Dear All, As a complete outsider, I am even more skeptical. I have the feeling that there is a recent trend to turn museums into entertainment enterprises. At least the exhibition aspect seems to dominate discussions I follow. For me, a museum should be entertaining, provide high-quality education, research, preservation of cultural heritage, information service and act as a trusted resource. Forgive me, if I forgot something. "best" is a one-dimensional attribute. I see at least 6 dimensions. A "Nobel Prize" is something different. The prize is for the most important progress in some aspect. That does not imply any absolute measure between the dimensions. I would argue for a prize for specific progress. I prefer a prize for the museum rather than the museologist. I think there is more promotion to be done to move the organisations rather than individuals with bright ideas... Martin Virgil Nitulescu wrote: > Dear colleagues, > I think that the problem prof. Pinna has put into the debate is very > interesting and it would deserve a larger debate. As for myself, I am > cautious. > The ICOM Romanian national Committee has established, in 1999, a yearly > award. It is awarded to the author(s) of an exhibition. Not to a museum, but > to the person(s) who have made the thematical concept of the exhibition. We > have avoided to say that the award is offered to the best exhibition or > something similar. It is, simply, the "Award of the ICOM RNC". We are not > saying that the exhibition is the best or not. Are permitted to enter the > competition only the exhibitions created by individual members of ICOM or > hosted by museums that are institutional members of ICOM - that, for > attrtacting more members to ICOM and for enhancing our members with such > honorary merits (though the winer receives a sum of about 300 USD in hand, > obtained from sponsorships). We have set some (in our opinion) solid > criteria in order to avoid contestations (though we are not admitting them, > by the rules of the contest). The contest becomes more and more popular for > our members. > I have to admit that it was my idea to establish such an award an that I was > inspired by the scheme organised by the European Museum Forum (as the > National Correspondent for Romania of the EMF). > However, for ICOM I would be extremely cautious. How could we compare a > countryside museum form Kenya with the Pompidou Centre? Who would be the > members of the jury? How could we finance the process of "screening"? And I > could, probably, add other questions. > I don't say it would be impossible or not desirable. However, I am > skeptical. > Dr. Virgil Stefan NITULESCU > Vicechair of the ICOM Romanian National Committee > Consilier > CAMERA DEPUTATILOR > Str. Izvor nr. 2-4, Sect. 5 > 050563 Bucuresti > tel: +40.21.4021284 > fax: +40.21.3142913 > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Giovanni Pinna" <[log in to unmask]> > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Sent: Saturday, October 04, 2003 5:34 PM > Subject: An ICOM prize for the best museum? > > > >>As assigned by President Jacques Perot, I was representing ICOM on the >>occasion of The Best in Heritage second edition,held in Dubrovnik from >>18 to >>21 September 2003. >>The event aimed to present all those museum achievements - or other >>achievements linked to cultural heritage - which have been awarded a >>special >>prize or mention during the last few years. >>18 projects were there to represent 16 countries and they showed the >>current >>trend of museology: this is the main value and the remarkable interest >>of >>the event. >>The event also showed that several national and international awards are >>assigned to museums every year. Among these, the very best known is the >>European Museum of the Year Award assigned by the European Museum Forum >>- >>such an organization brings back to memory the activity and the passion >>for >>museums which qualifies Kenneth Hudson's life - . >>However,all this has pushed me to wonder if ICOM, as representative of >>the >>museums community in the world, should create a yearly award for the >>best >>museum achievements in the world, or for the best paper or book on >>Museology, or both: >>a sort of "Nobel Prize" for museology, not excluding >>extra-european museums, as it already happens for EMF. >>This kind of award would have moreover many functions: for exemple it >>would >>provide ICOM with wide visibility all over the world thanks to an >>international event, it would create a forum for debates,it would incite >>researches as for what relates to museum communication, it would spur >>museum >>and their owners to renovate the production of museums achievements. >>I here suggest this idea to the Executive Council, to the Advisory >>Committee >>and to all ICOM members, urging to open a debate on this. >> >>Giovanni Pinna >>Member of the Executive Council >> >> >>-- Giovanni Pinna ----------------------- >>e-mail: [log in to unmask] >>web page: http://giovanni.pinna.cx >>------------------------------------------------ >> >>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - >> >>Change ICOM-L subscription options, unsubscribe, and search the >>archives at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/icom-l.html >> > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > > Change ICOM-L subscription options, unsubscribe, and search the > archives at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/icom-l.html > > -- -------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Martin Doerr | Vox:+30(2810)391625 | Principle Researcher | Fax:+30(2810)391638 | Project Leader SIS | Email: [log in to unmask] | | Information Systems Laboratory | Institute of Computer Science | Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH) | | Vassilika Vouton,P.O.Box1385,GR71110 Heraklion,Crete,Greece | | Web-site: http://www.ics.forth.gr/isl | -------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Change ICOM-L subscription options, unsubscribe, and search the archives at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/icom-l.html