According to [log in to unmask]:
>
> Byron Johnson's tale of the Whydah/Pirate museum and his subsequent
> discussion reminded me of an alienating experience I had when I visited
> Houston not too long ago.  I was in town on museum business and had a half
> an afternoon to myself before my flight left.  I decided that I *should* go
> see The Sixth Floor since I,  like many others, remember indelibly, exactly
> where I was, what I was doing and how I felt when JFK was shot.   When I
> got there, I found, to my amazement that the charge to get in was much
> greater than any museum I've ever been to (and I've been to a lot).  Being
> low on cash, I thought, thank heavens I've got my AAM membership card with
> me, so I presented it to the ticket seller (who was behind a window -
> similar to a movie theater ticket seller window).  My AAM card got a snear
> - and a nasty response when I asked if she was sure that the AAM membership
> was not accepted.  On principle, I would not pay the exorbitant fee and was
.........................
>
> Suzanne Quigley
> Detroit Institute of Arts
> [log in to unmask]
>
 
Haven't been to the Sixth Floor Museum, so I can't comment on
that institution (which is in Dallas by the way, not Houston)
-- but would like to note that whether or not an institution
accepts an AAM membership as a discount method seems to have
little to do with whether or not its a valid museum.  I've been
to many museums that do not honor an AAM membership card --
including a number of science centers, nature centers, and some
historical sites (including Colonial Williamsburg - which, by
the way, costs $64 for a day pass for 2 adults and 1 child).
 
I did my dissertation research on a sample of natural history
museums in the central US -- in an effort to look at the effect
of governance structure and the role of collections on the
museums' characteristics...
based on that work (+ the growing volume of literature
surrounding 'what is a museum?') I proposed that the definition
used by AAM and IMS for 'museum' really describes the broadest
level of the 'museum-like' institutions - including both
collecting and non-collecting institutions.  The next level in
a hierarchical sense might split the collecting vs
non-collecting and within that level, those with a strong
community orientation vs those with a weaker community-driven
orientation.  Personally, I think we NEED all of these
varieties - each provides a strength that adds to the value of
the 'museum universe'.  If I had a choice, though, I'd like to
see a different term used when we refer to the broadest level
of museums, ie the 'museum universe'.  Any suggestions?
 
 
--
Paisley S. Cato, Ph.D.                          e-mail: [log in to unmask]
Curator of Collections                          phone:  703-666-8634
Virginia Museum of Natural History              fax:    703-632-6487
1001 Douglas Ave., Martinsville, VA 24112