1 Virtual Museum of Childhood in Romania Project proposal for

Virtual Museum of Childhood in Romania
Project proposal for Culture 2007-2013, from the Romanian Peasant Museum (Bucharest, Romania)
Argument
Romania lacks a museum dedicated to childhood, which would gather all its aspects, from toys,
games, clothing, children’s folklore, beliefs, customs, body techniques, food, education. The idea of
childhood itself was „used” in various political contexts, if we only think at its „patrimonialisation”
through the ethnographical exhibitions, or the “happy childhood” used as propaganda in Communist
discourse.
The Romanian Peasant Museum (winner of the EMYA in 1996) wants to initiate such a
museum, virtually for the moment (due to lack of the space but also aiming at a wider, European
audience), with rural and urban cultural aspects connected with the childhood in 19th, 20th and 21st
century Romania. Several temporary exhibitions will be organized during the second year of the
project, exhibitions that will become “halls” in the virtual museum.
The childhood we aim to exhibit is not only the traditional one, with old customs, but also the
contemporary one, with drips and drabs from old beliefs, games and family customs. We want to
prospect childhood games/beliefs/traditions market, but also the toys market from the village and from
the city – even if today the European context seems to stress the tendency towards globalization of the
childhood objects’ inventory.
Our enquiry starts from the collections of the Romanian Peasant Museum and tries to build this
virtual museum not only with objects from the Museum, but also with objects and testimonies from
Romanian private collections and from field research on the historical, political, socio-economical and
cultural context. Most of the toy and childhood items collectors are eager to talk about their own
childhood, thus we are hoping to rebuild with their help a local memory.
Involving a partner associations specialized in working with children living in poverty
(Association Artees), we will develop activities with children in disfavored areas of Romania (3
villages in Dobrogea and Moldova regions). The children will be encouraged in their creativity and
communication abilities though games. There will be an exchange of knowledge, the children will
have access to another culture, and in return, will offer information on local customs, games, beliefs
and so on.
Sos. Kiseleff 3, Bucuresti, 011341, Tel: +4021 317 96 61; Fax: +4021 312 98 75, E-mail: [email protected], www.muzeultaranuluiroman.ro
Cod fiscal: 4192480, Cont IBAN: RO76TREZ7015009XXX000280, Cod fiscal: 14244170, Cont IBAN: RO63TREZ7015003XXX000038, Trezoreria sect.1
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Who are we?
The Romanian Peasant Museum is part of the European family of Museums of Traditional Art.
It is a national museum, under the Ministry of Culture’s patronage. In possession of an especially rich
collection of objects, hosted in a Neo-Romanian style historical monument-building, our Museum
developed a highly original ethnomuseography, called “nascent or flickering museography” by its
founder, Horia Bernea. The Museum is a context museum, a relational one (relations between objects,
between objects and space) and the originality of the exhibiting style was honored in 1996 by
receiving the EMYA – European Museum of the Year Award. This style is continued in the Museum’s
publications, in actions such as the Missionary Museum, the Village School, concerts, conferences and
temporary exhibitions.
The Museum has a good tradition of working with children. Ever since 2002, it organizes the
Creativity Workshops, where children are offered an alternative education, one that is releasing and
encouraging their creativity. Through workshops of photography, Puppets Theater, ethnology stories,
embroidery, weaving, making musical instruments, ceramic objects or manual paper, the children are
guided to respond in a creative manner. Their work is put to value later in exhibitions and publications.
The results of the Creativity Workshop will be part of the Virtual Museum of Childhood, in one of its
“halls”, where the accent is placed on contemporary childhood and the necessity to give voice to
children when one aims to speak of childhood.
Activities of the project:
1. Administrative part of the project.
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Administrative meetings with the co-organizers of the project in order to establish the
project’s planning.
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Recruiting volunteers for the project (that will help in research, activities with children and
making of the exhibitions).
2. Creating the Virtual Museum of Childhood in Romania
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Working visits and workshops with the co-organizers, discussing the theoretical and
practical aspects of building a museum of childhood (the workshops take place in the
partner’s country and in Romania).
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Research concerning childhood: bibliographic documentation; documentation and
selection in the collections of the Romanian Peasant Museum; documentation in private
collections (contacting the collectors, field research for recording the interviews, visual
documentation of the objects and the content, participant observation and acknowledging
Sos. Kiseleff 3, Bucuresti, 011341, Tel: +4021 317 96 61; Fax: +4021 312 98 75, E-mail: [email protected], www.muzeultaranuluiroman.ro
Cod fiscal: 4192480, Cont IBAN: RO76TREZ7015009XXX000280, Cod fiscal: 14244170, Cont IBAN: RO63TREZ7015003XXX000038, Trezoreria sect.1
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the vision of the collector in view of a possible exposition of its own collection); fieldwork
research in different areas from Romania on topics concerning the childhood.
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Establishing directions and criteria of selection and exposure, establishing the discourse
of the museum (in the temporary exhibitions and in the virtual space).
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Organizing at the Romanian Peasant Museum several temporary exhibitions on different
themes, exhibitions that will become the “halls” of the future virtual museum. Conceiving
and making of the virtual Museum.
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Organizing an itinerant temporary exhibition on the Romanian/European childhood,
exhibition that will go to the co-organizers’ countries.
3. Workshops with children
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Organizing cultural and educational activities with children from disadvantaged areas in
Romania, involving the co-organizers (Association Artees, France, an association that has
a workshop on the theme of the labyrinth of the five senses) and the Creativity Workshop
of the Museum.
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Exporting the Creativity Workshops (ceramic, hand-made paper) to the co-organizer
institutions. Children will create artifacts using ancient Romanian specific techniques.
Why foreign partners?
We try to involve in this project foreign partners, such as childhood and chidrens’ museums,
museums that have a vast collection of childhood objects, NGOs or other institutions that organize
activities with children. Involving foreign partners is necessary for their expertise in using immaterial
and material heritage of the childhood age, and also for their vast experience in working with children
and assessing their expectancy and demand horizon. The expertise of the co-organizers will be shared
in workshops, working visits, common research and organizing exhibitions.
What do we offer?
The Romanian Peasant Museum will share with the partners its specific and original museum
display techniques; it will organize an itinerant exhibition on childhood in Romania; and will organize
workshops for the children on traditional techniques (ceramics, hand-made paper).
Together with the partners we can create the first Childhood Museum in Romania, in a virtual
form, in an European context and using European expertise.
Time: 24 months, starting from 1st of June 2010
Programme: Culture 2007-2013 (the component 1.2.1 – Cooperation Projects. 50% - 50% financial contribution)
Contact: Anamaria Iuga, +4021 3179660, +40740033602, [email protected], [email protected]
Sos. Kiseleff 3, Bucuresti, 011341, Tel: +4021 317 96 61; Fax: +4021 312 98 75, E-mail: [email protected], www.muzeultaranuluiroman.ro
Cod fiscal: 4192480, Cont IBAN: RO76TREZ7015009XXX000280, Cod fiscal: 14244170, Cont IBAN: RO63TREZ7015003XXX000038, Trezoreria sect.1
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