Martin H Evans wrote:
>A museum or gallery
>can have high art, carefully conserved, researched and cherished, and
>at the same time can have some touchable exhibits. It is important,
>especially for the youngsters, but also for adult members of the
>public who are not particularly attracted to "culture", that museums
>should all try to have some accessible element of "fun". Children will
>develop negative attitudes towards museums and galleries where
>everything is: "Don't touch. Keep quiet. Behave nicely now..." and in
>time these places may find themselves with fewer supporters.
>
>...... Stand by to receive flak :-)

You'll get no flak from me, I wholeheartedly agree!  Preservation and
learning should not be mutually exclusive.  And, by the way, most children
are interested to learn about preservation techniques and the negative
effects of handling, light, temperature, etc.  There are many museums out
there combining the concepts of artifact preservation and education,
perhaps we should all consider including a little bit of this in our
exhibits?

Cris Wolf

Collections Manager
UIHC Medical Museum
8024A JCP/200 Hawkins Dr.
Iowa City, IA 52242
(319) 356-8475  FAX (319) 356-3862

[log in to unmask]