© Moesgaard-museum

City of museums : Investing in new generation museums

ContextAarhus is Denmark’s second largest city, home to 325,000 inhabitants, and a further 1 million people living in the Central Denmark region. Over recent years, Aarhus has reached several milestones in its efforts to become an international knowledge centre: a number of international businesses have decided to establish or expand their activities in Aarhus; and Aarhus University has been ranked among the top 100 world universities. More and more international employees, researchers and students are coming to Aarhus. Aarhus also has Denmark’s highest degree of specialisation in architecture and design.

Aarhus is a growing city and is undergoing a phase of major changes. By 2030 Aarhus is expected to accommodate an additional 75,000 residents; 50,000 new work places; and 15-20,000 more students, compared to 2005. Large social housing areas from the 1970s are being renovated and former industrial areas are being transformed into central neighbourhoods. The city views this current period as a unique opportunity to change its image from a provincial city to a large city, not just in terms of size but also in terms of mentality, character and values.

Arts and culture are an essential part of the process of changing the city’s physical infrastructure. They are seen as drivers of economic growth in terms of attracting new citizens, companies and tourists. In the strategic document “Cultural Policy 2014-2016 Vision”, the arts, culture and creativity are placed at the heart of the city’s identity. Cultural policy is closely coordinated with other municipal policies, such as business development, urban development, international strategy, sports and leisure, children and youth, health, as well as libraries and citizens services.

Public libraries have an important role to play in Aarhus and actively contribute to culture-led urban regeneration in the city. They are rapidly developing into community and civic centres that embrace far more than the traditional lending of books. An example is Urban Mediaspace Aarhus, the new central library that opened in June 2015. It is a hub for citizens to access municipal services and knowledge through traditional and new media.

•  Citizenship

•  Education

•  Attractiveness of the territory

•  Access to culture

•  Urban regeneration

•  Better governance

City of museumsThe museum sector is a key political focus for Aarhus municipality. Over the past 12 years, heavy investments have been made in building and refurbishing museums. Three museums in particular have contributed to giving Aarhus a leading position as a tourist destination in Denmark:

• Den Gamle By - The Old Town Museum (www.dengamleby.dk) is a national open air museum of urban history and culture. It allows visitors to experience what it was like to live and work in a Danish market town in the olden days. The museum is currently expanding to include new town districts portraying 1927, 1974 and 2014 with authentic shops and homes as well as modern exhibition halls.

• ARoS - Aarhus Art Museum (www.en.aros.dk) is a new main art museum in Aarhus and one of the largest museums in northern Europe. It showcases major special exhibitions and international art installations as well as its own collections of art from the 19th century to present. The building opened in 2004 and was complemented in 2011 by a spectacular “Panorama rainbow ” installation by Studio Olafur Eliasson (275 tons of coloured glass and steel).

• Moesgaard Museum (www.moesgaardmuseum.dk)- a brand new museum focusing on prehistory and ethnography. It presents a collection of anatomically precise reconstructions of human species. It uses innovative narratives and settings with light, sounds and animations.

These museums have adopted truly user-centered approaches. They present compelling stories focusing on people and concentrate on developing new exhibition designs and story-telling formats. This includes initiatives for groups with special needs. This innovative approach attracts both more visitors and visitors from new target groups to the museums - and to Aarhus – and has enabled a new and broader societal outreach. One example is the “apartment of memory” in the Old Town museum. Furnished in the style of a 1950s apartment, it allows elderly people, and especially people with dementia, to see, hear, smell and feel the past, often leading to short moments of clarity. ARoS is also currently developing new methods to introduce contemporary art to visitors through art shows, live journalism and “meet the artists” sessions.

The city administration has not allocated additional financial resources to these new developments but has nonetheless played a key role in supporting the development of local museums. It acted as a broker between museums and politicians and helped coordinate joint activities. In the cases of ARoS and Moesgaard the municipality decided to allocate extra support to the running costs and has helped the museums to lobby for additional state subsidies. The municipality was very closely involved in the Panorama Rainbow project: through high level representation, on the project’s steering group and by contributing to solving problems that arose during the various phases of project development. In the case of The Old Town Museum, the national cultural ministry was originally opposed to the plans to develop a modern quarter, and political support from the city was instrumental in making the project possible.

One of the city culture department’s recent objectives has been to foster more cooperation between museums in Aarhus. The aim is to join forces in terms of marketing, ticket sales and other ad hoc projects. The culture department is also involved in a tourism consortium working with local stakeholders on international marketing and cultural tourism.

© Ole Hein Pedersen

Budget and financingThe three museums are partly funded by public operating grants from the state and municipality, and partly through internally- generated revenue and financial support from sponsors, private foundations and businesses. There are no financial resources specifically dedicated to better cooperation between museums (only staff working time).

ImpactIn 2014 ARoS attracted 536,000 visitors; the Old Town museum 499,000 and Moesgaard 95,000 (between 10 October and 31 December). Every third tourist in Aarhus is a cultural tourist and the three big museums are the main drivers of the growth in cultural tourism. Aarhus is one of the fastest growing cities in Europe in terms of tourism.

The three main museums have been successful in securing large grants from foundations that contribute to the construction of buildings, facilities and exhibitions, resulting in a significant increase in entrance revenues. Furthermore, indirect economic impacts arising from both local and international visitors led to increased revenues in the hospitality and business sector.

European capital of Culture 2017 Aarhus will be European Capital of Culture (ECoC) in 2017 and museums will play a significant role over the year. The theme, “RETHINK”, emerged as a result of input from more than 10,000 residents. It aims to create a “cultural laboratory” in the region where innovation and alternative solutions can develop, and to explore whether things can be done differently.

Beyond its artistic project, Aarhus 2017 includes a focus on urban development, integration, business development, tourism, infrastructure and international collaboration. It will receive strong support and backing from the local and regional business community. According to a survey conducted by the consultancy group COWI, the ECoC will help create 2,200 new jobs in the private sector in the years up to and during 2017.

© Adam Mørk

© Moesgaard-museum © Moesgaard-museum

www.cultureforcitiesandregions.eu

Contact :

Ib Christensen - Head of Cultural Department, City of Aarhus

ibch@aarhus.dk

TransferabilityProfiling Aarhus as a key cultural and touristic hub in Scandinavia

Providing new public spaces and cultural institutions which represent new models for libraries, museums, cultural productions, community centres and learning environments

Management level and partnersThe museums are independent from the city. Aarhus culture department works in close cooperation with the three big museums and with Aarhus 2017, the organisation in charge of managing the European Capital of Culture 2017 event, and with Visit Aarhus, the official local tourism organisation.

Links :

http://www.aarhus2017.dk/en

Tips It is not always about the money; city administrations can support local cultural organisations in various ways:

By facilitating meetings between different actors involved during project negotiations or in case of conflicts

By acting as a broker and fostering more and new cooperation between local actors and with external actors, such as tourism organisations

By coordinating joint communication and promotion campaigns

SustainabilityThe museums are continuously expanding at a significant pace. Currently, Den Gamle By is finishing building its modern areas, while ARoS is planning a spectacular project, which is expected to increase the total number of visitors per year to 750,000.

© Den Gamle By