"Indonesian museums need to respond to the current demands by increasing inclusivity, integrating digital technology, and becoming a relevant public space for the younger generation," he expounded in a statement released on Saturday.
He informed that Indonesia currently has around 469 museums.
His ministry has set up the Directorate of History and Museums, which has been given a special mandate to encourage the standardization of professional and accountable institutional governance, as well as the revitalization and digitization of museum collections and infrastructure.
It has also been asked to strengthen cooperation and innovation, and ensure a more targeted distribution of Non-Physical Special Allocation Funds (DAK).
According to Zon, the governance model of the National Museum through the Museum and Cultural Heritage BLU (Indonesian Heritage Agency) has shown progress.
This has been seen in the development of education and conservation services, the formation of the supervisory board, and the holding of temporary exhibitions and digital innovations with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality (AR) technology, he said.
The Ministry of Culture hopes these good practices can be replicated in other museums across Indonesia to advance the overall museum ecosystem and make it more competitive.
The minister then highlighted several challenges faced in museum management, including limited professional staff, capacity gaps between regions, limited funding, and low public involvement.
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Zon encouraged museum managers to build cooperation networks, both within the country through the Indonesian Museum Association (AMI), and internationally, such as with ICOM and INTERCOM.
Programs such as curatorial residencies, collaborative research, and joint collection development at cultural sites such as Sangiran, Borobudur, and Muaro Jambi can be included in the advancement strategy, he suggested.
"Amid the disruption era, museums must be agile. (They must work towards) Adopting innovation, strengthening professionalism, and building collaborative networks," the minister emphasized.
"Indonesian museums must become a house of knowledge, a fortress of diversity, and an agent of social transformation," he added.
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Translator: Adimas Raditya, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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