About Us
Indonesian Heritage Society (IHS) is a non-profit Yayasan established in 1970 by Indonesian and ex-pat volunteers just like you. From the initial group of 17 volunteers, today the Yayasan has grown to include hundreds of individuals and expanded to other countries. Friends of IHS have continued the legacy of our founders to promote Indonesia’s heritage, providing volunteer assistance to national cultural and educational institutions for the last 52 years.
Our scope of activities from the original Museum focus has expanded since its inception to include various Study Groups, Lecture series, Explorer and Heritage Tours which organize travel sessions in Jakarta and around Indonesia. The dynamic language groups have grown to 5 language communities, French, Italian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese. The diverse members ‘nationalities within each of these sections allow closer social and cultural sharing.
As a cultural organization, IHS has created a solid and dynamic presence in the local and international communities. Our collaboration has broadened not only with Indonesia’s national heritage bodies, but also with private museums and international organizations. These collaborations give us access to a global network of experts on Indonesia, providing a unique opportunity for our volunteers to acquire more understanding, experience and forge lifelong interests and friendships. We hope to welcome you in one of our activities.
Anya Robertson
Indonesian Heritage Society President
Below is our organization structure:
The Museum Division was and is the core of the Indonesian Heritage Society activities. The Division itself has expanded to include School Programs, Language workshops, Museum Guide Training and Tours and Projects Section. The intensive Museum Training program, in collaboration with mentors and curators from the Museum Nasional Indonesia (MNI), runs for three months. It is the cornerstone of our Museum Tours. Our guides provide multi-language tours 5 times a week at the MNI and we also accept special requests from the public.
This Division has grown in size and scope since 2005. It provides a framework for volunteers to pursue specific interests, engaging participants to discuss and exchange ideas and to discover and experience all aspects of Indonesia’s heritage through its 12 sub-sections. The lecture series cover evening, morning and online series. The various Study Groups are fluid where members can form a group with its chosen topic. The multi- national language sections allow like-minded people to share interests and experiences, where activities are conducted in their specific language.
Communication Division maintains the daily running of the IHS Social Media and Weekly E-newsletters. It create the branding guidelines of the organisation creating and updating the publicity material templates to maintain IHS identity. The division reaches out to the public and media partners for the information management and strategic promotions of IHS and its activities. Along with various events organised by this division it also organizes two of IHS’s main events: Selamat Datang in September and Blue Lotus in May.
This Division is the technical engine of IHS activities. It is responsible for converting IHS overall information to the digital system. It oversees the internal communication within IHS through its management of the IHS Library, the IT system which emails, Zoom and the operations of the IHS website. It is also supporting the local arts and crafts by marketing their products internally and at public venues.
Meet our section committee members!
Board of Management
Anya Robertson
Maria Beatrice Tragni
Juliani W. Luthan
Simran Ishwar
Makiko Sakamoto
Indriawaty Lefevre
Meher Ghandhi
Section Committee Volunteers
Co-Chairs Museums Section
Museum
Many Heritage Society Friends are involved in projects supporting the Museum Nasional. Heritage Society sections and services related to the museum include:
- Museum Tours in English, French, Japanese and Korean.
- Translation of Museum documents.
- School Programs are presentations in both English and Japanese are organized in the international schools.
- Project groups which include:
- Prehistory
- Ethnography (ethnic groups)
- Stone Sculpture
- Textiles
- Contemporary Art
- Museum Tours
- Museum Tour Guide Training
- Language Workshops
- Museum Projects
- School Programs
Silena Griffin
Museum Tours Co-Chair
Rima Sjoekri
Museum Tour Guide Training Co-Chair
Jiachi Huang
Museum Tour Guide Training Co-Chair
Borbála Csete
Museum Projects Co-Chair
Wine Amanda
Language Workshops Co-Chair
Esra Kiraylar Coskun
Language Workshops Co-Chair
Vacant School Programs Position
School Programs Co-Chair
Co-Chairs Community Section
- Evening Lectures: A series of lectures presented to the public twice a year highlighting Indonesian culture and art.
- Explorers: Small groups get together weekly to discover Jakarta through tours and adventures.
- Rumahku: Morning talks are held monthly, in private homes, where attendees also socialize over tea, coffee, and snacks.
- Study Groups: Groups meet on selected topics to learn about the history, art and culture of this country.
- Heritage Tours: These small group tours with a cultural focus offer registered Friends the opportunity to travel to some of the most fascinating parts of Indonesia.
- Foreign Language Sections: All French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese and Korean-speaking members are welcome to join these groups which provide many different activities.
- Evening Lectures
- Explorers
- Heritage Tours
- Study Groups
- Rumahku
- Foreign Language
Claudia Prawirakoesumah
Evening Lectures Co-Chair
Kelsey Hedrick
Evening Lectures Co-Chair
Sina Chan
Explorers Co-Chair
Justine Clement
Explorers Co-Chair
Griselda Merrie
Heritage Tours Co-Chair
Nick Hughes
Study Groups Co-Chair
Mike Nicholson
Study Groups Co-Chair
Arti Gidwani
Rumahku Co-Chair
Vacant Chinese Speaking Section
Chinese Section Co-Chair
Vacant Chinese Speaking Section
Chinese Section Co-Chair
Co-Chairs Communication Section
- Events: This section organizes the general meetings and social functions that take place throughout the Heritage Society season.
- Public Relations: The PR team dispatch and promote information about the Heritage Society for the public.
- Cultural Liaison: The purpose of this section is to act as a liaison between Indonesian Cultural Institutions, organizations, cultural communities and the Heritage Society.
- Events
- Public Relations
Claudia Pia Schepis
Events Co-Chair
Christine Kristiati
Events Co-Chair
Elta Dimiane Dessyembra
Public Relations Co-Chair
Yuliana Arisandy
Public Relations Co-Chair
Co-Chairs Operations Section
- Library: Provides registered Friends with access to an outstanding collection of works on varied aspects of Indonesian life and culture.
- Registration: Coordinates registration for the Heritage Society and represents the organization to the community at large.
- Sales: The Sales team co-ordinates the sale of Heritage Society’s calendar, books and range of stationary items.
- Information Technology: Maintains and provides information on the Heritage Society website and weekly E-newsletter on the various activities of the society and upcoming events.
- Publishing: Indonesian Heritage Society publications include Newsletter – quarterly newsletter, annual calendars, notecards, books.
- IT
- Library
- Publishing
- Registration
- Sales
Vacant Position
IT Co-Chair
Vacant IT Position
IT Co-Chair
Nida
Library Admin
Yesnita
Finance Admin
Maya Budimaryati
Library Co-Chair
Maulana Septiady
Publishing Co-Chair
Vacant Registration Position
Registration Co-Chair
Bhavna Sharma
Donations and Merchandises Co-Chair
