At 05:12 PM 11/30/95 GMT, you wrote:
>your museum's attempts to include members of the
>First Nation during the Thanksgiving day. First of all I prefer the Canadian
>term, First Nation instead of Natives.

>You and the caller disaggre that museums should be used as political
>platforms. I disagree with both of you. Museum exhibitions are not supposed to
>be single-minded They should present the facts and the visitor will
>decide what to make out of it. The storytelling and the reality
>revealed by the man's wife shoud have been considered part of the
>exhibition and the event. If your exhibition and the museum in
>general does not include associated matters it will not cover the
>whole issue, full picture. We will not do our duty as modern museum
>professionals.
>
>Once Picasso said "Museums are full of lies". I think we should prove
>him wrong.
>
>Funda Pakis
>MA Museum Studies
>Manchester/UK
>
>
------------original message follows-------------

Is it possible that we might open-up a debate on this issue, which intrigues
me greatly:

1) I would appreciate it if other staff would relate interesting or
problematic experiences on the expression of a viewpoint or any issue which
might be politically, culturally or otherwise controversial. An example on a
grand scale would be the recent Smithsonian exhibition on the dropping of
the A-bomb on Japan, which generated enormous controvery.

2) If the museum's role is to educate and open-up people to new points of
view, and new experience, to what degree is there an obligation to present a
"balanced" point of view? The media have given-up on the concept of "equal
time;" is it more, or less, appropriate to museums and other cultural
institutions. And to what degree is the answer related to sources of
funding, and the political inclinationscommunity that hosts the institution?
Is there a legitimate obligation to concepts such as balance and
objectivity; or is the priority to be given to new insights and unique
(though controversial) points of view?

Please let me know your thoughts.

Mark
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Mark Ast, PhD
Curator, B.W. Schlesinger Foundation
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