Sustainable Culture: Leisure as an Essential Pillar for Community Well-Being

On the occasion of World Museum Day | May 18

Day Long Seminar and Workshop: Organized by Rereeti, in collaboration with British Council, Max Mueller Bhavan, and Karnataka Folk Museum.

Background:One of the most important contemporary challenges shared by people all over the world is to adapt new ways of living and developing within the limits of nature. This transition towards a sustainable society requires inventing new methods of thinking and acting. Museums play a key role in this transition, promoting sustainable development and serving as real laboratories for best practices. Modern museums must take a strong position in this context and make their voices heard.

The theme Museums for a Sustainable Society recognizes the role of museums in raising public awareness about the need for a society that is less wasteful, more cooperative and uses resources in a way that respects living systems.

Bringing museums to the forefront of this model of a sustainable society, the International Museum Day theme aims to foster awareness among the whole society about the current consequences of human action in our planet and the absolute necessity of changing its economic and social model.

Theme of the Seminar: Sustainable Culture: Leisure as an Essential Pillar for Community Well-Being

Concept Note:How do we go about positively changing people’s attitude towards a site and space rich with the possibilities of discovery, learning and leisure? The authors of the book "The Museum Experience Revisited," point out that the reason why people do or don’t visit museums is best explained by underpinning it with “…issues of leisure values and personal history.” Several factors go into making someone culturally aware and outgoing, “but these factors are unlikely to in and of themselves provide a complete explanation of museum going”.

What are leisure values and personal history? Leisure values are benefits associated with a leisure activity. For example, what are the benefits from visiting a museum verses a mall? The questions people base their decisions on are: is the environment pleasant? Is it a place where one will be comfortable? Are there things to do or places to see, learn or be challenged, is it relaxing and child friendly, is there a café or place to eat, can I buy something, are there toilets, is there parking, and a host of other convenience-related factors.

Personal history is the perception associated with museums based on past experience. If one has a perception that a museum will fulfill one or more specific personal needs, then that person is likely to visit a museum. However, if these needs are not met, then one looks for alternative options to fulfill them. A shopping mall is increasingly becoming a popular choice for many Indians to fulfill their needs. There are lessons to be learnt from the malls that can be implemented in our museums. A mall provides everything associated with leisure, under one roof. For instance: movies, shopping, eating, games, facilities like washrooms, play area for kids, parking, proper signage, disability access, and accessibility all add up to the total experience.

Attitudes and notions change over a period of time. Our museums too could be a weekend destination, especially for the local populace. But first, we need to believe that museums are not just spaces for the culturally aware and the intellectual, or students and scholars studying the subject. Most importantly, museums are not only about learning or acquiring knowledge; they can be dynamic spaces for exploring, interaction, play, and leisure.

How do we reframe the lens through which we view museums, cultural spaces and heritage sites from inaccessible to inviting spaces?

The day-long seminar has two modules:

Morning Session: 10:30 am - 12.30 pm (Panel Discussion)

Afternoon Session: 1:30 – 3:30 pm (Workshop)

Morning Session

Sustainable Community Development: Reframing Culture for Newer Audiences

Keynote speaker: To be confirmed

Keynote overview: Who are the consumers of culture? What do they consume? How do we manage cultural production in a sustainable manner? (15 minutes)

Rereeti will introduce the Morning Session’s Moderator, who will then take over and introduce the panelists and kickstart the session.

Chair / Moderator: To be confirmed

Moderator would be responsible for providing closing comments and taking questions from the audience and providing crucial commentary or intervention when required.

Topics for Panelists:

1. Flash mobs as sites of culture - Ashwini Raghupathy director of ARPANA, an organization which deals with Indian traditional dance training, performances and dance outreach. She was nominated in June 2013 as a member of UNESCO’s

International Dance Council. Her company was the first dance troupe to have performed an Odissi flash mob.

2. Sustainable Living - Jaaga Bangalore – Archana Saha has been actively engaged with community art practices for the last decade. She is the Founder-Director of Jaaga, a community based urban art, tech and activism project.

3. Oral History - Centre for the Study of Public History, Shrishti School of Art, Design and Technology (20") - Indira Chowdhry, historian and writer with substantial experience and expertise in setting up Institutional Archives. Oral Historian and researcher with a decade-long experience in working on archival exhibitions and publications.

4. Urban Landscapes and Leisure Avenues: Heritage doesn't have to be a historical site (Panelist to be decided)

Questions & Answers (15 minutes) Closing comments by Moderator (10 minutes)

Lunch: 12:30 - 1:30 pm

Afternoon Session

Overcoming Barriers to Accessing Culture: How Do We Leverage Existing Resources?

Overview: Once we identify the sites of culture and leisure, how do we engage the community to become active participants for creating, modifying and performing culture? What are the best practices in the field? What does sustainability imply for cultural sites (dance, art, language, museums, movies, urban spaces)? We invite leading organizations to share stories and demonstrate how we can overcome barriers to accessible culture using existing resources.

Introduction to this session: To be Invited

Karnataka Folk Museum Director – Using Archives for Re-Presenting Culture (15 minutes)

How do we leverage museums to design effective learning modules for children | Tejshvi Jain (15 minutes)

Accessible Exhibits - Making Museums an Inclusive Space for Persons with Disabilities (15 minutes)

Ecological Arts practices - The Alternative (15 minutes) Questions & Answers (10")

Evening Tea: 4:00 pm | Event closes.

Who Should Attend?

Museum, Art Gallery Curators, Outreach Officers, Directors Program Managers at Cultural Organizations Theatre Professionals, Artists

Academics, Researchers, Journalists Students of Art, Design, Heritage, History, Theatre

Organized by: Rereeti - Revitalizing Museums, Bangalore in Collaboration with: British Council, Max Mueller Bhavan and Karnataka Folk Museum.

Date: May 18, 2015 | Time: 10:30 am to 3.30 pm

Pre-Conference: 10 am onward tea and snacks will be served at the venue.

Registration: INR 300/- inclusive of morning tea and snacks, lunch and evening tea.

RSVP: rereeti13@gmail.com | Subject: Sustainability Seminar