Organisation of  the Municipal Museum.

 

Municipal Museum in Żory was made in January, 2001 of initiative of Żory’s municipality, individual persons clustered in Żory Town Lovers and by principal of Municipal Cultural Centre – Lucjan Buchalik. According to establishments, museum gained regional chamber’s collections, as well as a part of African-themed collections, which were the base of sectionalizing of two substantive branches : Department of History and Regional Culture and Department of non-European.

 

Decision to create a museum came from the collection that were at disposition at that time, but also there was such a need due to rising amount of exhibits gained by regional chamber. African-themed exhibits, very rare in Poland became a trademark of Żory’s institution, much less they’re expanding with every scientific-exploratory expedition, so nowadays they’re the biggest collection in southern Poland.

 

This museum works basing on Integrated Development Plan, which is a system of consistent activities that orient’s an institution to the side of museum adapter to contemporary world’s needs to the level of European events and services organised for local society. Openness, which is emphasised is supposed to create a circle of people associated with Museum’s offer, not only this educational one. The task for both of departments will be an intensification of acitivites to create an offer that is attractive substantively, carefully served, caring for aesthetics and graphical projects. Attractive, because of ways of working, which are modern ways, attracting visitors at various age. According to guidelines, the Museum will become a cultural centre, but that culture undergoes scientific verification, extended with a knowledge served in a easy and pleasant way. This kind of tendency for years is noticed in cultural politics of western Europe in terms of museum institutions in small towns, so the used solutions brought really acceptable results.

 

TASKS

 

Municipal Museum is an institution, which under it’s charter:

- collects cultural goods, keeps it, develops and preserves;

- organises permanent/temporary exhibitions and touring in country, as well as abroad;

- educational activity (museum lessons, workshops, readings, contests);

- scientific activity (research programme) and documentative;

- publishing activity;

- sharing of collections in educational/scientific purposes.

 

COLLECTIONS

 

During 5 years of Museum’s activity we collected:

- in Department of History and Region’s culture – 1277 pieces

- in Department of non-European cultures – 1240 pieces.

 

Collections were gathered by purchase or as a gifts. Consistent politics concerning promotion of museum’s African-themed collection gives an opportunity of propositions of donations from visitors or those, who came across museum via media.

 

EXHIBITIONS

 

There were 3 permanent exhibitions available for visitors: „Interior of a Silesian chamber”, Żory – history and craft” and „In African villages”. Under development plans, Museum all this time brings to perfection and arranges exhibitions on European level. Soon, there will be a unification of a part of an exhibition by Department of History and Region’s Culture.

 

Museum’s Gallery is a place of temporary exhibitions, which offer is divided into two. During a year, there are organised approx. 6 temporary exhibitions, which are exploited in terms of realisation of educational projects as well as Saturday’s Cultural Meetings.

 

Due to limited surface, which Museum possesses, temporary arts are very important and they are organised in different museums and cultural institutions in this country. In this manner, our exhibitions were in the biggest cities of Poland: Kraków, Radom, Toruń, Cieszyn, Katowice. There’s an exhibition under maintenance and its called „Mask- sacrum and profanum”, what (according to authors) it is supposed to be something completely new, different than experiences of African mask by European cultures so far.

 

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITES

 

Due to nature and manner of functioning of Museum – the most important function of substantive branches is educational activity, which is not only a source of income and a determinant of existing of this type of museum in a small town, but first of all – its a source of righteous knowledge, which is very important in an understanding process, but in counteracting to life full of stereotypes. Both departments prepare a special offer for children and youth, which are concerning history of the town, ethnography and history of Silesia, but first of all – wide ethnography of non-European cultures. Result of intense, educational work are realised projects, which not only receive acceptance and appreciation of visitors, but also are positively rated by external institutions, receiving awards and merits.

 

Information about educational-ethnologic projects realised and awarded you can find in tab EDUCATION.ARCHIVE

 

With realisation of non-European culture projects, Museum works with embassy and representatives of foreign countries. Result of such cooperations are not only educational projects, but also educational publications, which supposed to be the future of the Library of Young Traveler. An important element of the projects is learning of foreign languages, which are introduced into the museum in a curious manner as a integral element of our projects. Department of non-European cultures made a cooperation with MSZ and Fundation „Education for Democracy” in terms of training and cooperation with non-governmental organizations to promote so called „developmental education”. Within the confines of contest, there was created a project „African ethnological path – on mystery’s trail” (awarded by the Fundation), which is innovative tool of work in terms of form and method for teachers in secondary and high schools.

 

SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITY

 

Every year, museum organises scientific-exploratory expeditions to Western Africa, which result in not only exhibits, which make their way to the Museum, but first of all – it’s a huge scientific documentation, which is a foundation of work for substantive branch employees and by the way – during realisation of the project. According to establishments of Integrated Plan of work, every Department of non-European Cultures workers is supposed to have an experience in area exploration connected with areas, in which these explorations are held. At the same time – Museum’s interests in non-European cultures are systematically expanded with new exploratory areas.

 

EDITORIAL ACTIVITY

 

The Museum aspires to systematically expand the offer by some new positions and publications. By this kind of editorial publishing, every year monographies about town’s history are being published, making historical library bigger. On a regular basis there is published museum’s annual, whose author is a group of polish scientists. In 2006, the 1st volume of Museum’s Educational Notebook has came out and it will accompany every project of Department of non-European Cultures, giving a compendium of knowledge adopted during it’s realisation, making a young traveler’s library as a result.

 

In this study there are also educational materials for teachers based on modern teaching methods, introducing to school classes’ some elements of journey with Africa.

 

Traditional publishings will be have a new feature in the future – CDs, which will contain games just to make this offer even more attractive to children, youth and adults as well.

 

COLLECTIONS SHARING

 

The museum is sharing its collections with students from various, silesian universities. They use it in their works to gain informations about collections and substantive branch, as well as museum’s special library.

In the future, the Museum is preparing itself to realise the Virtual Museum of Multicultiralism project, which will be a scientific „portal” providing a compendium of information about collections, scientific researches, but also a forum, where everyone could meet – those into science or journeys as well.