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Description
The value of a modern and innovative museum does not consist exclusively of the value of organized exhibitions, but especially of the way the museum serves the increasingly diverse needs of communities, keeping pace with the times, transforming and adapting their message and functions to prove its relevance to the needs of the public it serves. Approaching a new cultural business model, ASTRA Museum aims to transform the House of Arts, now a quasi-inert and non-functional space, into a creative hub, a nodal point where crafts (past, present, living) become the corollary of all valorisation activities. of this historical monument. The proposed valorization plan will functionalize the new spaces so that over 80% of the useful surface will be dedicated to cultural activities, and the annual number of visitors will increase by 40%: permanent and temporary exhibitions, multifunctional halls for formal and non-formal training activities, spaces for museum education activities and pro-heritage education, fluid spaces for the projects of the creative community and new forms of cultural entrepreneurship, spaces for cultural memory (access areas to databases and digital catalogues of crafts and craftsmen), spaces for experimentation and interactivity, for exhibiting and selling craftmen’s products, spaces for recreation, for meeting and socializing for the community. These activities will benefit from the support of the Norwegian partner, Museene I Sor Trondelag, through exchanges of experience with craftsmen and specialists from both countries. Bilateral cooperation also includes cooperation in the development of educational activities and the accessibility program following the good practice example of NorsK Dove Museet.
Summary of project results
The project aimed to restore, revitalize, and integrate into the cultural circuit an emblematic building in Sibiu''s medieval area, the House of Arts.
Issues addressed by the project were the lack of official certification of their status by traditional craftsmen and the lack of specific knowledge to help them adapt to the market.
Another challenge at the level of the target group of primary school students and teachers was the need to diversify cultural activities carried out in collaboration with museum educators in the classroom and not exclusively in the museum.
Approaching a new cultural business model, the ASTRA Museum transformed the House of Arts into a creative hub, a nodal point where crafts are the center of activities to capitalize on the historical monument.
The valorization plan developed in the project meant permanent and temporary exhibitions, multifunctional rooms for formal and non-formal training activities, spaces for museum education activities and pro-heritage education, fluid spaces for creative community projects and new forms of cultural entrepreneurship, spaces for the exhibition and sale of craft products, recreation, meeting and socializing spaces for the community.
The project results include the following:
- the House of Arts restored;
- The attic space was arranged into an exhibition that captures the crafts that shaped the personality of Transylvania.
- The "Educational Chest" was a program designed for primary school students and teachers in Sibiu, which promotes the exploration of cultural crafts and various forms of cultural expression.
- Vocational training for project team members, certification of skills for traditional craftsmen, and new specializations in traditional crafts for members of the local community.
Summary of bilateral results
The partnership was materialized through exchanges of experience with craftsmen and specialists from both countries. The bilateral cooperation included cooperation in the development of educational activities and the accessibility program following the good practice example of NorsK Dove Museet.