Avant-garde

The Provincial Collections of Lower Austria work with progressive strategies to preserve their cultural heritage for future generations

They are regarded as the cultural memory of the state of Lower Austria and also represent its greatest mobile value: the state collections of Lower Austria. Their holdings – which have grown to an impressive six million objects over the course of time through donations, purchases, archaeological excavations and the acquisition of bequests and estates – reflect the historical and social development of this distinctive cultural landscape.

Armin Laussegger is the master of this enormous heritage. As head of the Lower Austrian Provincial Collections team, the historian with a wealth of exhibition experience is responsible for all museum objects owned by the province and ensures that they are preserved and displayed. In order to bring hidden treasures out of storage, a separate collection strategy was adopted in 2014 as an important cultural policy goal in Lower Austria.

The state and Danube University Krems then jointly founded the Center for Museum Collections Science in order to further research the state collections and develop impulses for the work in the individual museums, for example for the Museum of Lower Austria, the Roman City of Carnuntum, the Caricature Museum Krems or the new State Gallery of Lower Austria, which is currently being built in Krems (see p. 42f.). Since 2014, Armin Laussegger, as head of this newly founded department in the Department of Art and Cultural Studies at Krems University, has therefore also been exploring the meaning and purpose of museum collecting, collections and collecting behavior.

With this cooperation, Lower Austria is breaking completely new ground in the research of museum collections. “The House of History at the Museum of Lower Austria, which opened last fall, and the new State Gallery of Lower Austria are also the result of the collection strategy adopted in 2014,” adds Armin Laussegger. This also defines the need for more exhibition space in order to adequately present the objects that are in demand by the population (and are also owned by the state) to the citizens.

A special feature of Lower Austria, which is extremely beneficial to the objects in the collection in terms of long-term preservation, is the division of museum structures: one area is purely for exhibitions, the other deals exclusively with collections, with research on the objects and with preservation. How did this come about?

“When the federal government began to separate the federal museums from the ministerial administration at the end of the 1990s, they were transferred to their own legal entities,” explains Armin Laussegger. “In Lower Austria, a different approach was chosen in that only the operations were outsourced, i.e. the development of exhibition content, cultural mediation, facility management, marketing, PR and the museum store.”

The collections themselves remained with the state of Lower Austria and are still the responsibility of the “State Collections of Lower Austria” department in the Art and Culture Division. “Collecting, preserving and researching therefore takes place centrally for all museums,” continues Armin Laussegger. “We maintain very close cooperation with the scientific directors of the respective exhibitions with regard to the objects and content of the exhibitions. My role and that of my staff is to provide the collection objects, object-related information and advice on conservation and restoration. An interplay between the two different institutions.”

This dichotomy makes a positive contribution to meeting the long-term collection objectives. “Traditionally, there is always a trade-off in museums between short-term exhibition policy and long-term collection goals. In many cases, museums reallocate financial resources for marketing and exhibitions at the expense of collection care. Thanks to our Lower Austrian system, the collections can plan for the long term and sustainably; the short-term exhibition goals are defined in the museum and must be negotiated with the collections on an equal footing.”

“Protecting objects from decay and preserving them for future generations guarantees the value of a collection,” emphasizes Armin Laussegger. “Conservation and restoration science are becoming increasingly important in this context.” This is reflected in the organizational chart of the Lower Austrian Provincial Collections: The head conservator – graduate conservator (Univ.) Christina Schaaf-Fundneider has held this post for two years – is on the same hierarchical level as the heads of the individual collection areas.

This is a very progressive development for the position of restorers and conservators compared to museums in German-speaking countries. “At our regular collection managers’ meetings, there is a very benevolent and respectful interaction. Custodians and conservators are equal partners and engage in constructive discussions. Restoration is an important concern for us.” And so the collection and research center, with a usable area of 8000 square meters, is also equipped to the most modern standards. There are various storage areas for the different object groups and an office wing for the scientific staff.

Read more in the RESTAURO Special Austria.