance of the partner – the Norwegian University College for Green Development – training was combined with practical application of new approaches in working with audiences. Knowledge and skills have been acquired to support the artistic activities of communities and groups in disadvantaged situations.
Summary of bilateral results
The partner - Norwegian University College for Green Development - independently developped a methodology for conducting a community curation process. The rich experience of the partners provided a good basis for transforming citizens from passive recipients of the museum narrative into "creators" through the art of different stories inspired by the experience of the community. The process of curating this exhibition is a good basis for developing a practical model for working with different groups of society, including disadvantaged communities - a process leading to their inclusion and becoming a direct participant in the activities of the museum. As a result of this joint work, an exhibition was born, whose curators are members of the Club of the Disabled in Gabrovo - a new experience for the visitor, which winks with a slight irony at the values of our society, at what is important and whether our society is growing intellectually at the necessary speed.