Nelson Mandela Bay Museums Policies Codes of Ethics and Rules
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
NELSON MANDELA BAY MUNICIPALITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND RECREATIONAL SERVICES DIRECTORATE NELSON MANDELA BAY MUSEUMS POLICIES, CODES OF ETHICS AND RULES TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments PART ONE 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background 1.1.1 Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum 1.1.2 Red Location Museum 1.1.3 Resolution of Council: Museums 1.2 Mission statements 1.2.1 Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum 1.2.2 Red Location Museum 1.3 Vision statements 1.3.1 Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum 1.3.2 Red Location Museum 1.4 Core values 1.5 Long-term goals 1.5.1 Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum 1.5.2 Red Location Museum 2. Definitions and abbreviations 3. Core functions of the Museums PART TWO: POLICIES, CODES OF ETHICS, RULES 4. COLLECTION MANAGEMENT 4.1 Collecting policies and strategies 4.1.1 The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum Collecting Policy and Strategy. 4.1.2 Red Location Museum Collecting Policy and Strategy 4.1.3 Collecting: Code of ethics and guidelines 4.2 Documentation and Research 4.2.1 Documentation 4.2.2 Lending of museum objects 4.2.3 Archives 4.2.4 Research 4.3 Maintenance of the collections: Conservation Policy 4.3.1 Preventive Conservation 4.3.2 Interventive Conservation (Restoration) 5. SERVICES TO THE PUBLIC 5.1 Exhibitions 5.2 Education 5.3 Information services 5.3.1 Museum Libraries/Resource Centres 5.3.2 Marketing and publicity 5.3.3 Museums souvenir shop 5.4 Visitor guidelines and general regulations ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The NMBM Museums are committed to the SAMA/ICOM Code of Ethics and the SAMA De-accessioning Guidelines (2001) and all relevant legislation and municipal policies. This policy document has been informed by: The International Council of Museums Code of Ethics [http://icom.museum/ethics.html] The ICOM Ethics of Acquisition (1970) [http://icom.museum/acquisition.html] The South African Museums Association Code of Ethics for Conservators Statement of principles of museum documentation, CIDOC, August 2007 South African Museums Association "Professional standards and transformation indicators" (2006) The National Heritage Resources Act, No 25 of 1999 The White Paper on Arts, Culture and Heritage The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Youth Development Policy The NMBM Recreation and Culture vision and mission The NMBM International Relations Policy The NMBM Communications Policy. PART ONE 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND 1.1.1 Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum Originally named the King George VI Art Gallery, the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum was founded by the Port Elizabeth Municipality in 1956 and, from 1960 to 2007, operated under the control of an independent Board of Trustees. The Board was established by a resolution of the PE City Council on 28 July 1960 and was formally constituted with effect from 1 January 1961. The Board was "entrusted with the entire management and financial control of the affairs of the Art Gallery" and comprised nine statutory members and nine additional co-opted members. The statutory members were appointed by their respective authorities. The co-opted Trustees were elected by the Board of Trustees. The statutory members represented the City Council, the PE Technikon, the University of Port Elizabeth, the Cape Provincial Administration, the Eastern Province Society of Arts and Crafts, the Director of the Port Elizabeth Museum (subsequently re-named Bayworld), and the King George VI Art Gallery Association (subsequently re-named the Friends of the Art Museum). With the proposed re-naming of the Art Museum (which was approved by Council in December 2002) the Board entered into protracted negotiations with the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Council regarding the Art Museum' s function within the metropole. The Art Museum’s Board of Trustees implemented the following policies: 1. Mission statement, collecting policy and strategy 2. Selection Committee policy and code of ethics 3. Board of Trustees policy and code of ethics (incorporating the Director's duties and responsibilities) 4. Exhibition policy 1.1.2 Red Location Museum As early as 1995 the establishment of a museum that would portray inter alia, the struggle against apartheid, was conceptualized by ANC Councillors of the first democratic City Council of Port Elizabeth. This museum was loosely termed the “Apartheid Museum”. A recommendation was made to Council that the proposed museum be situated in Red Location, in one of the oldest townships of the city, New Brighton. Red Location with its complex layers of history was ideal, for this was the centre of resistance and where “civil disobedience” began in 1952, when Raymond Mhlaba ignored the “Europeans Only” sign at the New Brighton railway station. A national architectural competition was launched in August 1998 as part of an urban regeneration project aimed at reflecting the history of the community as well as promoting education, culture and the arts. 51 entries were received by September, after which five finalists were instructed to develop their designs. The designs were to include an Apartheid Museum, Creative Art Centre and Gallery, Market, Library, Hall and Conference Centre at an eventual projected cost of R44 Million. The competition was won by Johannesburg architects, Jo Noero and Heinrich Wolff, who also took the 4th prize. The winning design for the museum attempts to capture the “very structures of representation that suffer due to the passing of time”, coined by Andreas Huyssen as the “twilight of memory”. The architects argue that the new buildings speak to a functional and industrial language, acting as a link to a proud union past and seeking to remember the labour of the people who gave up their lives for the struggle. The first staff were appointed in February 2005 and the building completed in June of the same year. A striking feature of the building is the twelve giant corrugated containers that underpin the notion of memory. The design was conceptually brilliant but posed ‘creative’ challenges as a functional museological institution. One of the primary tasks of the newly-appointed staff was to develop the content for the new structure. This was no easy undertaking since the Museum’s architecture requires the exhibition content to work in synergy with the structure. In early June 2005 a workshop was called to consider the building from the perspective of management, maintenance and the practical and technical aspects of programming as well as long term content development. This workshop followed an earlier meeting called in May 2005, to craft a mission and vision for the Museum. Following the two workshops and a visit to the World Culture Museum in Sweden, in early June 2005, the management opted for an open-ended curatorial model. Programming will not be fixed, or permanent, but rather follow a narrative that is linked to ongoing community projects, redefining its content in the present. Red Location Museum opened its doors on 11 November 2006 with no less than 17 exciting exhibitions, of which 70% were interactive containing multimedia displays. Red Location Museum is an ideal space to honour the struggle of the city’s unsung heroes. 1.1.3 The Nelson Mandela Bay City Council resolved on 6 December 2007 to incorporate the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum and the Red Location Museum into the Municipality and to rescind the Art Museum’s Board of Trustees. The Museums now fall under the authority of the Directorate: Economic Development and Recreational Services. This policy will replace the original constitution and all existing policies of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum and Red Location Museum. 1.2 MISSION STATEMENTS 1.2.1 The MISSION of the NELSON MANDELA METROPOLITAN ART MUSEUM is to collect, preserve, exhibit, and foster the understanding and enjoyment of works of art at the highest possible museum and scholarly standards. 1.2.2 RED LOCATION MUSEUM engages the public in educational and awareness- raising programmes on arts, culture and heritage; lends itself to partnerships and collaborative work, partakes in poverty alleviation and entrepreneurship-growing initiatives, affirming indigenous knowledge; adheres to international codes of practice; and embraces ongoing intellectual engagement and critique. 1.3 VISION STATEMENTS 1.3.1 THE VISION of the NELSON MANDELA METROPOLITAN ART MUSEUM is for the Art Museum to be a place that the citizens of Nelson Mandela Bay value and take pride in and that will promote our city nationally and internationally. We want our collections to be universally accessible and to provide a source of inspiration that will make a positive difference to peoples' lives. 1.3.2 RED LOCATION MUSEUM will focus on the memorialisation and depiction of the apartheid story. It will portray the horrors of institutionalized racism and the heroic efforts of the anti-apartheid movement. Responsive to the developmental needs of the local community, the Museum will be an integral component of initiatives associated with the empowerment, education and redress of the local community. 1.4 CORE VALUES The CORE VALUES of our museum staff are as follows: PEOPLE come first, are treated with dignity and respect, and are encouraged to achieve their full potential. RELATIONSHIPS are built on honesty, integrity and trust. DIVERSITY of people and thought is respected. EXCELLENCE is achieved through teamwork, leadership, creativity and a strong work ethic. EFFICIENCY is achieved through wise use of human and financial resources. COMMITMENT to intellectual achievement is embraced. 1.5 LONG-TERM GOALS 1.5.1 Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum 1. Building up a definitive collection of the art of the Eastern Cape, supported by a representative collection of African and South African art. 2. Promoting the appreciation of visual art in Nelson Mandela Bay and the Eastern Cape Province. 3. Encouraging the production of visual art in the Eastern Cape and the promotion of this art nationally and internationally.