Implementation of the Museum Shop in Museums of Uzbekistan

Munisa Muxamedova

, Jasur Jumayev

, Kurambay Matmuratov

, Fayzulla Kabilov

and Shuxrat Giyasov

The National Institute of Fine Arts and Design named after Kamoliddin Bekhzod Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Keywords: Museum Store, Fundraising, Museum Tourism, Cultural Tourism, Museum Marketing, Art Market, Museum

Hydraulic Structures, Traveling Exhibitions.

Abstract: This article discusses the implementation of museum store projects in the development of museum activities

and the improvement of museum management based on the experience of local museums in foreign countries.

The possibilities of the practice of fundraising in the practice of museums in Uzbekistan are also shown.

1 INTRODUCTION

The problem of collecting museum objects and

passing them on to future generations has never been

as important for society as it is now. The increasing

level of globalization and radical transformations in

the surrounding reality change the place in the

material culture of man, his personality, and history,

and requires clarification of ways and conditions of

explaining and describing these changes. Museums

have always served as a platform for the ideological

development of generations, a source of knowledge,

upbringing, and education in different historical

periods.

The preservation and display of museum objects

has become one of the most important tasks in the

modern context of globalization, which means that

every nation has a deeper understanding of its history

and culture. In this regard, strengthening the material

and technical base of museums is one of the actual

issues. To this end, it is important to develop a

targeted plan for the construction, reconstruction,

repair, and equipping of state museums with modern

technology and improving the exposition and

collection capacity in 2023-2026.

The Agency for Cultural Heritage, the Academy

of Arts of Uzbekistan, and the Ministry of

Construction jointly should develop a standard design

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7574-9724

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for art galleries. It is important to organize an

exhibition hall, training, and creative rooms for young

people, a modern library café, and art workshops for

creators.

In a post-industrial society, the transformation of

cultural values into international goods is considered

a component of cultural and economic development

and an economic resource. Tourism, international

festivals, and museum projects are the main means of

establishing cultural exports. One of the most striking

processes of exporting the culture of a particular

people of the world is tourism. It is important to note

that the tourism business or the tourism industry does

not prepare a new product for the material needs of a

person. He "decorates", advertises, and sells the

culture of the nation.

The development and improvement of additional

services in museums have great importance in the

development of museum tourism and creative

entrepreneurship, attracting investment in museum

activities, introducing the practice of fundraising in

non-profit art institutions, managing cultural projects,

improving intellectual property relations, and

expanding the scope of art productions.

The international exhibitions and festivals “Sharq

taronalari” ("Sounds of the East"), “Asrlar sadosi”

("Sounds of Centuries"), and "Biennale" regularly

organized in the republic are significant not only for

1262

Muxamedova, M., Jumayev, J., Matmuratov, K., Kabilov, F. and Giyasov, S.

Implementation of the Museum Shop in Museums of Uzbekistan.

DOI: 10.5220/0012963600003882

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 2nd Pamir Transboundary Conference for Sustainable Societies (PAMIR-2 2023), pages 1262-1266

ISBN: 978-989-758-723-8

their ideological and creative features but also for the

great influence they have on the development of

cultural exports. the "cultural (creative) industry"

widely used in the West. This, in turn, serves to

restore national values and thereby enrich cultural

resources. In the 21st century, which is considered the

age of information, the active activity and initiative of

museums in international festivals and large-scale

projects is important. At the same time, such issues as

the concept of museum development, and the

formation of museum marketing and management

will again intersect. Every year major festivals are

organized in Russia, such as "Children's Day in

Museums of St. Petersburg", "Night in Museums" or

"Contemporary Art in Traditional Museums". This

will certainly affect the cooperation of the country's

museums, and the exchange of experience and

achievements.

Globalization of the economy, the uniqueness of

the post-industrial society, and dominance of the

service sector over the production sphere also

influenced cultural tourism and developed the art

market. In this context, a new type of tourism

appeared, i.e. Museum tourism (Skulmovskaya.,

2015). Internal mobilization of museum tourism and

adaptation to market conditions, formation of

business policy and determination of strategy,

establishment of external relations served as an

important tool in the development of marketing

policy of famous museums. Museums implement

new forms of interaction with the audience, paying

more and more attention to the common interests of

the museum audience in the development of their

activities.

2 LITERATURE REVIEW

The studies of P. Michael, M. Bryden, and J. Hall for

the first time were devoted to the economy of tourism

of the second half of the twentieth century in

European countries, recommendations on free

tourists, problems connected with the development of

projects in the organization of marketing system in

museum tourism. They mainly reflect the

development and problems of the souvenir trade in

museum tourism on the basis of many years of

observations and practical experience of the authors

in the sphere of tourism.

The description of extensive works in the field of

museum tourism, its planning, marketing, and

management of this sphere, as well as regional

features, forms of work with visitors, and specific

aspects of innovative tourism development, are

considered on the experience of European museums.

The significance of these studies served as an

important source for studying the prospects of

applying foreign experience related to the

development of museums in cultural and educational

tourism in Uzbekistan. The authors presented some

statistical and factual data on the adaptation of

museum objects to tourism, based on the conservation

of historical objects in the practice of musefication.

Within the framework of the study, the creation of

curatorial projects in the development of cultural

tourism, the study of museum communication, the

organization of museum and display festivals in the

system of ethnographic and art museums,

management and practical developments in the

financial development of museum stores as well as

dissertations conducted in such research centres as the

USA, England, and France. In the first half of the 21st

century, based on the experience of museums of

various specializations, modern areas of activity and

innovative solutions for the development of museum

tourism were investigated(Michael., 1969-

Hall.,1974).

3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The development of museum souvenir products and

the expansion of its assortment are considered to be

one of the most significant problems today. It is very

difficult to classify the existing range of products for

tourists because it is important to constantly update

new objects and products that attract the attention of

tourists. Starting this year, state museums have

created opportunities to purchase copies of exhibits

and collections in their "museum stores". The world

of museum sales has undergone major changes in

recent years. "There are 104 museums and their

branches in the Cultural Heritage Agency system,

including 37 main museums and 67 branches. There

are 7 museum reserves and 12 house museums.

During 2020-2021 the development of the museum

industry focused on the active application of

information technologies in the digitalization

industry. In particular, in 2020, the electronic

catalogue system of the National Museum Fund

(www.davkatalog.uz) was created, and 46 state

museums were added to the catalogue. In 2021,

229,677 museum objects and collections were

identified electronically. Using the latest IT

technology for the roundme.com platform, museums

located in Tashkent digitized exhibits in 3D format in

a new quality standard - the size of 12K (the "Virtual

Museum" project). Filming was conducted in more

Implementation of the Museum Shop in Museums of Uzbekistan

1263

than 18 museums and posted on the world's largest

platform roundme.com, as well as vrmuseum.uz

(TasIX). Since 2022, the practice of approving

calendar plans for exhibitions, traveling exhibitions,

cultural and educational events, forums, conferences,

and seminars organized in the museums of the

republic was introduced. There is also a system of

evaluation of museums' activities".

Also, the Agency of Cultural Heritage created a

working group to organize a "Museum shop" system

in museums and cultural heritage sites in tourist

destinations. This working group is developing

proposals to study the experience of such countries as

Turkey, China, France, USA on the organization of a

"Museum shop" and the introduction of their

advanced experience to Uzbekistan. It is planned to

develop unique brands and trademarks of museums,

replicas of unique museum items in "Museum stores"

in each museum.

Nowadays, the range of foreign museum stores

has expanded considerably, and they present not only

art albums, notebooks, toys, and fridge magnets, but

also clothing, designer types of furniture, selective

perfumes, electronic gadgets, jewellery, sculpture

copies, rare editions of graphics by subscription are

also available. Secondly, museum stores have begun

to operate as separate retail outlets. The New York

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) has six sales

offices: three in the United States, two in Japan, and

one in Hong Kong. Museum souvenirs are sold online

not only on museum websites but also in other tourist

markets. All of this has led to a rethinking of the role

of the museum exhibit and now museum stores form

the basis of the museum's marketing system. Through

logo souvenirs, museums promote their brand,

ideology, and values. According to the American

Association of Museum Stores, sales of memorabilia

bring museums from 5 to 25% of their annual income.

Despite the relevance of the issue of "souvenir"

products in the sphere of museum tourism,

fundamental scientific and practical studies on the

study and generalization of the multifaceted practice

of creating souvenir products with different

functionalities have not been conducted. The same

situation is observed in the marketing of souvenir

products (modelling, consumer evaluation, sales

culture, etc.).

Today, there is a rich and diverse range of

souvenir products for every tourist, based on his

financial capabilities, range of interests, etc. It can be

calendars, magnets, trinkets, stationery, badges,

phone cases, banners, stickers, etc., as well as folk art

products, clothing, jewellery and costume jewellery,

interior items, art albums, books, etc.

Among the traditional marketing tools used in

museums, the creation of museum souvenirs should

be emphasized, which is one of the additional

opportunities to advertise this institution and

subsequently increase its attractiveness. The main

functions of souvenirs (besides the functional purpose

of the object):presentation and advertising of the

brand, the formation of the image of the organization,

the formation of the image of the buyer of the

souvenir; aesthetic and artistic value; gift and

demonstration of loyalty to partner organizations.

The most common and sorted souvenirs in

museums are: items depicting museum symbols

(views of buildings, collectibles, or portraits of

historical figures related to museum activities);

souvenirs with the symbols of the museum's

territorial affiliation; souvenirs of a museum profile;

printed and multimedia museum materials (e.g.,

catalogues, books, manuals, CDs) are also souvenirs.

Many museums build and strengthen their reputation

in the research environment, acting as publishers.

Thus, by distributing their souvenirs, museums

expand their audience and attract visitors,

professional communities, and patrons.

Most of the museum souvenirs are devoted to the

main exhibition, in rare cases souvenirs dedicated to

specific events are created. A souvenir is a way to

communicate with the tourist, which is functionally

defined by the following aspects:

- Encouraging tourists to visit the museum again;

- focusing on folk art, traditional festivals and

rituals, handicrafts;

-creating demand for traditional production,

economic activities, and handicrafts(Hooper-

Greenhill., 1994- Culley., 2010)

4 ANALYSIS AND RESULTS

In order to ensure the fulfilment of tasks specified in

the "Address plan" of additional services organized in

state museums for 2022-2023, approved by the

Annex to the Presidential Decree of May 27, 2022

"On measures to develop services in museums" since

June 2022, "Museum shop" and trade and craft

workshops were launched in a number of museums.

Including:

Bukhara State Museum-Reserve "ARK",

Regional Museum of History and Local Lore,

Museum of Applied Decorative and Applied Arts

"Sitorai Mohi Khossa", Museum "History of Ancient

Varakhsha and Pottery", Museum and Workshop

"History of Bukhara Blacksmithcraft", "Gilamboflik"

the museum was allocated 10 souvenir and gift shops,

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craft workshops and trade outlets with a total area of

110 sq. m.

In the Shakhrisabz State museum reserve, 110

square meters of area were allocated, and 3 souvenir

and souvenir shops, craft workshops, and retail

outlets were opened.

In the Kokand State Museum reserve 1 - porch

1,60x3,10, 2 - porch on the passage 2,20x3,10, 3,

3,90x4,55 square meters from the gatehouse are

arranged craftsman workshop and retail outlets. The

stores and retail outlets sold various souvenirs made

from unique museum items, albums, and catalogues

published by the museum, as well as handicrafts and

other souvenirs.

In the foyer of the State Art Museum of

Uzbekistan on an area of 20 square meters, there is a

gift and souvenir store, a craftsman's workshop, and

sales offices. Here souvenirs of different types are

made from unique and special exhibits of the

museum. The store also has catalogues published by

the museum. To date, the following system of

merchandising related to museum activities has been

established in the souvenir stores of this museum:

- To the 100th anniversary of the State Art

Museum of Uzbekistan porcelain dishes with images

of Russian and Central Asian avant-garde works in

the museum;

- postcards of avant-garde works in the museum

for the 100th anniversary of the State Art Museum of

Uzbekistan;

- Souvenirs with images of unique paintings of the

State Art Museum of Uzbekistan.

A souvenir store was also opened at the State

Museum of the History of Uzbekistan. This store is

located in the lobby of the museum, and its area is 7

square meters. Reconstruction of the building of the

State Museum of History of Uzbekistan is carried out

jointly with the Tashkent city council and specialists

of the Turkish company "Outdoor Factory". In a new

project of the museum building, it is planned to create

a souvenir shop and a "Book Cafe" that meets modern

requirements. Souvenirs of the museum are made on

the basis of museum items from the Bronze Age to

the Middle Ages. Currently, souvenirs are made on

the basis of more than 20 exhibits, and it is planned to

produce many copies of them.( Krivosheeva., 2016-

State Museum of History of Uzbekistan., 2022)

5 CONCLUSION

A catalogue purchased in a museum store, a gift, a

video, or even a special shopper can serve as

advertising. Leaving the museum, these emblematic

names do an important job of reminding the person

visiting the museum, and they remind everyone

passing by that the museum exists. A museum can

always expand its potential audience; in today's

world, there is no limit to the dissemination of

knowledge. Television, video, electronic catalogues,

and other communication technologies enable a

museum to reach its clients, bypassing geographical

barriers. Decentralization, refusal of directive

management, a fuller realization of the rule "work on

itself", i.e. separation of representatives of state

power from recipients of funds and distribution of

these funds through self-government of public funds

are observed in the practice of modern world

museums, thus, undoubtedly, financing of museums

and generally remains a priority principle of state

policy in the sphere of culture.

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