Dear List Members,

I accidentally hit the send button before I had completed this message, so I
went back into it and added more info. I don't know what that will do to the
formatting of this message. My apologies.

Sometimes I do very brief responses, sometimes lengthy. This is a lengthy
response, for those who want to know what they are getting into!  NP

> [log in to unmask] writes:
>
> << In many cases, I feel that museums can lose sight of the initial
charter
> of a museum, that is, protecting the objects that are in
>  its care,.....

My purpose in offering the following message is not to be difficult, but
hopefully to be thought-provoking. (I wish I had the capability of using
underlining and bold for emphasis as opposed to caps, so please don't be
offended by my use of caps.)

Yes, of course, our job is to protect the diverse objects in our care.
However, WHY are we protecting them? Is that our ONLY charter? Isn't the
PURPOSE of saving objects so they can:
1) be used as educational vehicles by giving "us" (now & future generations)
a window on a past, current, or even future culture- artist - artisan-
manufacturer - time period - philosophy - society - etc.;
2) be studied by researchers and the general public;
3) be enjoyed for their aesthetic qualities?

Now for the big question: Is any one of the above uses more "legitimate"
than another use?  If so, why?

Isn't enjoying something for its aesthetic merits "decoration", and is that
less legitimate than another use?

Are "we", as a group of professionals, bristling at the word "decorate",
which for many of us is probably a word fraught with negative meaning as in,
perhaps, "decoration" seems a shallow an inappropriate use of "our" objects?
Are we collectively thinking - Anyone can decorate, but only museum
professionals can preserve and interpret?  Are we insulting truly
professional designers when we say or think that? How much do we know about
their profession? (I suspect that for many of us, we know as little about
professional designers or almost ANY profession, and that, likewise, other
professionals know next to nothing about our profession. Therefore,
communication is an unceasing task.)

 Yes, I agree with Tim McShane that there are many good reasons why some
objects should remain in storage. However, here's another question:
Aren't we saving objects so they can be "used", but not "used up", or
"totally consumed"?  If objects are always in storage, are they serving
their function? Are we letting the objects "speak"? Or keeping them silent?
Are we "hoarding" them for ourselves? Are we gate keepers and bouncers,
deciding what segments of the "general public" are going to be fortunate
enough to get in to see these objects?

Here's an observation:
In the US, the inherent conflict of any "publicly chartered" museum is to
balance preservation with use.

Question:
Therefore, if we are a collecting institution chartered with serving the
good of the general public, can we make preservation "supreme" over "use"?
Or, "use" supreme over "preservation"? Ask a curator and I bet you will get
one answer, ask an interpreter/educator and I bet you will get another
answer. How can we achieve balance? Struggling with that question is our
daily task.

Observation:
As professionals we are trained to follow certain generally accepted tenets
(which I agree with, by the way, and have relied upon during my 30 yr.
career). Frequently, however, in the real world these best practices might
not be able to be followed as hard and fast rules. Frequently, they are most
useful by serving as guidelines that each museum should use to fashion
policies and procedures that best address their needs given their particular
situation and governance.

Here's another observation:
Yes, museums typically are "odd ducks." Those not involved with museums on a
daily basis really haven't a clue as to what we are about and don't know
where a museum fits in the "big picture", especially when a museum is a part
of a large institution with many other parts to it, such as a university or
a government body (city, county, state, federal). That means continually
educating those around us about what we do and why we do it is another
one of our constant tasks.

Consider this: Why should the President know what the purpose of the museum
is? Think about how many departments and people s/he has to get to know.
Maybe the President asked for help "decorating" because s/he
doesn't know how else to put the question.

Using the President's request to
"decorate" could be turned into an opportunity for the museum staff to
politely educate him/her about the museum's purpose and how the museum's
role helps the university. This will help the museum look good, give
museum staff a chance to politely put across their concerns re security,
environment, etc., and, yes, hopefully win the President over as friend for
the museum.  Once educated, perhaps any future requests from the President
will come in terms the museum staff will find more acceptable (or
tolerable), such as requesting a display or exhibit rather than decoration.

Many professionals in other fields are just as adamant about following their
own
professional tenets, for good reason. Understanding their position as well
as your own and finding common ground, if at all possible - and often it is
possible - is the key to success for you and your museum. Therefore, I also
agree with many of the points made by D. Harvery & D. Haberstich.

Comment:
Regarding all the frustrations mentioned by Jim Moss in his original
posting, I, too, have been in difficult, upsetting situations similar to his
current dilemma and I can identify with his frustrations. I'm NOT dismissing
his concerns when I say "been there, done that".

I have personally experienced my share of horror stories. One elected
official mysteriously "lost" a small piece of furniture on loan. However,
once informed of their responsibility for the replacement cost, AS PER THE
LOAN AGREEMENT, the piece just as mysteriously reappeared and was returned.
And I challenge any of my museum colleagues to try to manage a corporate
collection of thousands of art works & objects exhibited over 40 floors in
an office tower plus offices in other cities, plus make loans to museums,
give public tours, etc., with, yes, very limited funds and staff, same as a
private museum.  I have worked with wonderful museum professionals.  I have
also worked with wonderful people who I thought were professional, but who
surprised me as they did NOT know what I thought were well-known, accepted
museum practices.

I have been plenty annoyed and upset at directors, interior decorators,
designers, architects, and other professionals, even tho' it may sound above
as though I favor them. I'm eternally frustrated with art museums even tho'
I have an art background as well as an American History background and
memberships in both art museums and history museums.

I've seen first-hand how museum professionals from different disciplines can
look at the same collection and one will think the collection it is a good
collection and another think it inferior and dismantle it, because s/he
didn't know the reasons behind the collection and how it functioned, and
thought it should function differently. Just like anything else in life,
everyone looks at situations through a different "filter", a filter colored
by various conscious and unconscious reasons, including one's training and
experience.

I guess what I'm trying to say boils down to this...... I'm glad I have my
professional training and try hard to be principled in my actions. However,
I've learned that "doing things by the book" isn't always going to work.
Often times "the book" serves as a guide and one should apply their
experience to the principles in "the book" in order to find a workable
solution. And experience has taught me, the hard way, that it is useful to
look outside myself and try to understand where the other person is coming
from. It helps to recognize what informs my own filter as well as the other
person's. Putting all these techniques together help me achieve my goals and
achieve the professional results I seek.

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