STRATEGIES IN MUSEUM LEARNING

l The Museum was named after its founder – Baron Samuel von Brukenthal (Governor of Transylvania between 1777 and 1787), who built an impressive Baroque palace in Sibiu, in which location the Museum established its beginnings. Initially presenting von Brukenthal’s collection of European Painting in one single building, today the Museum shelters a large diversity of valuable collections in 8 buildings. The Brukenthal National Museum was opened to the public in 1817, being the first museum on the today’s Romanian territories and in the South-East Europe.

During the period between 2006 and 2008, the Museum was subjected to a spectacular transformation, all the buildings in its administration being renovated while about 85% of the exhibitions were reconsidered. April 2006 April 2009 In the process of remaking the old exhibitions and issuing new ones, the educational aspect was one of the priorities.

The first education rooms in the Museum were opened as follows: 2007 The Museum of Natural History 2008 The Brukenthal Palace (Art Galleries) 2008 The Museum of History

Before 2006, museum education activities were random. Because of the renovation process paralleled by the events of Sibiu European Capital of Culture in 2007, an articulate educational programme was possible to be run only starting with school year 2008/2009. In September 2008, the youth educational programme “DISCOVERING THE MUSEUM” has been launched at the Brukenthal National Museum in Sibiu. For the beginning, the broad educational offer – a step-by-step activities timeline comprising 57 themes and eight projects – was disseminated at all urban or rural levels. What we aimed at was to encourage students of different groups of age → to became familiar with the museum through recurrence in visiting. → to let them discover the museum step by step. → to give them the possibility of learning, being creative and enjoying in recreation.

OUR STRATEGIES: 1. Teaching the Teachers Ecology between necessity and reality (project) THEORETICAL APPROACH → 4 lectures on ecology → Trainers: the curators of the Museum of Natural History → Trainees: 45 teachers of rural kinder gardens

OUR STRATEGIES: PRACTICAL APPROACH 2 series of workshops with children → Spring symbols made of recycled materials → A vegetal alternative in egg-painting

OUR STRATEGIES: PRACTICAL APPROACH 2 exhibitions opened in the museum 1 sketch for the opening wrote by teachers played by children

OUR STRATEGIES: 2. Teaching the future Teachers Pedagogy praxis (project) → 2 guided tours to the Brukenthal Palace/Art Galleries → 6 lessons on guiding primary school students → Trainers: the curators of Art Galleries → Trainees: Pedagogy High School in Sibiu

OUR STRATEGIES: 3. Study facilities for future artists Art praxis Opened in 2008, in Brukenthal Palace The permanent exhibition of 19 th c. plaster-cast copies was specially arranged to accommodate the classes of students in art.

OUR STRATEGIES: 4. Learning about Museum’s history Samuel von Brukenthal and his palace Target: All groups of age The topic was comprised in the thematic guided tours timeline as well as in the creativity contest The Brukenthal Palace in the Eyes of Children. The activities focused on Palace’s structure, reception Rooms and von Brukenthal’s personality.

OUR STRATEGIES: 5. Learning about exhibitions I Target: Primary school students The topic was comprised in the thematic guided tours timeline. The activities focused on: -Visitation circuit - Ways of displaying exhibits - How to read labels

OUR STRATEGIES: 6. Learning about exhibitions II Collection to Museum (project) Target: Secondary school students The students learned about the collections on which exhibitions rely on, along notions as conservation, appropriate storage and inventory, practicing on their own collections. The exhibition adjoined the collections put together by students with the scientific collections of the Museum in a display meant to evince similarities and differences.

OUR STRATEGIES: 7. Learning about Brukenthal Collection of Painting Angels (creativity project) Target: Art High School students The topic was the angels as represented in Brukenthal European Collection of Painting and in the works of Art High School students in Sibiu. Stages: - theoretical presentation of the iconographic theme - European Art Gallery guided tour - the selection of models - workshop creation stage

OUR STRATEGIES: Angels (the exhibition catalogue)

OUR STRATEGIES: 8. Temporary exhibitions/The Contemporary Art Gallery Animated Films from Germany (workshop) Partner: German Cultural Center, Sibiu Learning about animated film making 5 teams (2 high school students each) The festive presentation of films took place at the „Gong” Theatre.

OUR STRATEGIES: 9. Temporary exhibitions/The Contemporary Art Gallery Otto Dix (theater, literature, poetry) Partner: German Cultural Center, Sibiu Faculty students related their projects with the works in the exhibition

OUR STRATEGIES: 10. Challenging topics The Museum of Pharmacy for primary school students (project) The similarities extent between the story telling about wizards and the historical reality of the social perception on the first pharmacists, were presented. Harry Potter Carnival Chemistry experiments Learning about the scientifically background of the spectacular phenomena

OUR STRATEGIES: 11. Going to schools Guided tours for parents (project) Target: primary school students Teaching 4 th grade students to guide their parents to the Museum of History exhibitions on the occasion of International Day of Families.

OUR STRATEGIES: 12. Learning about ethnic history Thematic guided tours for Romani students (project) Target: primary and secondary school students The guided tours evinced the most important moments in the history of Romani people. The final stage of the project involved creativity, the students creating drawings inspired by Museum’s exhibitions.

Thank you for watching our presentation! The Brukenthal National Museum PR, Education and Marketing Department Contact: May, 2009