Eugene Dillenburg wrote:

>This whole episode illuminates the truth of a saying taught to me by an old museum hand when I was just a young buck: What we museum people do is interesting; it is not, however, important.  We are not involved in life-or- death situations.  We are not players in the great social and political sweep of history.  We can have tremendous impact on quality of life, to be
>sure, and that is not to be sneezed at.  But no one is going to die if we miss our deadlines, close our doors, or lose all our artifacts.
>
Dear Eugene,

And this statement did not send up a red flag that this is someone
obviously in the wrong profession? Or he is a remaining member of the
administration's cultural council who said, "jeez, what's a couple of
vases...heck, the world's full of them." If  so, that is who Rumsfield
has been quoting all over Washington this past weekend.

Preserving a civilization's history, cultural memory and wisdom is not
insignificant--it is a cherished profession however unappreciated these
days by so many. My field is Chinese art history and one of the most
significant tragedies in ancient times was the burning of the books by
the despot emperor of the Qin dynasty. Later, when all of China came
under Mongol rule in the 13th century, scholar bureaucrats made the
difficult decision to serve Khubilai Khan risking death and being
ostracized by family and peers. But they did it because if the emperor,
even a 'barbaric' one, could learn to rule in such a way that preserved
the culture, then that is what was more important. And serve they did,
and counseled Khubilai on Chinese cultural ways. Edicts coming out from
the palace started sounding particularly Confucian in its language
because they contained consideration for the common people.

If  people in the museum profession do not value what they do, then how
can they advocate to key stakeholder, such as funders and legislators,
or the public,  about the importance of what they do. I have the honor
of living in a state that is attempting to balance its budget shortfall
by eliminating the arts council, history commission and cultural trust.
And that is after all these great economic impact studies with all the
number crunching that shows how many jobs the arts and culture have
provided and how much money cultural tourism generates. But the real
bottom line from all of this is, if people see that cultural heritage as
a frill, or as a recreational destination a couple times of year, rather
than something  vital to our existence, 24/7, we have ratcheted way down
the dignity of being human.

Terri McNichol
Ren Associates'
Princeton NJ

Where there is no art and culture, there is no vision--"where there is
no vision, the people perish." (The Bible)

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