What a wonderful series of questions. What is the role of a museum in
society? Before we can begin to answer this question we need to grapple with
the reality that museums are far from universal phenomenon and are very
recent in the history of the world's culture. In fact, there is an uncanny
parallel between the growth of museums and growth in nation states, increase
of secularization, and industrialization.

The role of an institution such as the British Museum is easy to see. It
began life as a celebration of the power of the Empire, but today it is a
postcard from a bygone era. The Hermitage Museum for many years was the
conveyor of the culture of the gone reality of tsarism, during the Soviet
period, but today, it is a necessary link to the history of a nation as it
is trying to redefine itself without ideological mandates. America's
National Portrait Gallery is a successful effort to define the core of an
official national culture while the Smithsonian is aptly named "the nation's
attic." One of my personal favorites is the Maritime Archeological Museum in
Flevoland in Holland. Flevoland is a recently created polder, where the
earth has been exposed to the sun for the first time in over a million
years. The creation of the archeological museum instantly gave this new
area, history that goes back at least 400 years. Among my favorites are also
the wonderful creations of spirited individuals who have through creation of
museums either captured a certain vision of the past or actualized a mythic
past. To me they are wonderful exemplars of what the British have called
"follies." Sturbridge Village and Plimoth Plantation are among the best know
of these. The growth of interpretive sites and other institutions that deal
with cultural intangibles is a relatively new twist to the heavily
materialistic world of the artifact-based 19th century museum. It does serve
to show the growing sophistication in understanding that not only
materialistic aspects of a culture deserve memorialization and celebration.

A recent trend towards entertainment, as well as, education and
celebration-the two historically dominant purposes of museums, has added a
dimension to museum work that is still struggling for full acceptance. In
short, we are in a dynamic cultural period where new experiments in museum
practices and realities are constantly struggling with remnants of the past
and where functions change with the speed of historic shifts. Are museums
reflections of contemporary society? Obviously, every existing viable
cultural expression is a reflection of the society of the time, but as
society changes the function of any particular museum will also change. No
museum is really a slice of contemporary society because it is past
oriented. If a sculpture is finished today, and placed in a museum tomorrow,
it is a statement of the past, not the future. With recent loss of funding
to many museums it might be interesting to create a museum of museums so
that we have a record of cultural moments that were important at some point,
but are no longer supported by the society.
nburlakoff

-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf
Of Renee Patrick
Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2004 10:11 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Reflection of Society in Museums

Hello,

I am researching museum exhibition design for my
masters thesis at Goldsmiths College in the UK.  I
would like to pose the following questions and would
really appreciate any responses.

Right now I am concerned with the museum's place in
certain societies, and I know this is a very broad
issue, but maybe if people have specific examples...I
am wondering whether the museum can be an accurate
representation of a current society.  For example, in
London we have the British Museum which as it stands,
seems to speak more to Britian's traditional colonial
society rather than the current situation today.  Are
national museums capable of the fluidity needed to
respond to cultural changes or should this be more to
the task of smaller community museums?

Western society seems to be becoming much more
individualistic, how can or should a museum reflect
the individualized society?

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Renee Patrick

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