Armoury museum´s friends association (help!)

[Iagoba]

Probably, in some months, I will be one of the founders of a museum´s friends association.

Our aim, is to start, do activities, etc, all working with little or no money, to make more known in the city (and the institutions) and give it more international presence (well, a web page, at least).

The current state of the museum is as "forgotten" by the museum´s service and the institutions:

-No activities, no conferences,etc, nothing apart the display.
-Old displays and cabinets.
-Little or no research.
-Nothing (catalog, etc) published since +25 years ago.
-Inadequate (and little) building.
-No specialist in charge.
-No space to make activities, conferences, etc.
-No space to make temporal exhibitions.
-No aspirations to improve or change.

Even given that, its contents are first line, they do a lot of loans for exhibitions outside. With little work it will shine...

Anyone has an idea of how to start?
Anyone had a similar experience?

Thanks!
:wink:

[Carlton Bach]

Not much by way of experience, but I'd say unless you have contacts in high places or someone who has the juju to create them, community outreach is the way to start. Do something for children - what kind of museum is it? A reenactor display and hands-on guided tour might be the ticket if it's at all connected with Rome. Historical cuisine tends to go down well, too. Put it in the local papers and talk about your needs. There's a good chance you can either win sponsors or shame local government - it won't be much, but even if it just extends to a few nerw cases and display texts and maybe some funding for the next museum festival or so, you're getting somewhere.

Are you in a touristy area? Forgiuve my ignorance of local geography, but if there's any chance of turning this into 'culture tourism' your chances of attracting funding may increase considerably. You can sell the daftest things under that label these days.

[Narukami]

Greetings Iagoba

Carlton's suggestions are excellent.

Take a look what the Muzeo did here in Anaheim California -- They are a small museum trying to grow and establish themselves in an area of California where several noted museums already thrive. The Muzeo put on a great display of artifacts from Ancient Rome and did exactly what Calrton suggests -- brought in reenactors and sponsored all manner of hands-on activities. We attended one weekend and we all had a great time including our 6 year old grandson. The Muzeo also had lectures on Roman food & wine (with samples) films, etc. etc. etc.

Look in the Events thread

http://www.romanarmy.com/rat/viewtopic.php?t=19069

Hibernicus and his team did a fantastic job.

You and your group could do the same.

:wink:

Narukami

[Memmia]

Some brilliant ideas there off Narukami and Carlton.

I especially agree with the point about getting children interested, you will find that the press will pick up on this and promote it due to the educational value- well hopefully anyhow.

Reenactors and displays where the public can interact are a good idea, but remember to keep things quite simple at first and on layman's terms so that the average member of the public is kept interested.

A bit of info showing the 'gory'side of Rome would be good for initially grabbing attention
A few tales or depictions of brave gladiators, mad emperors and cruel and unusual punishments would be a good start, albeit, a bit 'Hollywood' to get them interested but then you can elaborate from there.

[Iagoba]

Ok, at first I didn´t want to give much details about the museum (if any of the "institutions" read the bad critic before we start the association), but here goes:

Alava Armoury Museum

It´s an assembly of armoury collections and donations (no Army museum), going from Prehistoric to 1920´s weapons and uniforms.

the strong points are:

-Armours from XV to XVII, more or less 20

-Rapiers: around 50+

-Napoleonic equipment: Lot´s of weapons and battle spoils, like Joseph Bonaparte´s horse saddle coverings, Wellington´s tea-set...As -Vitoria (or Vittoria) Battle happened here, there also some old displays of model soldiers, etc.

-"Exotic weapons": The only two complete Japanese armours of -Spain.
My fencing club will start regular practice of hand and half medieval sword in March. We can do replica swords handling, guided visits, ancient fencing courses...

There is one starting XIII cent. re-enacting group nearby, with the intention of working for history diffusion, and research, not for doing justspectacles or medieval markets...

We are near Bilbao, on the way to the wine making zone of "La rioja"
There is a pioneer program for showing how the medieval cathedral it´s being excavated and restored. Ken Follet, and a lot of writers had come here, for example.

The biggest problem it´s the lack of interest of the institutions...and the little knowledge of the museum´s existence.

[Carlton Bach]

Do you think you could invite reenactors for drill displays and weapon demonstrations? Anything that is colourful, noisy, and in character for a military museum should get a) media attention, b) public interest and potentially c) interest and support from veteran groups. I am not one myself, but I find it remarkable how past military service can bond men together and how they can still act as one decades afterwards. A military museun could do worse than get on good terms with whatever veterans clubs you have in town.

Does the Spanish military have a PR budget? Maybe they could be tapped to help? Again, probably not a good idea to cold-call, but if I was a recruiting officer, I'd grab the opportunity to put up a stall at a historical drill display.

[Iagoba]

The museum it´s public, depending from the county goverment, and not military, as I wrote above, so I don´t expect any involvenment of the Army. It´s mainly an private armoury collection wich was donared ro the public.

The "newest" equipment dates back to the Spanish Civil War (one cap and pilot googles 8)
But I hope there will be reenactors wanting to... :wink:

BTW: What´s a PR budget? I´m sure it hasn´t...at least the museum :?

[jvrjenivs]

What´s a PR budget? I´m sure it hasn´t...at least the museum :?

PR= Public Relations; So does the museum have some budget to advertise their existence, make a website, do some advertisement, etc/ Does the Spanish Military have some budget to promote the military service.

[Iagoba]

Well, I think there isn´t such thing...we´ll have to fight for it :x

Soon I´ll have a meeting with the museum ´s directress. I hope she will be receptive to the idea of fancy dressed armed people going around the museum :lol:

We have the idea of creating, inside the Museum´s Friends Association, a little reenacment group (multiperiod, to explain at least some ages of warfare and equipment showed in the museum) and also an ancient fencing club 8)