Biography
Snježana Tonković was born in 1946 in Slovenske Konjice near Celje, for her father was posted there for some time, but her family came from Kaštela. She went to the Natko Nodilo Classics High in Split, and took a degree in the Faculty of Philosophy, Zadar, history and archaeology group.
For some time she taught history in the Tin Ujević High School in Vrgorac, and from 1976 worked in adult education in Imotski, where she carried out the jobs of secretary and administrator In 1988, the Imotski Local History Museum was founded, and Snježana Tonković carried out all the jobs in the museum, for she was the only employee.
During her 30 years of work she collected objects, dealt with excavations, and in 1982, with Nenad Cambi of Split investigated the EC basilica in Zmijavci near Imotski. The idea of opening the museum was not easy to push through, for there was already one collection in Imotski, owned by the Franciscans; however, it was not open to the public and was registered as private collection. With a great deal of work, S. Tonković, with the documentation once obtained and evidence that the city was willing to cede a protected building to the museum, managed to obtain a certain amount of funds for the renovation of the roof. The reconstruction design was produced by the architect Silađin, as well as the conversion of the space of the building from the complex of the former collection centre for tobacco products that was used as a workers’ kitchen.
Snježana Tonković worked out the conception for the permanent display, divided the objects into three collections; Archaeological, Ethnographic, and Culture and History. All the objects are listed in the inventory book. Currently she is at work investigating a very interesting site in Proložac, a church of the 14th century. Up to the coming of Tonković, the Imotska Krajina had not been systematically investigated, and thus it is not only the renovation of the building but also the finds that are the result of her efforts.
She authored the following exhibitions: Vanishing Village, 1982; Imotski and Around, 1982; Master of Stone (to do with the death of Franjo Kršinić), 1982; Universality of Significance in the painting of Z. Prica and Edo Murtić, 1982; Abstraction against Chaos, exhibition of A. Ljubičić, 1984; Painter, Sculptor and Printmaker – V. Lipovac; Religious Motifs in the Paintings of Josip Botteri Dino, 1991; Art in the Clay of Ljerka Njerš, 1992.
She published specialised articles in the Imotski papers; she took part in several collected works; is co-author of the book Early Christian Basilica in Zmijavci; and author of papers about excavations in Zabiokovlje, Proložac, Dikovača. She has written about stele of Proložac, excavations in the site Ričica; the Roman villa rustica in Borak; archaeological investigations along the Vrljika River; the end of the 5th century basilica in Proložac at the site of St Michael’s and so on.
NB. Data taken from the questionnaire, material taken from the Personnel Archives of the MDC, and from an interview recorded on June 14, 2006.
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