Page 286 - AC/E's Digital Culture Annual Report 2015

AC/E Digital Culture Annual Report 2015286The perks for donors were highly ingenious and could include their name, a poem or a work of art of their own. Donors who contributed 125 dollars or more could have their ideas engraved on the bricks from which the new premises will be built.The value of the treasures in the care of the Vatican is undeniable. A crowdfunding campaign has been launched in conjunction with the project for the digitisation of documents dis- cussed in point 1 and in order to be able to develop it. The process is very costly and long- term. More than 76,000 documents are in need of digitisation and they have planned to raise the required sum in fifteen years. The amount, 50 million euros, covers the cost of the work of 150 specialists. However, they have decided to create their own website179 instead of using existing sites.The Bowes Museum180 in the United Kingdom is using the ArtFund platform to raise funds to restore a fifteenth-century Flemish altarpiece, revealing the hidden paintings. The aim is to incorporate the altarpiece into the exhibitionof the magnificent carvings the museum owns from this period and to create a mechanism that opens and closes the altarpiece so that viewers can see the paintings on its outer panels.The museum also wishes to allocate part of the money to research into how the altarpiece was originally displayed, its makers, who commis- sioned it and, finally, why in 1859 the founders of the collection, John and Josephine Bowes, regarded it as a significant piece in the collection they were then assembling. They achieved 100% funding with 196 patrons.Another good example is the campaign launched by the Museo Civico di Palazzo Madama in 2013, which was presented as a success storyat the Museum Next conference in 2014. The initiative was designed to raise funds to acquire 42 pieces of Meissen porcelain worth 80,000 euros. The campaign was a great success and raised 96,200 euros in just two months. Inthis case, the initiative was launched from the museum’s own website.181There are several keys to its success. One is the slogan, simple but effective, which involvesthe patrons in the undertaking, making them protagonists: “Acquire a piece of history with us”. Another factor is that there was no need to give much money – contributions started from 2 euros and collaborators received a reward in accordance with their contributions. The best perks were given to those who donated theTo complement the crowdfunding campaign, in June 2014 the Vatican staged a fundraising event that offered patrons a magnificent reward: an exclusive guided tour of the areas out of bounds to the general public (the library, including the place where manuscripts are stored, and the laboratories). The tour also featured dinner in the Sistine hall.Focus 2015. Museums and New Technologies