Crazy years ahead of me
Tuesday, January 27th, 2009Yes, I am getting crazier all the time lately. I have quit my job at the Tropenmuseum and I am now sitting at home watching the flowers grow….until I can start with my new job. I will be the head of marketing and sales at the Dolhuys, the national museum of psychiatry. But still did I make the right move? let’s compare the statistics (Tropenmuseum vs Het Dolhuys):
- Visitors a year; 200.000 vs 30.000 (hmmm…lucky me, all those visitors just cramp the museum)
- Budget; 10.000.000 euro’s vs 1.500.000 euro’s (well less money, but we are not poor)
- Power; one of those small mice vs Big vice-Boss (power, I love it)
- Staff; 70 vs 13 (ah, that is why I became vice-boss so easily)
- City; Amsterdam vs Haarlem (Suburbia here we come)
- Mission of Museum; World Culture vs Crazy People (what’s the difference, anyway?)
- Age of the building; 1926 vs 1320 (yes now are talking…that is medieval)
- Volunteers; 0 vs 140 (half of them have a psychiatric background)
- Collection; 240.000 vs a few thousand objects (hmmm, there is some work to do here)
As you can see it is a totally different museum. It is small, different subject…but I think that it is great. People with psychiatric problems often face prejudice. The Dolhuys tries with exhibitions, lectures and special events to take the prejudice away. And make the world a better place is always the reason why I started working in a Museum in the first place. So my posts will contain a mix of past Tropenmuseum experiences and Dolhuys experiences from now on.
