During the months of July and August, visitors to the MARQ have enjoyed the museum's permanent collection and the temporary exhibition "The treasure of the Barbarians".The exhibition shows, through a wide selection of pieces from the Palatinate Historical Museum in the German city of Speyer, the beginnings of the decline of the Roman Empire on the Germanic borders, as well as various aspects of the daily life of the inhabitants of these territories in the 3rd century AD.
Since its inauguration on 30 March, more than 47,495 people have visited the exhibition, enjoying the numerous activities organised by the MARQ Educational Office to coincide with the exhibition at the Alicante museum of the Neupotz Treasure, one of the largest collections of metal from the Roman period in Europe, which stands out both for the beauty and quality of its objects and for being testimony to one of the least known stages in the history of the Roman Empire.
Following the trend noted in previous months, it is the people from Alicante who have come in greater numbers to the halls of the Plaza Doctor Gómez Ulla to enjoy the exceptional exhibition made up of more than 600 pieces rescued from under the waters of the river Rhine, among which the famous mirror with the relief of the goddess Minerva stands out; Furthermore, and according to their place of origin, visitors from Madrid, Andalusia, Castile-Leon and Catalonia, as well as from our neighbouring provinces of Valencia, Murcia and Albacete.
In the same way, the public who came to the Alicante museum during this summer season were able to visit the exhibition ".Fragment of a Roman mural painting from the Villa de La Quintilla (Lorca, Murcia)". on display in the exhibition space in the MARQ Hall since 17 April.
This exhibition, which is sponsored by the Cajamurcia Foundation, presents the mural painting plaque from the Roman villa of La Quintilla after being restored by the MARQ and is the result of an agreement signed between the Provincial Council of Alicante, the CV-MARQ Foundation and the Lorca City Council, in response to an initiative by the MARQ, following the earthquake that struck the town of Lorca on 11 May 2011 and with the aim of collaborating in the recovery of the historical-artistic assets of the city and the collections deposited in its Municipal Archaeological Museum, which suffered serious damage in the earthquake of May 2011.
Among international visitors, the trend that began in 2009 continued, with French, British, American and Dutch visitors, and there was a growing interest in the Marq among Scandinavians and visitors from Eastern European countries. For the first time since 2009, there has been a slight decrease in the number of visitors from Italy and Germany.
This number of visits - both national and international - as a result of the intense exhibition activity of the Alicante museum, demonstrates the great impact of the temporary exhibition programme of the museum, consolidating the MARQ as a cultural and tourist reference in the archaeological panorama not only in Alicante, but also nationally and internationally, placing it as one of the most important local museums, despite the drop in visitor numbers compared to previous summers.
SUMMER CAMPAIGN IN THE MARQ
Once again this summer, the MARQ has consolidated its offer of educational activities aimed at children and whose objective has been to awaken the curiosity of the youngest visitors to our History through archaeology.
The 8th Summer activities campaign at MARQ 2012. Once again, it has been a resounding success in terms of participation and the appreciation of the attendees. A total of 2,795 people, including children and their families, took part in the activities programmed for the morning groups and in the dramatised visits to The Treasure of the Barbarians, to which must be added those who attended the four sessions of the Dramatised Night Visits at LUCENTUM, as well as those who attended the farewell party to mark the end of the summer.
With a diverse programme, catering for different ages and profiles, in order to reach as many people as possible, we have offered:
In the mornings
Free activities for children from 8 to 14 years old. Forming weekly groups that, from Tuesday to Friday, work in a fun and playful way on the temporary exhibition The Treasure of the Barbarians, as well as those contents of the permanent exhibition that may be related to the temporary exhibition itself. In this case they have been 1.397 (Average number of participants per session: 45'06 Pax). In addition to having a great time, they discovered a 'Treasure', specifically the one in Neupotz (Germany). With games and workshops they were able to explore and enjoy the fascinating world of the Romans in the 3rd century AD and their border problems with the Barbarians.
And on Saturdays, to complete the week, the families of the participants have been offered the Dramatised Visits, already started in May, on the occasion of the Museum Day and the 10th Anniversary of the MARQ. 386 (Average number of people attending per session: 48'25 Pax)
In addition to the young people who have signed up individually for Veranea en el MARQ 2012, we have also attended to groups, as in previous editions, from social centres, youth centres, summer schools, etc.
The total number of participants in the morning activities, including children and families, is 1.783 people.
In the afternoons
The evening offer took the form of the same dramatised visits to the temporary exhibition, offered to all audiences, in addition to the museum's wide range of guided tours. With a great response from the public and an increasing number of participants. 547 people have enjoyed this magnificent experience, with excellent script and interpretation (Average number of attendees per session: 36'46 Pax).
In the evenings
The most innovative part of this summer has been the Dramatised Night Tour of Lucentum. With the baggage of the Animated Visits developed since 2009 in the Archaeological Parks of the MARQ we have achieved, on this occasion, that the site of the Tossal de Manises becomes a living Roman city, from the 1st century A.D. Another different formula of success to make known and disseminate Lucentum.
On Friday 27 July and Friday 24 August, a total of 215 people of all ages, took a tour of the site accompanied by Marcus Popilius Onyx, a freedman of Greek origin, who acted as host and told them what life was like in that city at the time of its greatest splendour, when Augustus, the first emperor of Rome, granted Lucentum the legal status of Municipality. Along the way, other characters come out to meet him and between them, conversations and scenes are established, through which the audience can feel as if they were travelling back in time twenty centuries. (Average audience per session: 53'75 Pax)
The success of advance ticket sales on the museum's website in July, when the 8.30 p.m. show was sold out in just two hours, led to the immediate launch of a second session for the same day, at 10 p.m., which was also sold out in a matter of hours. It was also decided to create a second screening for 24 August.
One of the big surprises was the number of actors who came on stage: a total of 26 people. All of them did a great job, an extraordinary effort, especially if we take into account that some of them were volunteers, family members of Club Llumiq members who, selflessly and with great enthusiasm, played their respective roles to perfection. Something worth taking into account and valuing, which is a sign of the social repercussion that the Club Llumiq and the museum itself are beginning to have in Alicante.
END-OF-SUMMER TRACK
As on previous occasions, something that years ago started as an initiative of the participants' own families, on the evening of 28 August the summer farewell party took place, with the awarding of prizes for the following categories: Best Drawing, Best Writing, Best Reproduction of an exhibition piece and Best Group.
Around 250 people gathered in the gardens of the museum, who were able to participate in the workshops that began at 18:30, games and ambient music. At 7pm, in the presence of Josep Albert Cortés and Jorge Soler, Managing Director of the MARQ Foundation and Director of Exhibitions respectively, the awards ceremony took place. A simple and entertaining event, designed for young people, as they are the real protagonists.
The winners are:
- Best Group: Week 1 group, 3-7 July.
- Best Drawing: Zaira Rodríguez Sánchez, Group 6 (7 to 11 August)
- Best Editor: Celia Buck, Group 7 (14-18 August)
- Best Reproduction: Mario Sánchez Boix, Group 3 (17 to 21 July)
All participants who did not receive a prize were awarded a Diploma for their participation and excellent performance in the summer activities related to the temporary exhibition The Treasure of the Barbarians.
Finally, the closing of the event took place with a group photo with all the attendees on the stairs at the entrance of the museum and with the stellar presence of our mascot Llumiq.
In general terms, we can affirm that the programme of activities during the school summer holidays, designed by the Fundación Marq through the Club Llumiq since 2005, is fully consolidated and growing year after year, evolving its contents and cultural offer to reach high levels of acceptance by the public and high attendance figures.
With these initiatives, together with the workshops organised in the Archaeological Parks of La Illeta dels Banyets (El Campello) and Lucentum, MARQ's main objective is fulfilled, which is to introduce the museum to the youngest visitors in an educational and fun way, motivating them to discover something as exciting as the history of their ancestors.
AND AT THE SITES
Similarly, the number of visitors to the Lucentum archaeological park (El Tossal de Manises, Alicante), which received 753 visits this summer, is also noteworthy.
Likewise, the Illeta dels Banyets (El Campello) received a total of 948 visitors during the months of July and August.
In addition, the third anniversary of the opening of the Almudaina Almohad Tower to the public was celebrated on 13 August. Since its inauguration in 2009, 5,436 people have visited this emblematic monument on guided tours conducted by MARQ staff.
Likewise, the number of visits to the cave sanctuary of Pla de Petracos in Castell de Castells continues to rise, with 583 visitors since January 2012; in the same way, the number of people visiting the Interpretation Centre of the Neolithic site of the Cova de l'Or in Beniarrés is increasing, with 610 visits so far this year.
In this way, the Alicante museum and its archaeological parks have surpassed the figure of 76,890 visits since the beginning of the year.
EXHIBITIONS IN OTHER VENUES IN THE PROVINCE
The MARQ's cultural offer has been extended in 2012 with two exhibitions in other venues outside the Plaza del Doctor Gómez Ulla, including the exhibitions:
"The Lady of Guardamar and the Necropolis of cabezo Lucero".
The Archaeological Museum of Guardamar del Segura has been hosting an exhibition of the original bust of the Lady of Guardamar since 6 July, 25 years after its discovery in 1987 during excavations at the Cabezo de Lucero archaeological site. The exhibition, which has been visited by more than 3,000 people, is the result of collaboration with the MARQ and is sponsored by Cajamurcia. "La Dama de Guardamar and the Necropolis of Cabezo Lucero" will remain open to the public until 6 November.
"The Lady of Elche
Since 4 August, the Torre del Homenaje of the Palacio de Altamira in Elche has been hosting a commemorative exhibition on the discovery of the Dama de Elche.
In this exhibition, organised to mark the 115th anniversary of its discovery in 1897, ehe Marq has loaned the MAHE the 3D replica of the well-known lady deposited in the Alicante museum's collection, which will remain in Elche until 14 August 2013. Since its inauguration, the exhibition has welcomed 4,126 visitors.
