TopicClub

Topic Museum ends 2011 with over 14.000 visitors

Topic has been nominated for the “European Museum of Year 2012” Award which will be decided in Portugal in May

This last year, 2011, over 14.000 people visited Topic Museum and therefore, the three temporary exhibitions: 52 % adults; 31.6 % children; 16.4 % pensioners, apart from guests, teachers, journalists, members of ICOM, etc.

The different temporary exhibitions set up in 2011 have been very well attended. The one dedicated to “Colorín” (in the picture Blanca Urgell, the Regional Secretary of Culture, opens the exhibition) has been different to any previous show organised so far by TOPIC, as the value of the pieces or puppets as part of a historical moment or geographical area, was deliberately highlighted more than ever before.


Other things that deserve a special mention from 2011 are the workshops in collaboration with ANIMAC Festival from Lerida and with Arteleku. They were two Stop Motion animation workshops offered by Koke Rioboo: one for adults and another two hour long one for children. The latter had to be organised a second time due to the huge demand.

Milestones like the presence of Topic at the Chinese International Performing Arts Fair of Guangzou, at the invitation of the organisers themselves, or the course in collaboration with the Summer Courses of the University of the Basque Country, gave great media exposure to the centre; likewise the Summer School of UNIMA, held, for the first time, at Topic. In 2011 we also had another blast of publicity thanks to none other than the Cinema Festival of San Sebastian, with whom we collaborated on both the projection of one of their films, and an exhibition dedicated to shadow play, within the so called “Digital Shadow Play” organised by the Festival.
The Garatu plan, a training program for teachers, implemented by the Department of Education of the Basque Government also played its role, and was a huge success. All the activities were fully booked with waiting lists. It has given us the satisfaction of having far exceeded the expectations of the participants.

As for the School Campaign, children from 21 schools from Gipuzkoa and Alava have taken part in it. Before the visit they do some school work in class, and then, on the day that the activity is programmed, they can watch a puppet theatre play, talk to the puppeteers, visit the Museum and make a marionette. Little by little the school campaign is becoming a pillar of a constantly growing activity which has waiting lists for 2012.

Also last year was quite memorable in terms of prize-winning. Topic received a Special Mention at the Basque Government Tourism Awards. Likewise, in July, Miguel Arreche received the Rosete Aranda Prize for his contribution to the puppet world from the Mexican Governor of Tlaxcala. And, round the end of the year we learned that the TOPIC Museum was nominated for the “European Museum of Year 2012” Award, which will be decided in May in Portugal.