As a museum you don’t have a museum shop just to earn money. You want to inspire visitors, learn about art and cultural heritage. The women who make products via Return to Sender (RTS) work sustainably, often using very old techniques and the money they earn immediately improves their living conditions.
Despite not being a museum, RTS products are often sold in museum stores. Fair trade and sustainable development are concepts that occupy an important place within the museum world. Return to Sender is therefore a welcome addition to www.dutchmuseumgiftshop.nl. A number of articles have recently become available on the website.
Take, for example, the water jug ​​and glasses designed by the Dutch stylist Jouelle Cuppen. These are made by artisans in Firozabad, India’s ‘glass capital’. Glass making is an ancient tradition in India. With this product you help to preserve this, important craft for the local population.
The white porcelain vase designed by Laura de Monchy, filled with flowers, is also a wonderful addition to your interior. This vase is made by mainly female artisans from a family business in Thailand. They make and paint the ceramics by hand. During production, three people help to take the vase out of the mold and two people dip it in the paint. The women teach themselves new techniques through constant experimentation and can provide for their own income through this work.
With the arrival of RTS, DMGS expands again. The website went online in May with the aim of giving museums the opportunity to generate additional income. Now that ticket sales for exhibitions are declining due to corona measures, this is a welcome addition to the budget. The Rijksmuseum, Eye Filmmuseum and Kunsthal Rotterdam now sell items such as catalogs, t-shirts and jewelery at www.dutchmuseumgiftshop.nl. The Tropenmuseum will soon also be selling items from its museum shop on the website. In a short time, in addition to Dutch visitors, foreign tourists and interested parties, from Hong Kong to New York, were able to find the website.
