“…The methodology was mainly developed in 2024, but its structure was discussed and prepared in a number of online communications and correspondence, and, above all, during the three visits to the Museum by Johan Barstad and Rhys Evans – project methodologists and consultants from of the Norwegian partner Høgskulen for Grønn Utvikling Stiftelse. “
In the workshops preceding and following the community curation training modules (“See One” in June 2023, “Do One” in October 2023 and “Teach One” in February 2024), the Norwegian experts, based on their rich experience and a set of methods for working with communities, developed and agreed with the museum team on the main theses and approaches that form the Methodology.
The main goal of the methodology and trainings is to prepare the team of the Museum and other related cultural institutions for conducting a process of community curation. The main focus is the mobilization, participation and empowerment of specific communities, which together with the museum teams, create a new type of exhibitions…
Deputy Director Nela Racheviz’s words on the project results and value
Thanks to the funding of the Program “Cultural Entrepreneurship, Heritage and Cooperation”, the Museum was able to complete an important stage of the process of its renovation and modernization. At the end of this project, among the most valuable gains for the Museum, I would point out the confidence that our team can develop and manage relatively large-scale projects – knowledge and skills that we will develop in the years to come.
The third floor of the museum was renovated, including the exhibition halls, the lobby, and the new library. Machinery, equipment, and furniture were delivered. We started working with software for managing and presenting the art collections and library software. Two exhibitions were created, one of them featuring a mobile application. We developed strategic guidelines for the development of the museum library and entrepreneurial ideas for cultural products and services. We developed a marketing plan, an educational program, and a navigation system to help visitors find their way around the museum.
An important upgrade of the capacity of the museum staff in the digitization of works of visual art has been carried out.
Under the guidance of our partner, the Norwegian University College for Green Development, we combined training with the practical application of new approaches in working with audiences. We have acquired knowledge and skills to support the artistic endeavors of disadvantaged communities and groups.
We are convinced of the significant “added value” of cooperation with various civic groups and will continue to spread the model supporting the connection of Bulgarian museums and galleries with new audiences, new ambassadors, and new topics and interpretations addressed to society. A process based on dialogue and shared creative effort that can make the professional work and achievements of museums more approachable and understandable to usually disinterested audiences, as well as give art critics access to better stories and different perspectives.
The “Address of Satire” project – creation of an exhibition from the fund of the “House of Humor and Satire” Museum – Gabrovo and an accompanying program on the role and limits of satire and its exhibition in renovated spaces in the Museum”.
The project is implemented under the Program “Cultural Entrepreneurship, Heritage and Cooperation”, financed by the FM of the EEA 2014-2021. Contract No. BGCULTURE-1.001-0039
What is the new service in the shop of the Museum of Humour and Satire?
Choose one of the great designs based on artworks from the Museum’s collection and we’ll print a custom T-shirt, tote bag, hat, or bandana in the color of your choice right before your eyes.
The new service of prints on textiles is part of the Entrepreneurship Plan of the “Address of Satire” project – creation of an exhibition from the fund of the “House of Humor and Satire” Museum – Gabrovo and an accompanying program on the role and limits of satire and its exhibition in renovated spaces in the Museum”.
The project is implemented under the Program “Cultural Entrepreneurship, Heritage and Cooperation”, financed by the FM of the EEA 2014-2021. Contract No. BGCULTURE-1.001-0039
Once again, the Museum of Humor and Satire adds a full program to the festivity season in Gabrovo. Here is what to expect at the Museum during the next 3 days:
DAY 1: 16 May
During the first day of the Festival of Humor and Satire in Gabrovo and just two days before the Carnival, the Museum of Humor and Satire team will present part of the results achieved within the project “The Address of Satire” – creation of an exhibition from the fund of the Museum “House of Humor and Satire” – Gabrovo and an accompanying program on the role and limits of satire and its exhibition in renovated spaces in the Museum”, implemented under the Program “Cultural Entrepreneurship, Heritage and Cooperation”, financed by the FM of the EEA 2014-2021.
Welcome on the third floor, renovated within the project, where: at 16:00 will begin the presentation of the Museum Library; at 17:00 in Hall 6 is the opening of the new exhibition “Satire and Propaganda”. at 18:00 in Hall 3 “Stefan Fartunov” comes the opening of the collective exhibition of PARALLEL of artists Iva, Tihomir and Georgi Rusinovi, Antonia and Ivan Barakovi, and Georgi Karaliev.
DAY 2: 17 May – Gabrovo Day
Open Day at the Museum. Carnival mask-making workshops will be held for the Museum’s youngest friends (unfortunately, all six workshops are already full). The doors of all cultural institutions in the city will be open.
DAY 3: 18 May – Gabrovo Carnival
This year the Gabrovo Carnival has the theme “Make CARNIVAL, not War”. To learn exactly how many days, hours, minutes and seconds are left until the beginning, and to folllow all the latest about the events of the Festival of Humor and Satire 2024, check the official website of the Carnival.
The new permanent exhibition “Satire and Propaganda” traces the period of creation of the Museum’s collection in the context of the new rules in (and uses of) satire during the establishment of the communist regime in our country. Particular attention is paid to how the emergence of the House of Humor and Satire changed and developed the field of cartoons and satire in the country.
The exhibition presents a study of the cartoons that participated in the International Biennial of Humor and Satire, organized by the House of Humor and Satire from its creation in 1973 until the end of the totalitarian period in 1989. Its aim is to assess the possibility of satire in a society in which the freedom of expression is limited, and the possibility of criticism is locked in the norm of “small justice” – individual phenomena and mistakes of the bureaucracy can be condemned to a certain, low level of power, without specifically naming and indicating party leaders, often using the so-called called “Aesopian language”. The organizers of the Biennial are extremely honest, choosing to name the Grand Prize the “Golden Aesop”. The other use of satire in cartoons, where it was directed outwards at international politics and the ideological enemy, was on the contrary quite specific, with clear depictions of political figures such as Margaret Thatcher, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Henry Kissinger. Truthful or not, in a heavily muted and controlled information environment, these cartoons became a propaganda tool – a practice already well worked out on the pages of the newspapers Papagal (Parrot) and Starshel (Hornet) since the establishment of the new government.
In order to illustrate the spirit of the times and the limits of freedom, three events outside the Biennial are also presented in the exhibition:
the “Hot Peppers” case with the book of epigrams, selected and titled by Radoy Ralin and illustrated by Boris Dimovski;
the arrest of Todor Tsonev because of caricatures of Todor Zhivkov and other party leaders found in his studio;
the cartoon “Haidushko Horo” by Georgi Chaushov, published on the pages of the Starshel newspaper in November 1989.
Several key themes stand out in the considered volume of biennial cartoons: wars and conflicts, economic crises, criticism of Western society, apartheid, religion, ecology, on the one hand globally and on the other, domestically – the life of the little man, the bureaucracy , the search for meaning, domestic adversity, power dynamics in the home.
Visitors have the opportunity to engage in the exhibition through an interactive application with two modules – self-irony and re-cartoon. In the first, the viewers can put their own image in the selected cartoon, and in the second they can remix attributes from different cartoons, creating their own one.
The “Address of Satire” project – creation of an exhibition from the fund of the “House of Humor and Satire” Museum – Gabrovo and an accompanying program on the role and limits of satire and its exhibition in renovated spaces in the Museum”.
The project is implemented under the Program “Cultural Entrepreneurship, Heritage and Cooperation”, financed by the FM of the EEA 2014-2021. Contract No. BGCULTURE-1.001-0039
The museum has been collecting its fund since its inception in order to make it available to the staff, the artists and to scholars researching humor and satire.
The collection contains nearly 30,000 items dating from the late 18th century to the present day. In parallel with gathering anything important and curious from the Bulgarian literature and art within the funny genre, the international life of the Museum strongly characterizes the collection: from Egypt to Costa Rica, through Estonia to Canada, we are the custodians of printed treasures that we can confidently claim cannot be found anywhere else in Bulgaria (it remains to be seen if this claim will be extended to the Balkans, Europe and the world)!
Opening: 16 May, 16:00, Floor 3
At the official opening of the new space, visitors to the Museum will be able to explore the modernized premises on Floor 3, feel the atmosphere in the reading room, where a small part of most of the groups in the fund are currently arranged on the shelves, including books and periodicals in over 20 languages on the subject of caricature, ethnography, painting, photography, as well as short poetic forms, intriguing albums plus the Museum’s own editions and catalogs adored for generations. Due to the huge volume of the fund, the process is taking place in stages, and in the upcoming months the Library will take the necessary steps to prepare for its work with external audiences.
During the launch presentation, guests will hear not only the next steps of the Library’s detailed development strategy, but also be able to give feedback and ideas about the process of creating a unique place for community events.
We await you with excitement and a smile – which is always with us even when we cannot find our reading glasses in a hurry!
The Project: The project “The Address of Satire – Creating an Exhibition from the Collection of the Museum House of Humor and Satire – Gabrovo“, is filed by the Program “Cultural Entrepreneurship, Heritage, and Cooperation” financed by the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Areа. With the help of the funds from the project, in 2023, the process of reconstructing and relocating the Library began – the books were first moved from the then storage facilities on Floor 4 to a temporary warehouse. After purchasing library software, their step-by-step extraction, sorting and entering into the system started, including a description, which in the future will connect the processing of books to the borrowing by readers, as well as the visualization of the fund in an electronic catalog. The goal is to keep up with the new possibilities for creating a digital archive as well as not to limit the availability in the Library lists geographically only to Gabrovo.
Johan Barstad and Rhys Evans, professors at HGUt, collaborated with museum experts to consolidate accumulated experience and develop skills for sharing knowledge with other cultural institutions.
The Museum team, recognizing the significant “added value” of collaborating with various civic groups, will continue efforts to disseminate the model, facilitating the connection of Bulgarian museums and galleries with new audiences, ambassadors, and new themes and interpretations directed toward society. A process based on dialogue and shared creative efforts, which can make the professional activities and achievements of museums more accessible and understandable to typically disinterested audiences, while also providing art historians with access to better stories and diverse perspectives.
During the training, the progress made in creating the exhibition “Humor and Satire through the Eyes of Gabrovians” was analyzed – an encouraging result of the Museum’s collaboration with the Disability Club – Gabrovo in the role of the first community curator. The accumulated experience from collaborating with the specific social group was shared, along with the unplanned, beyond-the-exhibition results – the fostered warm relationships and readiness for future joint initiatives.
At a work meeting at the Disability Club, gratitude was expressed for the contribution of each participant, and the Norwegian instructors expressed their satisfaction with the results and the well-applied principles and approaches in social practice.
Project No. BGCULTURE-1.001-0039 “The Address of Satire – creation of an exhibition from the fund of the Museum “House of Humor and Satire” – Gabrovo and an accompanying program on the role and limits of satire and its exhibition in renovated spaces in the Museum” is financed under Program RA14 “Cultural entrepreneurship, heritage and cooperation”, co-financed by the FM of the EEA 2014-2021.
Opening: December 27 Time: 16:00 Hall 6, Museum of Humor and Satire The exhibition runs until March 2024
The exhibition “Humor and Satire through the Eyes of Gabrovians” is an attempt to publicly share the views and values of a local community by creating a temporary exhibition with works from the collection of the Museum of Humor and Satire.
Here the participants, in the role of curators, express their understanding of the role of satire as a moral corrective of society and power.
The exhibition is based on the principles of working with communities and involving the public in the work process of cultural institutions. The purpose of this opening of the Museum towards its audience is to establish a dialogue with the local community. Through this communication we hope to make the space of the Museum more welcoming and accessible to our fellow citizens, and at the same time to enrich our program with ideas and creativity through which the local community presents itself and its commentary on the cultural heritage of Gabrovo humor and satire.
The rich experience of the Museum’s partners from the Norwegian University of Green Development Høgskulen for Grøn Utvikling provided a good basis for turning citizens from passive receivers of the museum narrative into “creators” through the art of different and community-inspired stories. The creation process of this exhibition is a good basis for developing a practical model for working with different groups of society, including disadvantaged communities – a process leading to their inclusion and transformation into direct participants in the activities of our museum institutions.
As a result of this joint work, an exhibition was born, whose curators are members of the Disability Club in Gabrovo – a new experience for the visitor, which winks with a slight irony to the values of our society, to what is important and whether our society is growing intellectually with the required speed.
During the cooperation between the Museum team and the community, we shared warm feelings and spent unforgettable moments. The participants showed us an indomitable spirit and proved that despite the difficulties of fate, the people of Gabrovo never lose their sense of humor – because it is the best medicine!
Active participants in community curation: Vasil Grancharov Dafina Berova Krasiana Lubenova Neiko Kamburov. Nina Dimitrova Penka Gateva Stanka Angelova Temenuga Tsoneva
Support by the Museum team: Dimka Koleva Dragomilla Doikin Ivelina Angelova Svetlana Mihailova
Consultant: Tsvetelina Hristova Digital researcher with experience in non-formal education and community work, lecturer in the Department of Arts, Media and Technology at the University of Southampton.
Methodologists: Johan Barstad Rhys Evans Lecturers at the Norwegian University for Green Development Høgskulen for Grøn Utvikling, the Museum’s partner in the Project.
We are sharing photos from the opening on December 27, 2023.
Project No. BGCULTURE-1.001-0039 “The Address of Satire – creation of an exhibition from the fund of the Museum “House of Humor and Satire” – Gabrovo and an accompanying program on the role and limits of satire and its exhibition in renovated spaces in the Museum” is financed under Program RA14 “Cultural entrepreneurship, heritage and cooperation”, co-financed by the FM of the EEA 2014-2021.
From October 30th to November 10th, the new cataloging software for the specialized library of the Museum of Humor and Satire in Gabrovo was successfully delivered and installed. The event was marked by training provided by representatives of the software company, focusing on the use of the modules “Books,” “Periodicals,” “Reader Services,” and “Internet Catalog.”
The new software and library consumables – barcode labels and a laser reader – are a crucial part of the Museum’s strategy for digitizing the existing resources in the book collection. With their assistance, an online catalog will be developed, available to both local and non-local readers, providing information about the availability of books and periodicals in the Museum’s collection.
Currently, there is a phased introduction of the book units into the software for their digital inventory. This is a step before their final arrangement in the renewed space of the library, which includes a visitor’s reading room and storage. From the spring of 2024, they will be accessible to visitors upon the completion of the ongoing renovation activities within the project.
The Museum of Humor and Satire in Gabrovo continually strives for modernization and improvement of its services, and this progress is part of our efforts to facilitate access to our rich cultural heritage.
Project № BGCULTURE-1.001-0039 “The Address of Satire – Creating an Exhibition from the Fund of the Museum House of Humor and Satire – Gabrovo and accompanying program on the role and boundaries of satire and its exhibition in renovated spaces in the Museum,” funded under Program RA14 “Cultural Entrepreneurship, Heritage, and Cooperation,” co-financed by the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area 2014-2021.
In connection with the execution of project BG05M9OP001-2.004-0042 “The Address of Satire – Creating an Exhibition from the Fund of the Museum “House of Humor and Satire” – Gabrovo, and an accompanying program regarding the role and boundaries of satire and its exhibition in renovated spaces in the Museum “House of Humor and Satire” – Gabrovo”, we are searching for a Researcher to undertake Activity 6, which involves research work and the preparation of exhibitions as part of the 8. Project Implementation Plan.
The Executor:
Participates in the organization and implementation of Activity 6: Research work and preparation of exhibitions for the Project.
Supports and monitors the execution of Activity 9: Organization and presentation of two new exhibitions (permanent and temporary), specifically regarding the production of the exhibition “The Address of Satire” – creating an exhibition from the fund of the Museum “House of Humor and Satire” – Gabrovo and an accompanying program on the role and boundaries of satire and its exhibition in renovated spaces in the Museum.
Prepares the structure of the research, provides methodological guidance, organizes, and actively participates in the preparation of the exhibition “The Address of Satire.” This includes studying the museum fund, contextualizing it, and selecting works for active exhibition work that align with the thematic scope and goals of the exhibition. It also involves analyzing available data and documentary archives (references, catalog texts, articles, etc.).
Develops the exhibition concept by researching the historical context, analyzing contemporary theoretical texts on the history and theory of art and culture related to satire, outlining thematic cores in the exhibition, and preparing a bibliography.
Consults on the development of the thematic plan of the exhibition, including the final selection of works, exhibition texts (in Bulgarian and English), and the project for artistic-spatial design.
Participates in the preparation of guidelines for exhibition design.
Participates in presenting the exhibition to the guided tour team, the educational activities team, and the coordinators for the preparation of educational programs and accompanying events.
Excellent knowledge of the historical and cultural context (the period from 1945 to 1989) and the Museum’s fund;
No conviction of an intentional crime of a general nature.
The remuneration for the execution of the civil contract is up to 5600 BGN, including the employer’s social security contributions for the entire contract period (contract termination date for the project – April 27, 2024).
Required documents for application:
Application for admission to the selection process.
Professional autobiography.
Declaration that the person has not been convicted of an intentional crime of a general nature.
Copies of documents certifying the acquired educational qualification.
The selection of candidates will be carried out in two stages: document review and interview.
Candidates admitted to the second stage of the procedure are those who have submitted documents confirming compliance with the specified minimum requirements within the deadline.
Documents should be submitted via email: info@humorhouse.bg or at the Museum’s office. Deadline for document submission – November 27, 2023, until 4:30 PM.
Candidates admitted to the interview will be notified of the date, place, and time.
For contact: 066 807229 – accounting.
Providing personal data is voluntary; their processing, use in the selection process, and storage will be carried out in full compliance with the Personal Data Protection Act.
Project № BGCULTURE-1.001-0039 “The Address of Satire – Creating an Exhibition from the Fund of the Museum House of Humor and Satire – Gabrovo and accompanying program on the role and boundaries of satire and its exhibition in renovated spaces in the Museum,” funded under Program RA14 “Cultural Entrepreneurship, Heritage, and Cooperation,” co-financed by the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area 2014-2021.
