From August 30 to September 2, 2017, it’s that time again: steinexpo 2017 is taking place for the tenth time in Homberg/Nieder-Ofleiden, Hesse. This year’s special feature is the ThinkBig campaign for school pupils interested in technology. The German Engineering Federation has launched the ThinkBig campaign together with steinexpo 2017. Other partners […]

From August 30 to September 2, 2017, it’s that time again: steinexpo 2017 is taking place for the tenth time in Homberg/Nieder-Ofleiden, Hesse. This year’s special feature is the ThinkBig campaign for school pupils interested in technology.

The German Engineering Federation has launched the ThinkBig campaign together with steinexpo 2017. Other partners include the regional employers’ association Hessenmetall, the MINT network and the MIRO working committee for training and further education. Various exhibitors at the trade fair will also be involved. Around 500 schoolchildren are expected to come from within an 80-kilometer radius of the steinexpo quarry in Nieder-Ofleiden. The quarry is an ideal place to get young people interested in technology and the stone industry in particular offers numerous interesting job profiles.

The “ThinkBig” campaign was already a great success with young people at the last Bauma. They were able to carry out technical experiments or try out simulators. The participating exhibitors in the Nieder-Ofleiden quarry are also working with trade fair organizer Geoplan to prepare various activities in which schoolchildren can get active themselves. On August 31 and September 1, they will be guided around the trade fair by experienced trainees. The aim of the campaign is to create an informative exchange between young and old and between experienced and newly qualified specialists. The ThinkBig initiative also aims to attract young, future skilled workers.

The pandemic is forcing museums to realign their offerings with a view to the necessary hygiene measures. In recent weeks, curators and restorers have increasingly turned their attention to online offerings The cultural sector is also currently working on returning to normality. Museums have reopened to the public. But what long-term effects will the pandemic have? The […]

The pandemic is forcing museums to realign their offerings with a view to the necessary hygiene measures. Curators and conservators have increasingly turned their attention to online offerings in recent weeks

The cultural sector is also currently working on a return to normality. The museums have reopened to the public. But what long-term effects will the pandemic have? The pandemic is forcing museums to realign their offerings with a view to the necessary hygiene measures. Disinfectant dispensers at museum entrances have become standard. The offer of guided tours and an exhibition-accompanying program has been suspended everywhere until further notice. Separate entrances and exits as well as floor markings at particularly narrow points on the tour ensure that social distancing is maintained. Museum staff are protected by a glass screen at the ticket counter. In addition to mouth and nose protection, many museum employees – such as those at the Bruchsal Castle Museum of Music Automatons – wear protective gloves. To support museums, the Museumsbund has made posters available for download to inform visitors about hygiene and social distancing rules in museums.

The Saxon State Office for Museums has developed a “Recommendation for action for the gradual opening of museums to the public, taking into account the requirements for corona prevention”, which is available for download on its homepage. Curators and conservators have increasingly turned their attention to online offerings in recent weeks. The Kunsthalle Baden-Baden, for example, offers online tours. At the Reiss-Engelhorn Museum in Mannheim, virtual tours are being designed and corresponding videos created. Under the motto “Museums against Corona”, interested visitors can discover exhibits from museums in Thuringia on YouTube. A major problem in these difficult times is obtaining commitments for loans for future exhibitions. Many exhibition projects have already had to be canceled or postponed indefinitely. One possible alternative is to extend the duration of existing exhibitions in order to bridge the time until the usual exhibition activities resume. However, this requires the flexibility and goodwill of the lenders, but can be successful in individual cases – such as the excellent Napoleon show at the Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim. Solidarity between the individual museums is particularly important here.

You can read more on this topic in the upcoming RESTAURO 5/2020 with the cover story “New museum buildings and conversions”, which will be published on July 10, 2020, https://shop.georg-media.de/restauro/einzelhefte