ARH 5850 Introduction to Museum History and

Philosophy – Fall 2014  for Dr. Fromm

Museum Definition

According to the American Association of Museums, the definition of a museum is “ an organzed and permanet non-profit instituion, essentially education or asthetic in purpose, with professional staff, which owns or utlizes tangible objects, cares for them, and exhibitis them to the public on some regular schedule.” (Alexander, 2008) This definition of a museum is different compared to International Council of Museums. According to ICOM, the core of the current definition is as follows: “A museum is a non-profit making, permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, and open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits, for purposes of study, education and enjoyment, material evidence of people and their environment.”(ICOM Statutes, article 2, para. 1) (Murphy, 2004)

In 1998 the Museums Association (MA) in London agreed to a definition of the museum. It says: ‘Museums enable people to explore collections for inspiration, learning and enjoyment. They are institutions that collect, safeguard and make accessible artefacts and specimens, which they hold in trust for society.’ This definition includes art galleries with collections of works of art, as well as museums with historical collections of objects. (Atkinson, n.d.)

Social Issues

In my point of view, I see a museum as a non-profit organization that can act as a platform for discussion on important social issues and encourages public participation and awareness in addition to conservation, preservation and research. For instance, an exhibit of great controversy was brought to light at the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Museum of Tolerance in 1998. The exhibit, “Between a Rock and a Hard Place: A History of American Sweatshops 1820-Present,” touched on a topic that is still sensitive today. At the time it was especially controversial topic that several museums were not interested in showcasing this exhibit. In 1995, 72 Thai sweatshop workers were freed from an apartment complex where they worked like slaves for well know name brands clothing manufacturers and retailers. While the exhibit showcased sweatshops through a narrative from 1880 through 1940 it then picks up again to the more recent news where Thai sweatshop workers were freed on Aug 2, 1995.

The exhibit went as far as to recreate a section of the factory’s working conditions where it included razor wire and locked doors along with samples of the garment they worked on (Kang, 2002). As controversial as this may be, the topic created conversation and social awareness and education regarding sweatshops, a topic that is still relevant today.

Educational Role

Education plays an important role as part of the museum experience, it provides hands-on learning for students and keeps them engaged in learning. Andrew Sayers, the director of the National Museum of Australia, believes museums fit better in the education category. He responded to a discussion paper on Australia’s National Cultural Policy, Sayers wrote a piece for The Australian titled, “Redefine Museums as Educational Resources.” Sayers argues that museums’ contributions to both school education and educating the public makes them distinct from arts organizations. He goes on to say, “We need to redefine museums as educational resources rather than as buildings where collections are held.” Museum collections will always be an important function of museums, however their main focus should be to educate and inspire, that being said the collection can play a vital role in education. (Sayers, 2011) (Kehoe, 2013). I believe that museums will continue to play a vital role in educations and perhaps even more so as arts funding for public education decreases in the school system.

Should it have a collection?

Well according to International Council of Museums the core of the current definition doesn’t mention a collection. “The definition excludes institutions which do not acquire,

conserve or research material evidence but which may function in the service of society and of its development, and communicate and exhibit, for purposes of study, education and enjoyment, material (and immaterial) evidence of people and their environment.” (Donahue, 2004). For a museum to not have a collection this may cause issues when qualifying for insurance or grants however I believe the goal is to educate and inspire society which is more important than owning a collection. That’s not to say a collection is not important this just broaden the definition to meet a greater goal.

 

Bibliography

Alexander, M. a. (2008). Museums in Motion. Altamira Press.

Atkinson, R. (n.d.). http://www.museumsassociation.org/about/frequently-asked-questions. Retrieved from museumsassociation.org: http://www.museumsassociation.org

Donahue, P. F. (2004). http://archives.icom.museum/pdf/E_news2004/p4_2004-2.pdf. Retrieved from http://archives.icom.museum/: http://icom.museum/resources/

Kang, K. C. (2002, March 20). Museum Hosts Controversial Factory Exhibit. Retrieved from The Progress Report: http://www.progress.org/tpr/museum-hosts-controversial-factory-exhibit/

Kehoe, T. (2013, May 31). http://createquity.com/2013/05/what-is-a-museum.html. Retrieved from createquity.com: http://createquity.com

Murphy, B. L. (2004). The Definition of Museum. Retrieved from http://archives.icom.museum/definition_museum.html: http://archives.icom.museum/pdf/E_news2004/p3_2004-2.pdf

Sayers, A. (2011, August 25). http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/redefine-museums-as-educational-resources/story-e6frg8n6-1226121462376. Retrieved from theaustralian.com.au: http://www.theaustralian.com.au