MUDEM's work experience programme (PCTO) - bringing students closer to the museum's collections
Twelve students from the Ennio Quirino Visconti state secondary school in Rome took part in an engaging multidisciplinary experience on 4 April, helping to create a museum-style display. It was entitled 'The Symbols of Power. A journey on the trail of commodity-money items through Africa, Asia and Oceania', displaying objects that had been used as currency.
The exhibition was created entirely by the students as part of MUDEM's work experience programme, prompting them to reflect on the symbolic value of money among different civilizations, as well as bringing them into contact with authentic pieces from the Voltolina Collection, acquired by the Money Museum.
The items include spears, knives, swords and javelin heads - all used as currency - as well as coin necklaces, beads and shells. Under the guidance of experts in the field, the students were able to work as museum curators, researchers, designers and press officers for the exhibition.
Following a session with Dr Egidio Cossa, an ethnologist and former curator of the African displays at Rome's Museo delle Civiltà, a visit to the numismatic and Eastern Art collections at Palazzo Koch, and a workshop analysing some Italian and international museum displays, the students explored the links between economics, ethnology and museology.
The exhibition is on show at Banca d'Italia's premises in Via delle Quattro Fontane and has been a great success, providing an opportunity to see specimens from distant cultures that are not usually on display to the general public.
The 'Economics in science museums' initiative is part of the educational services provided by MUDEM. For more information, please visit the museum's education webpage.
