The strategic role of travelling exhibitions for Museums in Europe ICEE Annual Conference in Finland, 23-24 September 2014. Prof. Guido Guerzoni University Luigi Bocconi - Milan and M9 Museum Manager - Fondazione di Venezia contacts: guido.guerzoni@unibocconi.it; download researches at https://unibocconi.academia.edu/guidoguerzoni
Incipit - 2004 In the Summary of the Study n 2003-4879 - An inventory of national systems of public guarantees in 31 European countries published in June 2004 for the DG Culture EC by the Réunion des musées nationaux, in collaboration with Staatliche Museen zu Berlin Preussischer Kulturbesitz, it was stated: The European continent has a large number of museums which form the basis of people s knowledge of art, culture and science. It currently numbers over 30,000 museums. About 300 of them regularly organise temporary exhibitions of international importance. 2
10 years later - 2014 10 years after the DG Culture document that encouraged the transnational circulation of cultural and artistic works displayed in temporary exhibitions, 5 main circumstances occurred: According to NEMO s (Network of European Museum Organisations) estimates, European museums are about 35,000, not considering exhibition spaces used on an on-going basis. The number of museums in the world raised to over 80,000. 3
10 years later - 2014 New museums and exhibition spaces were inaugurated in continents and countries lacking of previous tradition: according to the Chinese Ministry of Culture between 2001 and 2011 1,389 new museums were built, and other 4,773 are planned to be constructed by 2020, resulting in 1 museum every 250,000 inhabitants (Italy and Germany: 1/10,000; USA 1/20,000). Emergence of a global marketplace for temporary exhibitions, while regulatory authorities are encouraging the circulation of collections and works of art. The number of temporary exhibitions increased exponentially, even though nobody can quantify it. 4
Travelling exhibitions growth factors 1. Changes in museum policies 2. Increased number of venues and museomania 1977-2014 3. Change in exhibitions role and functions 4. Methodological proposal 5
1. Changes in museum policies 6
"Museums should rather be encouraged to build collection strategies of the 21st century than repeating the old pattern that is based on the idea of eternal growth. ( ) mobility of collections is a relevant way forward for museums in Europe and worldwide. Collections exist in order to be celebrated and shared. 7
2. Increased number of venues Museomania 1997-2014 8
Museomania effects 1977-2014 In 1975, Kenneth Hudson & Ann Nicholls global directory surveyed nearly 25,000 museums. In 2012, the 19 th edition of Museums of the World published by De Gruyter counted 55,097 museums in 202 nations. However, according to more recent estimates, the number of museums is not lower than 80,000 and the number of exhibition spaces is unknown. A fortiori, there are no aggregated international sources that quantify, even on a national basis, the number of temporary exhibitions and their hosting spaces. 9
New museums distribution 1995-2012 Total sample: 652 institutions Americas 187 Europe 315 Africa 5 Asia 129 Oceania 16 10
Museum typologies Total sample: 652 institutions 11
Museum typologies Total sample: 652 institutions Other General Specialized 4 5 7 8 4 22 Expansions New builds Ethnography/Anthropology 11 18 Regional 16 14 Natural History/Science 7 26 Science and Technology 12 24 Archaeology and History 32 68 Art 161 208
Museum types by size (Gross sq. meters) Total sample: 516 institutions 13
Museum types by size (Gross sq. meters) Total sample: 516 institutions < 1.000 sq.m 6% 6% 4% 10% 1.001-2.500 sq.m 2.501-5.000 sq.m 4% 18% 5.001-7.500 sq.m 9% 7.501-10.000 sq.m 10.001-12.500 sq.m 10% 19% 12.501-15.000 sq.m 15.001-20.000 sq.m 14% 20.001-30.000 sq.m > 30.000 sq.m
New functions and zoning standards Exhibition space (40%) Permanent collections (20%) Spaces for temporary exhibitions (20%) Visitor services (20%) Ticket office, info, customer care Cloakroom, lost & found Bookshop, café, restaurant Gathering rooms, waiting and relax area Toilets, nursery Multifunctional spaces for events Kids area and educational spaces Spaces for location management Offices and storage (15%) Permanent staff offices Temporary offices for exhibit installation Workshops, archive, study areas Storages for temporary exhibitions Storages for tools Special storages Library and mediatheque Back office (25%) Security Catering Warehouses Technical spaces Garage Areas dedicated to temporary exhibitions are equal or greater than those dedicated to the permanent collection: museums cannot survive without temporary exhibitions. 15
3. Change in exhibitions role and functions 16
Why we need numbers. There are no databases or studies in Europe that analyse: the number of temporary exhibitions organised in the member countries. the different typologies of hosting venues (i.e. museums, exhibition centres, historical buildings, etc.) the number and tipology of travelling exhibitions However, there are countries that include studies about temporary exhibitions in their cultural statistics. 17
Why we need numbers The European Group on Museum Statistics (EGMUS), established in 2002 on the spontaneous initiative of some European countries, functions as technical support to Eurostat for all cultural matters. It resulted from the union of two distinct teams that had previously launched projects aimed at promoting the increase of data comparability at European level. To date, EGMUS gathers 29 European countries, including non EU, that are called to collaborate to achieve the common objective of creating a harmonized and comparable system of museum statistics. EGMUS members completed a Standard Questionnaire, which was elaborated in respect of both the research models used by each monitored country and international recommendations (UNESCO, ICOM). 18
Why we need numbers The examination of all available sources showed the existence of a great amount of national statistics that include in their questionnaires questions regarding temporary exhibitions organised/hosted by museums and museum-like institutions. In particular, evidences show that this kind of information is collected and diffused since many years by the majority of East-Central European countries: Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, while Slovenia and Croatia include in their statistical surveys sections expressly dedicated to temporary exhibitions. For the purpose of this research I narrowed down the scope to a few European countries that have updated and significant data. 19
European sample INSTITUTIONS COUNTRY YEAR TYPE TOT Finland 2013 Museums Germany 154 (322) MUSEUMS WITH EXHIBITIONS TOT EXHIBITIONS ORGANISED IN THE COUNTRY IN THE MUSEUM VISITORS TRAVELLING MUSEUMS EXHIBITIONS 1.100 1.075 25 5.439.333 2012 Museums 6.355 2.750 8.940 8.472 468 112.807.633 Exhibition spaces 477 354 1.874 6.594.244 Italy 2011 Museums, galleries and monuments 4.588 1.972 6.663 6.663 103.888.764 33.114.515 Norway 2013 Museums 127 127 1.298 1.066 232 10.944.898 Netherland 2009 Museums 810 2.334 2.143 191 22.037.000 Poland 2012 Museums and museum-like 866 866 5.214 3.136 2.078 36.390.892 Exhibition spaces 344 4.225 3.684.884 Spain 2012 Museums 1.464 704 3.590 3.590 59.020.700 Sweden 2013 Public museums 201 186 1.476 1.260 216 17.752.000 20
Caveat: underestimating the real figures (the German case in 2012) Of the 6,355 museums which were asked for their attendance data, 4,823 were able to report them, including attendance in special exhibitions held in museums or organized by them. 8,940 special exhibitions were reported by 2,750 museums in 2012. No complete survey of all visits to special exhibitions is possible since only a few museums are able to count them as distinct from the visits to their permanent exhibitions. Therefore, in order to avoid misinterpretations, no attendance figures are being given for special exhibitions. As already mentioned, the figure of 8,940 exhibitions does not include neither exhibition halls (see below) nor Verkaufsgalerien (sales galleries), and/or exhibitions not intended for a general public. Out of 8,940 special exhibitions of 2,750 museums, a number of 8,472 were held in the respective museum itself, 468 were travelling. 21
Productivity INSTITUTIONS COUNTRY YEAR TYPE TOT MUSEUMS WITH EXHIBITIONS EXHIBITIONS ORGANISED IN THE COUNTRY AVERAGE TOT EXHIBITION PER MUSEUM Finland 2013 Museums 154 (322) 1.100 8,03 Germany Italy 2012 Museums 6.355 2.750 8.940 3,34 Exhibition spaces 477 354 1.874 5,27 2011 Museums, galleries and monuments 4.588 1.972 6.663 3,38 Norway 2013 Museums 127 127 1.298 10,50 Netherlands 2009 Museums 810 2.334 2,88 Poland 2012 Museums and museum-like 866 866 5.214 6,02 Exhibition spaces 344 4.225 12,28 Spain 2012 Museums 1.464 704 3.590 4,56 Sweden 2013 Public museums 201 186 1.476 7,25
Themes Themes Italy Germany Poland Spain Art 42,5% 20,1% 12,4% 33,7% Archaeology and History 17,4% 5,6% 1,7% 15,0% Natural Science 5,6% 4,1% 3,1% 2,6% Science and Technology 2,6% 8,4% 5,8% 4,8% Ethnography and Anthropology 11,3% 45,3% 24,2% 11,4% Specialised 6,9% 10,7% 3,6% 8,1% Other 2,1% 3,6% 48,4% 19,6% Monuments and Heritage Sites 11,6% 2,3% 0,9% 4,9%
Sharing and co-distribution: the Dutch case MUSEUMS VISITS EXHIBITIONS N of museums NATURE OF THE COLLECTION N of visits IN THE MUSEUM ORGANISED BY MUSEUM YEAR TOT Art History Natural history Ethnology Science & engineering Miscellaneous x 1000 IN OTHER SPACES ABROAD 1993 732 68 374 71 17 153 49 22.993 1.910 140 100 1994 741 72 377 69 18 153 52 21.582 1.927 148 52 1995 744 75 380 67 18 149 55 21.921 1.898 186 54 1997 942 102 491 50 20 260 19 20.266 2.032 157 110 1999 902 109 451 59 18 255 10 20.679 2.249 246 55 2001 873 105 448 49 17 245 9 20.488 2.135.. 2003 828 118 423 44 17 217 9 19.558 2.162.. 2005 775 107 391 51 18 196 12 19.648 2.041 164 74 2007 773 118 383 54 17 190 11 20.540 2.420 171 78 2009* 810 126 388 55 21 195 25 22.037 2.143 191 54 * The figures on the year 2009 are preliminary, the figures on the preceding years are definite
4. Proposal Replicating and sharing the Italian experience. A low cost collaborative research, in order to create a EU database focused on: Museum venues Temporary exhibitions Travelling exhibitions
Analysis method: database structure Combination and yearly monitoring of 3 on line databases: - Allemandi - Art tribune - PressRelease di UnDo.Net Identification and selection of exhibitions with these characteristics: - Non commercial (whose purpose is not selling works of art) - Nationally located - Inaugurated or in progress in the period between Jan 1 st - Dec 31 st Structure of a dataset and identification of 24 main fields Context analysis and periodic comparison with previous years figures Realisation of an annual report Public presentation of main results and online publication of the research report
Database fields Venue Address, ZIP Code, City, Province, Region City size Exhibition title Type of hosting venue Type of exhibition Period of the year Inauguration date Opening & Closing (and extension) date Duration Curators (gender and nationality) Admission prices Number of visitors Unfortunately in Italy there are no data available about exhibitions organisers/producers (i.e. budget, revenues, etc.)
Regional distribution Area 2012 Totale 2012 Solo capoluogo di regione 2012 Escluso capoluogo di regione Nord 4138 2168 1970 Valle d'aosta 25 10 15 Piemonte 605 352 253 Lombardia 1709 1087 622 Veneto 514 198 316 Trentino - Alto Adige 156 39 117 Friuli - Venezia Giulia 185 57 128 Liguria 228 155 73 Emilia Romagna 716 270 446 Centro 2299 1296 1003 Toscana 658 237 421 Umbria 144 27 117 Lazio 1183 982 201 Marche 192 34 158 Abruzzo 109 13 96 Molise 13 3 10 Sud e Isole 1118 382 736 Campania 342 182 160 Calabria 72 3 69 Basilicata 57 11 46 Puglia 235 44 191 Sardegna 126 54 72 Sicilia 286 88 198 Totale 7555 3846 3709 Dall'analisi della distribuzione geografica degli eventi emerge la netta prevalenza delle regioni settentrionali. Nel 2012 il totale degli eventi allestiti al Nord (4.138) è stato superiore alla somma di quelli organizzati nel Centro (2.299) e nel Sud e Isole (1.118). Tuttavia questi dati non presentano una correlazione diretta con la consistenza demografica; a titolo di esempio, il raggruppamento del Centro, con meno della metà dei residenti, ha ospitato un numero di eventi superiore al doppio di quelli allestiti nella macro-area Sud e Isole.
Hosting venues Spazio espositivo 28,81% 28,42% Spazi di associazioni 11,18% 15,25% Spazi all'aperto 1,34% 1,27% Scuola/Acc./Univ./C.R./Ist.Cult. 5,11% 4,42% Palazzo PA Museo 2,76% 2,25% 28,88% 35,52% 2011 2012 Biblioteca/Cineteca/Mediateca/Archivio 3,40% 3,86% Azienda 3,79% 6,30% Auditorium/Teatri 1,67% 1,73% Altro 6,42% 7,61% 0,00% 5,00% 10,00% 15,00% 20,00% 25,00% 30,00% 35,00% 40,00% Per il 2012 abbiamo ottenuto dati relativi a 7.555 mostre organizzate in 1.066 differenti centri urbani e 3.318 sedi espositive, con 2,28 eventi per sede. Con 4.329 eventi su 7.555 censiti, gli spazi espositivi e i musei hanno ospitato il 57,3% delle mostre. Un ruolo di rilievo hanno ricoperto anche gli spazi di associazioni, con il 15,3% (nel 2011 erano l'11,2%) e le aziende (+ 2,5% rispetto all'anno precedente). Tuttavia questi incrementi hanno riguardato eventi di breve se non brevissima durata.
Public and private museums Statale 13,94% 12,83% Privato 16,79% 17,74% PNS 66,33% 65,90% 2011 2012 Ecclesiastico 2,94% 3,53% 0,00% 10,00% 20,00% 30,00% 40,00% 50,00% 60,00% 70,00% I musei che hanno ospitato mostre nel 2012 erano per il 78,7% pubblici (pari alla somma di Statale e PNS) e per il 21,3% privati. Un dato in parte divergente rispetto a quello della distribuzione dei musei nazionali, che vede i primi pesare per il 68% e la somma dei secondi (ecclesiastici e privati) per il 30,2%.
Public and private exhibition spaces Statale 1,53% 0,70% Privato 33,41% 44,34% 2011 PNS 47,23% 56,10% 2012 Ecclesiastico 8,96% 7,73% 0,00% 10,00% 20,00% 30,00% 40,00% 50,00% 60,00% I dati relativi agli spazi espositivi al contrario palesano l'importanza del ruolo detenuto dai soggetti privati nell'articolazione del sistema espositivo italiano, con il 52,1% a fronte del 47,9% di quelli pubblici.
Themes La tipologia di eventi espositivi - 2011 2,71% 1,73% 1,65% 1,62% 0,98% 0,60% 0,18% Arte contemporanea 2,81% 3,09% 3,59% Fotografia Documentaria Illustrazione/Grafica 4,31% Arte moderna Design/Moda Arte antica Architettura Arti decorative/artigianato 10,36% Miscellanea Archeologia 66,36% Scienza Arte etnica
Average duration MEDIA 51,20 2012 40,81 2011 50,41 2009 42,44 0,00 10,00 20,00 30,00 40,00 50,00 60,00
Duration Numero eventi 4500 4000 4231 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1815 1000 500 0 672 399 205 87 57 33 16 7 6 8 19 La preferenza è accordata agli eventi la cui durata non supera i 30 giorni, corrispondenti al 56% del totale, seguiti dalle mostre di durata compresa tra i 31 e i 60 giorni, con un'incidenza pari al 24%. Gli eventi di durata 60-90 giorni registrano percentuali ancora rilevanti (8,9%), mentre le mostre che durano più di 90 giorni, contrariamente alle medie europee, non riportano dati significativi.
Duration & Type of hosting venue Tipologia ente 1-30 gg 31-60 gg 61-90 gg 91-120 gg 121-150 gg 151-180 gg >181 gg Altro 381 110 44 21 7 8 4 Auditorium/Teatri 85 28 9 3 2 1 3 Azienda 283 140 25 14 3 7 4 Bibliot./Cinet./Mediat./Arch. 174 83 20 5 6 1 3 Museo 721 593 335 231 148 55 99 Palazzo PA 117 39 8 1 3 0 2 Scuola/Acc./Univ./C.R./Ist.Cult. 206 86 21 11 5 2 3 Spazi all'aperto 53 13 14 10 2 1 3 Spazi di associazioni 864 220 41 18 5 1 3 Spazio espositivo 1347 503 155 85 24 11 22 Totale 4231 1815 672 399 205 87 146 Ad eccezione dei musei e di pochi spazi espositivi, tutti gli altri enti ospitanti, con minime variazioni, prediligono gli eventi di durata inferiore a 30 giorni. La tendenza opposta registrata per l'attività delle istituzioni museali è giustificata dalla necessità di garantire l'ammortamento dell'investimento iniziale.
Daily distribution 1000 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 L'analisi della distribuzione giornaliera degli eventi espositivi sul territorio nazionale rivela un andamento altalenante con picchi elevati in corrispondenza dei mesi di maggio, ottobre e dicembre. Per quanto concerne i valori minimi, si osserva in particolare l'andamento decrescente registrato nel mese di agosto fino al picco minimo riportato nei primi giorni di settembre. Nel mese di agosto, infatti, la chiusura delle mostre in corso non è accompagnata dall'apertura di nuovi eventi.
Pricing 80,0% 75,2% 70,0% 63,1% 60,0% 50,0% 40,0% 30,0% 24,8% 2012 2011 20,0% 10,0% 13,7% 12,1% 11,2% 0,0% gratuito - G pagamento - P dato non pervenuto
Curators - 2012 3000 Numero di curatori per esposizioni curate 2500 2707 2000 1500 1000 500 0 1 mostra 475 2 mostre 187 89 54 28 20 16 9 5 12 3 mostre 4 mostre 5 mostre 6 mostre 7 mostre 8 mostre 9 mostre 10 mostre > 10 mostre A fronte di un numero di eventi riportanti informazioni sulla curatela pari a 3.475 (46% del campione), sono stai censiti 3.602 curatori nel 2012. Tale disparità è giustificata sia dalla presenza di individui che nel corso dell'anno curano più di un evento che dall'incidenza delle curatele multiple. Mentre nel 2009 la media di mostre per ciascun curatore era pari a 1,27, nel 2012 il dato è sceso a 0,96.
Curators - 2012 70,0% Numero di curatori per ciascun evento 60,0% 64,6% 50,0% 40,0% 30,0% 20,0% 10,0% 0,0% 22,2% 7,4% 2,6% 1,1% 0,7% 1,3% 1 curatore 2 curatori 3 curatori 4 curatori 5 curatori 6 curatori 7 o più curatori L'analisi dei dati relativi alle curatele multiple sembra confermare l'ipotesi secondo cui l'attuale congiuntura economica, riducendo ulteriormente le occasioni professionali, abbia spinto i professionisti ad associarsi tra loro. Mentre nel 2009 le mostre con un curatore unico erano il 71,7%, nel 2012 tale dato è sceso a 64,6%.