On Thu, 4 Apr 1996 11:56:41 -0500  Matthew L Kocsis wrote:
>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>Date: Thu, 4 Apr 1996 11:14:58 -0500 (EST)
>From: Matthew L Kocsis <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Outside the Museum
>
>
>As part of a research project for a graduate seminar, I have been
looking
>at how non-professional, non-historical institutions display and
>interpret material culture and American history.  While there is a
wealth of
>commentary on places such as Disney, often overlooked in the
literature are
>the small, private collector and institutions such as businesses and
>universities that have art or artifact collections which are not
overseen
>by an academically trained curator or conservator.  I am hoping for
some
>responses concerning issues such as: 1)What can museum professionals
do
>to influence the care and exhibition of such collections, and is it
>reasonable to expect professional involvement? 2) Can private
individuals
>and institutions consistently be appropriate stewards for material
culture
>and its interpretation? 3) What are the effects of such collections
and
>displays on museums and their collections and relations with the
public?
>        Of course, I welcome any comments, references, or ancedotes
that
>may assist me. As always, I rely on your discretion to determine
>whether your response should be on or off-list.
>
>                                 Matthew Kocsis
>                                 703 Second St 4-A
>                                 Bowling Green OH 43402
>                                 (419)354-3029
>                                 [log in to unmask]
>
Too good to pass up.  Okay: my favorite, and one I used in a
museums-in-israeli-society course I taught for overseas students, is
the
Elvis Inn, situated in a lovely rural setting, just off the
Jeruslaem-Tel
Aviv highway, near the old Arab village of Abu Ghosh, across the
street from
the Golan-Globus movie studios complex, and between a couple of very
scenic
kibbutzim.  The combination of diverse cultural sites is
mind-boggling, in
the first place.  In the second, you can't miss the Inn, as a
bigger-than-his-legend glaring white statue of The King, as I believe
he is
called, and his guitar, stands outside.  Inside, the owner, an Elvis
maniac
(excuse me, an Elvis *fan*), lovingly displays his world-famous
collection
of Elvis memorabilia, souvenirs, press clippings, posters, records,
etc.
Needless to say, Elvis is playing on the sound system as well.

Now, other than being culturally amusing, the place makes an excellent
illustration of one of my favorite issues in museum history/sociology,
the
collecting instinct, and how it has, throughout history, resulted in
these
money-swallowing, often government-funded, and of course under-paying
places
we work in. (The owner of the Elvis Inn makes one hell of a lot more
than
you or I do...of course most of us don't sell hamburgers and felafel
in the
middle of our museums.  Maybe we should. This guy doesn't spend his
time
fundraising or dealing with a board of directors... He spends his time

telling his visitors about Elvis -- isn't that what museum people are
supposed to do?)

What I dread is the day he leaves his collection to the State, and
another
(God help us) museum is created...
-------------------------------------
name: amalyah keshet
director, visual resources, the israel museum, jerusalem
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
date: 04/11/96

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