H.M.L. Burchmore wrote: "Are museums being
forced down the "Disney" path, trapped into displays of purely local
significance, or is there now a wider, more global role for museums
to play? "

Museums today must certainly compete for the publics'  leisure time. But
hopefully museum visitors have different expectations for a museum visit vs
a Disney visit. As I'm sure you're aware, studies have shown that most
people's reasons for visiting museums include an educational outcome.

While we avoid an advocacy role, we believe that our  natural science
orientation can play a role in  education about global environmental
issues, such as the danger to the world's biodiversity and global warming.

Ellen Giusti, Exhibition Evaluator
American Museum of Natural History
Exhibition Department
Central Park West at 79th Street
New York, NY 10024

212 769 5646(voice)
212 769 5926(fax)
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