I  applaud ICOM's decision to assign the theme "Pleasures of Discovery"
to the 1999 International Museum Day, and to highlight "the idea of
enjoyment" associated with museum visits.

Recent emphasis on the educational role of museums has sometimes
obscured the fact that museums "provide pleasure for all ages and [are
places] where all our senses should be awakened."

But, I hope that no one will misunderstand the statement and conclude
that we need to make a choice between pleasure and education.
"Acquiring knowledge" and "leisure and entertainment" do not have to be
contrasting activities.  They have only been artificially separated in
some forms of training and mandatory schooling.

An essential aspect of modern educational theory is that these two
activities—education and pleasure (or play)— are closely linked.  Jean
Piaget stated that "play is the work of the child. " This means that
children learn through their natural play activities.  Increasingly, we
have come to recognize that adults, too, combine  entertainment with
education, and that adult leisure activities can be powerful, life-long
learning experiences that include education and discovery.    Museums
are places abundantly endowed to provide enjoyable educational
experiences.

Visitor studies indicate that museum visitors, like theatre goers, come
for entertainment and education and don't necessarily separate the two.
That combination of motives and the opportunities museums provide to
satisfy them simultaneously, powerfully associate museums with other
cultural activities, such as attending theater performances.

For as long as humans have reflected on their development, drama has
been recognized as a form of entertainment providing both pleasure and
education   Similarly, museum visits allow us to "discover ourselves" by
awakening all our senses.  That is education.

George E. Hein,
member, AAM/ICOM Board


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