A thousand faces: A collection of wayang and masks is seen in the Basoeki Abdullah Museum in South Jakarta. (Courtesy of Basoeki Abdullah Museum)Despite offering low entrance fees, many museums in the country struggle with low visitor numbers. A recent seminar shed light on how to make museums more appealing to the public.The Museum, Art, and Education seminar held at Basoeki Abdullah Museum in West Cilandak, South Jakarta, induced a creative dialogue on a museum’s true potential in becoming a collective cultural space.

It posed the simple question of whether a museum was merely a place to exhibit historical items or if it had the power to serve a greater purpose.

Ali Akbar, a lecturer with the School of Cultural Sciences at the University Of Indonesia (UI) believes that a museum should follow a progressing world of art and education without eliminating the basi...