Ironically, just as museums are flooding their public with longer and
longer texts and more layers of "context" (translation: MORE text),
along comes Christopher Whittle to ask whether museums must be
restricted to the literate or those accompanied by literate persons. I
hope we don't come to that pass: when I go to a Dutch art museum, I'm
functionally illiterate (OK, I'm being disingenuous--I can read the
artist's names and dates), and I hope I won't have to pass a literacy
test in Dutch to get in the door. It's a slight handicap, but I can get
help in several ways. Except for certain international symbols, which
you nevertheless must learn, memorize, and in effect "read," most rules
are written out in some language. I don't have a problem with this and
have difficulty understanding why anyone else does. Many rules are just
an abbreviated form of communication, like a "No smoking" sign--you
could explain all the reasons why you don't want people to smoke in your
museum and list all the potential undesirable consequences, but is this
necessary? If you don't understand the reasons for a rule, you should
ask. I don't have a problem with a stark "No touching" sign in a museum
or a "Don't feed the animals" sign in a zoo, but I do think that guards
and other representatives of the institution should be prepared to give
a friendly, cogent explanation of a rule upon request. As for finding
more creative ways to "solve problems," I think rules are intended to
solve a problem with some immediacy and there is NO substitute for them
in the short run. If people are getting hurt in your museum because
they're slipping on saliva and tobacco juice, you put up a "No spitting"
sign and eject people for transgressing the rule. But some other
solution to this problem may need to take place over a much longer
period of time before you dare take down your "No spitting" signs. Just
be patient, society can evolve and customs can change... We should all
be able to step back and look at the big picture, but I think "rules"
will be with us for a long time in the museum business. --David
Haberstich