To everyone,
Here is a list of museum definitions and some related commentary that I assembled for use in my Museum Studies college class. Some are predictable and others may add to range of thinking.
Milton Bloch
Hamilton College
Museum Studies
DEFINITIONS OF MUSEUMS
Various Sources
1. International Council of Museums (ICOM), 2002
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.
The above definition of a museum shall be applied without any limitation arising from the nature of the governing body, the territorial character, the functional structure or the orientation of the collections of the institution concerned.
In addition the following institutions may also be designated as 'museums:'
· natural, archaeological and ethnographic monuments and sites and historical monuments and sites of a museum nature that acquire, conserve and communicate material evidence of people and their environment;
· institutions holding collections of and displaying live specimens of plants and animals, such as botanical and zoological gardens, aquaria and vivacia;
· science centers and planetaria;
· non-profit art exhibition galleries; conservation institutes and exhibition galleries permanently maintained by libraries and archives centers.
· nature reserves;
· non-profit institutions or organizations undertaking conservation, research, education, training, documentation and other activities relating to museums and museology;
· cultural centers and other entities that facilitate the preservation, continuation and management of tangible or intangible heritage resources (living heritage and digital creative activity;
· such other institutions as the Executive Council considers as having some or all of the characteristics of a museum.
The evolution of ICOM definitions of a museum is outlined below:
2. ICOM, 1979 - 2001
A museum is a permanent non-profit institution in the service of society and its development, which collects, conserves, researches, and interprets for purposes of study, education and enjoyment, material evidence of people and their environment.
ICOM also recognizes as falling within the definition of a museum in respect of their roles in relation to the physical heritage a wide range of related institutions including: historic monuments, historic and natural sites and parks, zoological and botanic gardens, science centers and planetaria, archive and conservation laboratories, etc.
3. ICOM, 1969
Any permanent institution which conserves and displays, for purposes of study, education and enjoyment, collections of objects of cultural or scientific significance. Within this definition shall fall: exhibition galleries maintained by public libraries and collections of archives; historical monuments and parts of historical monuments or their dependencies, such as cathedral treasuries, historical, archaeological and natural sites, which are officially open to the public, botanical and zoological gardens, aquaria, vivacia, and other institutions which display living animal and nature reserves.
4. ICOM, 1951
Any permanent establishment, administered in the general interest, for the purpose of preserving, studying and enhancing by various means and, in particular, of exhibiting to the public for its delectation and instruction, groups of objects and specimens of cultural value: artistic, historic, scientific and technological collections, botanic and zoological gardens and aquariums. Public libraries and public archival institutions maintaining permanent exhibition rooms shall be considered to be museums.
5. ICOM, 1946
The word 'museum' includes all collections open to the public of artistic, technical, scientific, historical or archaeological material, including zoos and botanic gardens, but excluding libraries, except insofar as they present exhibitions.
6. American Association of Museums (AAM), current
A non-profit, permanent, established institution, not existing primarily for the purpose of conducting temporary exhibitions, exempt from federal and state income taxes, open to the public and administered in the public interest, for the purpose of conserving and preserving, studying, interpreting, assembling, and exhibiting to the public for its instruction and enjoyment objects and specimens of educational and cultural value, including artistic, scientific (whether animate or inanimate), historical and technological material. Museums thus defined shall include botanical gardens, zoological parks, aquaria, planetaria, historical societies, and historic houses and sites which meet the requirements set forth in the preceding sentence.
7. AAM Accreditation Program, current
A museum must be a legally organized not-for-profit institution or part of a not-for-profit institution or government entity; be essentially educational in nature; have a formally stated mission; have one full-time paid professional staff member who has museum knowledge and experience and is delegated authority and allocated financial resources sufficient to operate the museum effectively; present regularly scheduled programs and exhibits that use and interpret objects for the public according to accepted standards; have a formal and appropriate program of documentation, care, and use of collections and/or tangible objects; and have a formal and appropriate program of presentation and maintenance of exhibits.
8. The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) uses this definition as the basis for eligibility to receive federal funds:
A museum must be organized as a public or private nonprofit institution that exists on a permanent basis for essentially educational or aesthetic reasons, care for and own or use tangible objects, whether animate or inanimate, and exhibit these objects on a regular basis through facilities that it owns or operates; have at least one professional staff member or the full-time equivalent, whether paid or unpaid, whose primary responsibility is the acquisition, care, or exhibition to the public of objects owned or used by the museum; and be open and providing museum services to the general public for at least 120 days a year.
9. Illinois State Board of Education, Schools Without Walls, Museum Online Resources Grant Program, current
An Institution, building or room for preserving and exhibiting artistic, historical or scientific objects.
10. The Canadian Museums Association, current
A non-profit, permanent establishment, exempt from federal and provincial income taxes, open to the public at regular hours, and administered in the public interest for the purpose of collecting and preserving, studying, interpreting, assembling and exhibiting to the public for its instruction arid enjoyment, objects and specimens of educational and cultural value, including artistic, scientific (whether animate or inanimate), historical and technological material.
11. The Museums Association (United Kingdom), 2002
Museums enable people to explore collections for inspiration, learning and enjoyment. They are institutions that collect, safeguard and make accessible artifacts and specimens, which they hold in trust for society.
Society can expect museums to:
· hold collections in trust on behalf of society
· focus on public service
· encourage people to explore collections for inspiration, learning and enjoyment
· consult and involve communities
· acquire items honestly and responsibly
· safeguard the long-term public interest in the collections
· recognize the interests of people who made, used, owned, collected or gave items in the collections
· support the protection of the natural and human environments
· research, share and interpret information related to collections, reflecting diverse views
12. City University Arts and Museum Policy Statement (United Kingdom) also used by the Museums and Galleries Commission.
A museum is an institution that collects, documents, preserves, exhibits and interprets material evidence and associated information for the public benefit.
13. Southwest Museums Council (united Kingdom), current
A museum enables people to explore collections for inspiration, learning and enjoyment. It is an institution that collects, safeguards and makes accessible artefacts and specimens which it holds in trust for society.
14. National Motor Museum of England, Thomas De Wit
Museums are about collecting appropriate historic objects, conserving them, and then, where possible, exhibiting and interpreting them in the most appropriate way. I sometimes jokingly remark that the museum is a "super garage."
15. French Law regarding Musees de France, current
Any permanent collection comprising goods, of which the conservation and presentation take on a public interest; the collection must be organized with the aim of public knowledge, education and enjoyment. The museums of France have as their permanent mission to:
· conserve, restore, research and enrich their collections
· make their collections accessible to as large a public as possible
· conceive and execute plans and actions for education and diffusion of culture with equal access to all.
· contribute to the progress of knowledge and research as well as their diffusion
16. Museums Australia, 2002
A museum helps people understand the world by using objects and ideas to interpret the past and present and explore the future. A museum preserves and researches collections, and makes objects and information accessible in actual and virtual environments. Museums are established in the public interest as permanent, not-for-profit organizations that contribute long-term value to communities. Museums Australia recognizes that museums of science, history and art may be designated by many other names (including gallery and Keeping Place). In addition, the following may qualify as museums for the purposes of this definition: (a) natural, archaeological and ethnographic monuments and sites and historical monuments and sites of a museum nature that acquire, conserve and communicate material evidence of people and their environment; (b) institutions holding collections of and displaying specimens of plants and animals, such as botanical and zoological gardens, herbaria, aquaria and vivacia; (c) science centers; (d) cultural centers and other entities that facilitate the preservation, continuation and management of tangible or intangible heritage resources (living heritage and digital creative activity); (e) such other institutions as the Council considers as having some or all of the characteristics of a museum.
17. South Korea's Legal Definition of a Museum and Art Museum, current
A museum is an institution which collects, conserves, and exhibits materials for mankind, history, archaeology, ethnic customs, arts, animal life, plant life, mineral, science, technology, and industry, thus probes and researches these for purposes of being contributive to the development of culture, arts, and studies, and to the social education of the general public.
18. Finish Museums Association, current
A museum is a non-profit institution which collects, analyses, preserves and presents objects belonging to cultural and natural heritage in order to increase the amount and quality of knowledge. A museum should entertain its visitors and help them to relax. Using scientific arguments and modern language, it should assist people to understand the experience of the past. In its mutual relationship with its users, it should find in past experience the wisdom necessary for the present and the future.
19. The Irish Heritage Council, current
A museum is a not-for-profit institution that collects, safeguards, holds in trust, researches, develops and interprets collections of original objects and original objects on loan, for the public benefit. It functions publicly as a place where people learn from and find inspiration and enjoyment through the display and research of original objects.
ALTERNATIVE DEFINITIONS
20. Claudia Pratt, Instructor, Introduction to Museum Work, N. Dakota State U.
A place that preserves and shares cultural objects and information as well as a place that inspires and responds to its diverse communities. ("My definition is different from the standard - collect, preserve and interpret - because museums are more than their functions, they are places that have a soul and meaning and should be safe places for dialogue to take place for diverse communities.")
21. Director, the Monmouth Museum, Lincroft, New Jersey, 1975
An organization that presents objects of cultural importance in such a way as to provide the visitor with a museum experience - the unique educational experience derived only from meeting of a real person with authentic object face-to-face.
22. Georgia-Henri Riviera, 1985. "The Ecomuseum, an Evolutive Definition"
An ecomuseum is an instrument conceived, fashioned and operated jointly by a public [e.g.. local] authority and its local population. The public authority's involvement is through the experts it provides; the local population's involvement depends on its aspirations, knowledge and individual approach. It is a mirror for the local population to discover its own image, and in which it seeks an explanation of the territory to which it is attached and of the populations that have preceded it. It is a mirror that the local population holds up to its visitors to be better understood and so that its industry, customs and identity may command respect. It is an expression of humankind and nature. It places humanity in its natural environment.
23. N. Fuller, "The Museum as a Vehicle for Community Empowerment," 1992
An ecomuseum recognizes the importance of culture in the development of self-identity and its role in helping a community adjust to rapid change. The ecomuseum thus becomes a tool for the economic, social and p0ltical growth and development of the society from which it springs.
24. Hugues de Varine on Nouvelles Museologies, 1986
A few simple principles: the objective is the service of humankind and not the reverse; time and space do not imprison themselves behind doors and walls and art is not the sole cultural expression of humanity. The museum professional is a social being, an actor for change, a servant of the community. The visitor is not a docile consumer, regarded as an idiot, but a creator who can and should participate in the building of the future - the museum's research.
25. About the "New Museology"
This idea is linked to the changing role of museums in education and in society at large. Mills and Grove first introduced it in the United States in 1958. In their view current museum practices are essentially obsolete and the profession is urged to renew itself as part of a new social commitment. In 1980 the idea phrase appeared again when French museologist Andre Desvallees wrote an article on museology for the Encyclopedia Universalle (France). In 1989 the term was used as the title of a book edited by Peter Vergo (United Kingdom). It is the French concept of 'museology nouvelle' that gradually gained a small but ardent following abroad.
26. The Microsoft Corporation
A Virtual Museum is a collection of electronic artifacts and information resources. It may include paintings, diagrams, graphs, audio and video recordings, print articles, transcripts or interview, data bases and virtually anything that can be digitized
A SAMPLING OF OTHER DEFINITIONS, DESCRIPTIONS AND COMMENTS
27. An institution devoted to the procurement , care and display of objects of lasting interest or value; also: a place where objects are exhibited.
Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Ed.
28. Its castle, for example, was amongst the most remarkable of English ruins. Several rusty iron objects and a larger number of mugs, baskets and pin cushions inscribed as 'Presents from Treby' formed a Museum which anyone was at liberty to enter at the small price of sixpence. In short, every inducement was offered to patients who combined gout with antiquarianism*.or a general decay of the vital processes with a tendency to purchase superfluous small wares and make inexpensive presents.
Felix Holt, Describing the English historic town of "Treby," 1832
29. We are obliged to know what o'clock it is, for the safety of our ships, and therefore we pay for an observatory; and allow ourselves, in the person of our Parliament, to be annually tormented into doing something in a slovenly way, for the British Museum; sullenly apprehending that to be a place for keeping stuffed birds to amuse our children.
John Ruskin (1819 - 1900)
30. The first function of a museum is to give examples of perfect order and perfect elegance, in the true sense of the word, to the rude and disorderly populace. Everything in its own place, everything looking its best because there is nothing crowded, nothing unnecessary, nothing puzzling. Therefore, after a room has once been arranged there must be no change in it. For new possessions there must be new rooms.
Sesame and Lilies, 1871
31. Any national collection must to a considerable extent function as a reference library, a repository of the forgotten, the neglected, the arcane and the almost utterly negligible, Iike the rarely opened pages of an encyclopedia.
Brian Sewers, art critic,
on the Tate Gallery's new exhibits, 1995
32. This museum is a torpedo moving through time, its head the ever-advancing present, its tail the ever-receding past of 50 to 100 years ago.
Alfred Barr, Director of Collections, Museum of Modern Art, N.Y., 1964
33. Our business here is revelation*to reveal those objects Americans have kept on purpose in ways that permit them to be freshly perceived.
Roger Kennedy, Director
National Museum of American History, 1984
34. Art inherited from the old religion the power of consecrating things and endowing them with a sort of eternity: museums are our temples and the objects displayed in them are beyond history.
Octavio Paz, Mexican poet, 1914
35. It is veneer, rouge, aestheticism, art museums, new theaters, etc. that make America impotent. The good things are football, kindness and jazz bands.
George Santayana (1863-1952)
36. Individually, museums are fine institutions, dedicated to the high values of preservation, education and truth; Collectively, their growth in numbers points to the imaginative death of this country.
Robert Hewison, British cultural historian,1987
37. Museums are just a lot of lies, and the people who make art their business are mostly imposters*. We have infected the pictures in museums with all our stupidities, all our mistakes, all our poverty of spirit. We have turned them into petty and ridiculous things.
Pablo Picasso, 1935
38. Museums, museums, museums, object-lessons rigged out to illustrate the unsound theories of archaeologists. Crazy attempt to co-ordinate and get into a fixed order that which has no fixed order and will not be coordinated. Why must all experience be systematized?... A museum is not a first-hand contact; it is an illustrated lecture.
D.H. Lawrence, 1932
39. Instead of stubbornly attempting to use surrealism for purposes of subversion, it is necessary to try to make of surrealism something as solid, complete and classic as the works of museums.
Salvator Dali, 1948
40. The heaping together of paintings by Old Masters in museums is a catastrophe; likewise, a collection of a hundred Great Brains makes one big fathead.
Carl Jung
41. Museums, in the broadest sense, are institutions which hold their possessions in trust for humankind and for the future welfare of the (human) race. Their value is in direct proportion to the service they render the emotional and intellectual life of the people.
AAM Code of Ethics for Museum Workers 1925
42. The people's museum should be much more than a house full of specimens in glass cases. It should be a house full of ideas, arranged with the strictest attention to system.
George B Goode, American Association for State And Local History (AASLH), 1983
43. The fundamental role of the museum in assembling objects and maintaining them within a specific intellectual environment emphasizes that museums are storehouses of knowledge as well as storehouses of objects and the whole exercise is liable to be futile unless the accumulation of objects is strictly rational.
Cannon-Brookes, Manual of Curatorship, 1984
44. We're serious, but not solemn, about potatoes here.
Thomas Hughes, founder
The Potato Museum, Washington, D.C.
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