The Mission of the National Museum is to provide heritage resources and an enjoyable experience to all people through quality research, conservation, education and exhibitions.

This implies a responsibility to collect, conserve and hold in trust our natural and cultural heritage, as part of the national estate, not only for the benefit of future generations, but also as a source of education and enlightenment.

It is our opinion that the Museum's Annual Report indicates that we have used funds received from the Department of Arts and Culture for these purposes.

At the outset we would like to reiterate that the National Museum is a diverse institution, focusing on natural sciences (nine research departments), human sciences (four research departments) and fine arts and incorporating Oliewenhuis Art Museum; Florisbad Quaternary Research Station; Freshford House Museum; First Raadsaal Museum and Wagon Museum as satellites. Further information on these satellite museums is presented in the Annual Report.

The National Museum is committed to serving the needs of a diverse community - in particular through the pursuit of excellence in museum scholarship based on curatorial conservation and research, and the dissemination of knowledge and transfer of skills through display, education and outreach projects. The delivery of diverse services to the community and the management of transformation processes represent key objectives towards which the National Museum strives.

The diversity of its specialist fields represents both the Museum’s strength and its challenges. Biodiversity, systematics and palaeontology receive particular attention in natural sciences departments; in the human sciences and the fine arts the emphasis is on the recording, collecting and exhibiting of the multi-cultural histories and legacies, material objects and oral evidence of the people of South Africa. The Museum’s identity and success depend on the achievement of synergy in these areas.

We would like to make use of this opportunity to highlight aspects relating to the Museum's activities during the previous year.

The National Museum has continued to provide professional services, in the key activities of collection, conservation, research and education, of benefit to the broadest possible spectrum of the community. Outputs and standards have been either maintained or improved upon by the Museum.

Collections have continued to receive curatorial attention of a very high standard from dedicated curators and collections managers. A total of 2957 material ‘units’ (specimens, objects, etc.) were added to the diverse collections managed by the Museum.

Oliewenhuis Art Museum acquired 23 new artworks at a cost of R 593 135 to supplement its collection of South African art, representing various South African artists, including both well-known and also less known artists (such as Johannes Mosala, Cyril Coetzee, Jo Ractliffe, Colbert Mashile, Justinus Khoalibe, Jacobus Kloppers, Dumisani Mabaso, Nhlanhla Xaba, Norman Catherine, Azwifarwi Ragimana, John Baloyi, Thomas Kubayi, Isolde Krams and Walter Oltmann). A further five artworks were donated to the Museum.

It is necessary to highlight the inappropriate storage accommodation for a number of our collections, which are housed in widely-dispersed, sub-standard locations lacking dust-proofing and climate control facilities. Most of these stores are leased on our behalf by the Department of Public Works and it is often very difficult to achieve co-operation from the owners concerning matters critical to the effective storage and conservation of our collections. We plan to submit our concerns about the conservation of relevant collections that are part of the national estate to the Department of Arts and Culture in the near future.

The Museum continues to contribute significantly in the field of museum research, illustrated by the numerous publications produced by its researchers and by 20 conference contributions. During the year descriptions of 22 new biological taxa were published, contributing to expanding our knowledge of biodiversity. A total of 77 formal and popular lectures and workshops were presented by research staff, who are also involved in numerous co-operative projects and local and international collaborations, details of which are provided in Appendix G of the Annual Report. Museum staff reviewed a total of 48 manuscripts for international and national scientific publications; this gives an indication of the high regard in which our researchers are held. A total of 67 ongoing research projects in the natural sciences and human sciences (Appendix C of the Annual Report) are also testament to the Museum’s conservation, archival and inventory functions.

Educational programmes, involving children in particular, but also adults, included lectures, demonstrations, workshops and conducted tours of the various displays and facilities at the Museum and its satellites. In addition, numerous educational resources were produced and distributed. The total of 181 928 visitors to the Museum and its satellites during the year included not only a significant percentage (44%) of school learners, but also street children, orphans, the handicapped, the terminally ill, the elderly and children suffering from HIV/Aids, all of whom are testimony to the popularity of the exhibitions and special programmes offered by the Museum. Educators and tertiary-level students also attended these programmes. The introduction of new, curriculum-based and OBE-related educational programmes using the Museum’s exhibitions continued.

One of the main focal areas relating to Public Programmes has been the celebration of theme days, often in conjunction with specific public holidays, during which temporary exhibitions and special activities have been offered by the Museum and its satellites. Schools and youth groups have been invited to actively participate in these activities, thereby attracting these groups to the Museum and we believe that this has contributed to nation-building, using national days as a focus. This focus has been expanded upon in the new financial year and exciting events such as story-telling and indigenous games are scheduled to become an annual feature on the Museum’s calendar. The role of our Education Department staff in facilitating these activities is highly commendable.

Oliewenhuis Art Museum has also had a busy programme of public events, all aimed at skills transfer and the creation of a greater awareness and interactive enjoyment of the visual arts.

Workshops have included subjects such as Ceramics, Sponge Painting, Figure Drawing, Mask making and Watercolour painting; these have been attended by school learners from diverse backgrounds, students and members of the general public and have usually been presented by Oliewenhuis staff in collaboration with recognized local artists and other institutions.

Museum Outreach Projects have included the setting up of a screen-printing studio at Lebone House and AIDS care centre for HIV-infected children, and the painting of the façade and interior walls of the Ramkraal shelter for street children in Bloemfontein. Oliewenhuis Art Museum and the Life Skills HIV / AIDS Education Organisation, together with the Free State Department of Education, presented the Guinness World Record Attempt for the largest "Finger Painting". 800 learners from various schools from the greater Mangaung / Bloemfontein area were invited to participate in the event in the front gardens of the Art Museum. Each participant was required to pay R5.00 to participate in the project. Because underprivileged learners were unable to contribute, learners from advantages schools each sponsored a learner from previously marginalized communities. In this manner, the Museum was able to include learners from diverse communities. The completed canvas measured 531.8 m², which unfortunately did not break the previous record of 649.4 m². The project did however increase awareness of AIDS amongst participants and spectators, and also created a platform for partnerships by working with various artists, learners and other institutions. Money raised from the project was handed to the Life Skills HIV / AIDS Education Organisation to be utilized for future projects.

Oliewenhuis once again assisted with the arranging of an exhibition of art works by local artists in the Sand Du Plessis Theatre in Bloemfontein as part of the Mangaung Cultural Festival. Oliewenhuis was responsible for submitting invitations and press releases promoting the exhibition to artists residing in the Free State and a record number of 40 artists participated in the exhibition.

Oliewenhuis was also responsible for the organisation of the artist-in-residency programme at the Festival by artists from Botshabelo and Thaba 'Nchu. This was a wonderful opportunity for the participating artists, who are desperately in need of employment, recognition and exposure. Fifteen previously marginalized artists were collected and dropped off daily in Botshabelo and Thaba 'Nchu, wood was made available for them to use for sculpting and they were paid a daily stipend for their participation.

During 2003 and 2004, Oliewenhuis Art Museum received R 545 000 from the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund to launch and co-ordinate a project where sculptors residing and working in South Africa were invited to submit proposals for sculptures to be permanently situated in the Museum gardens. Eleven sculptures were commissioned from a total of 58 submissions, for placement in the back gardens of Oliewenhuis, a popular venue with the Bloemfontein public.

The artists commissioned were: Liz Ranger, Tiya Ncana, Abram Mofubetsuana, Tata Mhule, Dries Mofubetsuana, Michael Ximba, Anna Khetsi, Sarita Slabbert all from Bloemfontein (collaborative project), Walter Oltmann (Johannesburg), Azwifarwi Ragimana (Limpopo Province), Lucky Makamu (Venda), Carol Kuhn (Bloemfontein), Wilma Cruise (Midrand), Guy Du Toit (Pretoria), Jacques Fuller (Bloemfontein), Isolde Krams (Johannesburg), Jacques Dhont (Cape Town) and John Baloyi (Venda).

The project is a unique idea that involved artists from all over the country working in different media and styles and included artists previously not considered for single large commissions and artists that have been neglected because of their geographical location.

Oliewenhuis Art Museum is committed to making art an accessible and enjoyable experience for all and actively participates in the artistic life of the Free State and makes every attempt to incorporate and include a variety of art forms in its programmes. We believe that the Sculpture Park Project will assist us in realising our goals not only because of the ability it has to delight and entertain visitors to the Museum, but also because of its educational value. Public art has the ability to express the inter-relationship between place, structure and society and will show how a public area can be successfully created to the benefit of the environment, the people it serves and the world of art.

If you are passing through Bloemfontein, the Sculpture Park Project is well worth visiting.

Temporary exhibitions, presented both at the National Museum, its satellites and at other venues (including community libraries), were well attended by various sectors of the community. Oliewenhuis Art Museum hosted and curated a record number of 20 excellent and well-supported temporary art exhibitions during the year. Exhibition space at the Art Museum is fully booked until the middle of 2007 – a clear indication of the popularity of this facility as an exhibition venue.

Marketing and fund-raising activities enabled the Museum to carry out a number of projects, including the Guinness World Record attempt to produce the largest finger painting, mentioned above. Museum staff members were involved in the presentation of 154 separate items in the media (TV, radio and newspapers).

Continued improvement in the Museum’s subsidy allowed the filling of a number of key vacancies (details are presented in the Human Resource Management section of the Annual Report), a number of these with applicants from designated groups. Of continuing concern, however, is the fact that core-funding constraints continue to impact on the ability of the Museum to provide staff with competitive salaries, improved conditions of service and incentives.

Posts filled during year 17 16.8

Terminations 7 7.5

Total staff as at 31/3/05 107 9.3 (increase over last yr)

Directorate level 1 0.9

Education (HOD) 1 0.9

Research departments 8 6.5

Total PDI appointments 16 14.0

Directorate 2 1.9

Assistant Directors 2 1.9

Having a very small management team poses significant challenges for the Museum, and we will be investigating various options to address these.

A skills audit was preformed during the year and a number of training needs have been identified. These issues will be addressed during the new financial year.

The upgrading of the Archaeology Hall continues with funds provided by the National Lotteries Distribution Trust Fund. Funds from the Transformation Budget of the Department of Arts and Culture have been used for mentorships and training in museum-related activities, the transformation and upgrading of exhibitions, making exhibitions more accessible to a wider audience and security and infrastructure development.

Particular projects worth mentioning include: the production of an audio tour of 30 exhibition highlights in English, Afrikaans and Sotho, which not only adds a new and innovative dimension to the visitor experience, but also provides visually-impaired visitors with a more meaningful museum experience. Opportunities for training of people in research and collections management, as well as technical aspects associated with our Museum have also been provided through transformation funds. These include:

• funding the studies of an MA (Anthropology) student from a previously disadvantaged sector, who is also employed on contract by the Museum;
• supporting the M.Sc studies of an employee from a previously disadvantaged sector;
• providing technical training through a mentorship programme for a graphic design student from a previously disadvantaged sector.

Additional training opportunities have been implemented in the new financial year.

Comment on Audit Report findings – Matter of Emphasis: Computer environment

The annual audit was unqualified, but the audit of the computer environment revealed certain internal control weaknesses relating to the information technology system:

• A formal security policy has not been compiled;
• No formal business continuity plan or disaster recovery plan was in place, although the Museum is in the process of finalizing these plans;
• Inadequate password controls exist with regard to access to financial systems.

Certain of these aspects have already been addressed and policy is in the process of being developed to address the others.

An abridged analysis

Funds received 17 793

Annual grant - 14 908 84 (of funds received)

Transformation grant* - 2 211 12

Other grants received* -

Lotto 607 3

NRF & PAST 67 1

*Trust funds not reflected on income statement.

Income generated 972

Sales revenue 98 10

Services rendered by departments 403 42

Other (including interest) 471 48

Staff costs 13 407 87

Research costs 582 4

Audit fees 201 1.3 (to increase to ± 2%)

Other operating costs 1 136 8

Vehicles 169 25

Computer & electronic 295 43

Machinery 18 3

Furniture & fittings 202 29

Total number of school groups 878

Total learners as part of school groups 57 456

Total number of groups 983

Total numbers of children* 79 644

Total numbers of adults* 101 503

Total foreign visitors* 781