Training courses at the Ethiopian National Museum,
Addis Ababa
A training course about planning and creating
exhibitions. Part of a joint British Museum / Africa programme
initiative.
Partners:
- Ethiopian National Museum, Addis Ababa
- British Museum (BM)
Aims:
- To provide participants with a basic understanding of how to
plan, design and mount an exhibition, in preparation for
refurbishing gallery space at the National Museum.
Key event: Training
sessions, 18–27 February 2009
Colleagues jointly lead the sessions
Sessions were led by Hassan Arero and Helen Wolfe from the British
Museum. The design element was developed by Sam Malaki and Eileen
Musundi, colleagues from the National Museum of Kenya.
The course was opened with an introduction by Mamitu Yilma –
manager of Ethiopia National Museum.
The structure of the sessions
Most
sessions included a practical exercise or group discussion to help
everyone participate and feel involved in the process of developing
the gallery. Themes and designs for each section of the new
displays were looked at in detail.
Outcomes from the training course
By the end of the course:
- A three-dimensional plan of the gallery was produced
showing the layout of cases
- A schedule for the work was drawn up for a two year
programme
- A requirements brief for working space, equipment, staff and
budget written
The National Museum team are now ready to start choosing objects
for each section in the gallery, continue the research for label
and information panel text and allocate objects to cases or wall
space.
The new exhibition
Ethiopia: History
and Cultures was chosen as the title of the exhibition space
which will occupy the first and second floors of the museum.
On the first floor (phase one) themes are:
History–1855 to Present, Trade and Religion
and the second floor (phase two) Regional Aspects and Modern
Ethiopia.
Image:
Preparing objects for display at the Ethiopian National Museum