>  From: David Haberstich <[log in to unmask]>, on 10/15/98 10:43 AM:
>   I fully agree with Delecia Huitt that too many artifacts in an exhibit
>  interfere with traffic flow. You should see all the people lined up
>  outside the National Gallery of Art to view the Van Gogh show. If they
>  had had the common sense to show reproductions instead of original
>  paintings, the lines undoubtedly would speed up considerably. This is
>  yet another reason for museums to avoid the use of original artifacts in
>  exhibits.

I'm curious to hear other opinions on this topic.  David Haberstich's statement
that museums should avoid using original objects in exhibits, in this case to
speed things up, does not sit well with me.  I realize that display is not the
best things for sensitive objects, but isn't the point of a museum that it
preserves and displays for public benefit the objects in its care?  In my
opinion, if we remove original objects from exhibits, we are defeating one of
the basic purposes of a museum.  Any thoughts?

Jennifer Gayman
MA Museum Studies
University of Newcastle upon Tyne
All opinions are mine and not my employer's.