International Museum Day will be celebrated
in Goa with initiatives being undertaken by different museums in state.
However, how often does one walk down memory lane and visit any of the few
museums in Goa? Are we aware of our own history or are museums become just
graveyards of a time gone by? Museums in Goa are, however, trying their best to
conserve and preserve their artefacts for the future generations.
When it comes to museums in Goa, Victor
Hugo Gomes needs no introduction. He was the founding curator of the Christian
Art Museum and is the proprietor of the Goa Chitra Ethnographic museum and the
Goa Chakra Museum at Benaulim which has 70 carts and carriages as a part of its
collection. According to Victor, weather conditions play an important role in
preservation and conservation of an object. “In Goa, an open display of objects
is applicable because we do not have extreme climatic conditions. The only
enemies of artefacts are humidity, salinity, insects and rust. The
international norm of preservation requires the materials to be reversible
after restoration,” says Victor, who uses beeswax and Polymethyl Methacrylate
(PMMA).
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The Museum of Christian Art (MoCA), Old Goa
will celebrate International Museum Day on May 17, 2015 with a daylong
exhibition of ‘Unique Crosses’ crafted by Sr Loretta, who uses nature as a
medium. “There will be art and craft activities focused around nature, for
children and adults from 3.30pm onwards followed by the performance of Choir of
Angels and Sweet Seraphim – children’s choir groups led by Vinita Freitas
Fernandes in the Museum courtyard at 6pm,” informs Natasha Fernandes, Curator
at the Museum of Christian Art.
The museum has on display 170 artefacts
which are regularly cleaned with a dry brush and when incur major damage, the
conservators are informed. “We have a problem during the monsoons, due to
excess humidity and fungus growth. We receive many international and national
tourists who visit the museum but it is sad to say that locals don’t know where
the Convent of Santa Monica is or where St Augustine Tower is,” adds Natasha.
The museum also organises activities for children and adults including the
Heritage Walks of the Holy Hill.
Fr Cosme Jose Costa is the curator of Pilar
Museum, which houses a Thomas Cross dated around 700 A.D. There are also two
Roman coins in the museum that proves the existence of ancient links between
Goa and the Mediterranean Sea around 350 AD. “Every 3-4 months we have experts
who come to the museum to check the status of the collection. We have a coin
collection and a stamp collection and around 84 artefacts,” says Fr Cosme,
whose birth has been accepted as a miracle to complete the process of
beatification of St Joseph Vas.
Another noteworthy museum is the Holy
Crosses Museum at Big Foot, Loutolim. “The museum has a collection of over 1700
crosses which add sentimental value to Goans who go back to their roots,” says
Maendra Alvares, curator of Big Foot which also has a collection of prayer
beads.
The State Government-run Goa State Museum
(GSM) at Patto, Panjim houses more than 10,000 artefacts including the 250-year-old
chariot dating to the Portuguese era that welcomes its guests. Mysore-based
Regional Conservation Laboratory (RCL) helps the museum for its conservational
assistance. Speaking about the Scheme for Financial Assistance to Private
Museums, Radha Bhave, Curator of Goa State Museum, enlightens “The grants will
be given to private museums in Goa and they have to provide the required
documents. This year, one museum, ‘Houses of Goa’ will be granted the scheme.
It is difficult to approve the papers of the museums as all the information is
required in case of RTI. The two
categories are Category I for museums which are not less than three years in
existence and Category II for museums which are in existence not less than
seven years.”
With museums in Goa which can be counted on
our fingertips, it will be hugely encouraging to visit these museums to get
closer to our roots and help us understand our culture in a better way on this
International Museum Day.
