Yes, in all the written definitions that you provide here to support your
view that the Creation Museum is a museum, a key theme in these definitions:
"artefacts and specimens"..."material evidence", etc....appear to lead us to
the fact that this is a museum.
Where are these in the Creation Museum? What are the collections that are
being held in the public trust? The creation of life-sized figures? Signs? State
of the art technology and design? Do they collect, preserve and interpret
real objects associated with the exhibits? Why yes they do! It appears that
thet acquired dinosaur fossils to comprise a collection so that they can truly
call this a museum and not merely an "exhibit" or an "interpretive center" or
even a "theme park".
They are a museum and therefore that conjures up "truth" and "fact".
Interpreting the collections, mainly the fossils, serve to validate the exhibits.
And of course, using dinosaurs is very opportunistic...certainly a draw.
I don't believe that this institution would not be able to consider/call
itself a museum without having acquired these collections. Obviously, they knew
what they were doing.
Pam
In a message dated 6/16/2007 7:15:31 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
The question has arisen in the creation thread as to whether the Creation
Museum is just that, a museum. I think there's a little narcissim that goes on
in the museum sector, that museum needs to be as defined by one or more
specific organizations (AAM, ICOM, etc.). While that works for the rules of the
groups that belong, they may not, in fact, work for the people who create
museums--even if those museums don't match your perception of what constitutes a
museum. So, I decided to do a little digging online for definitions.
According to Wikipedia:
Museum Definitions
The _Museums Association_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museums_Association)
definition (adopted 1998) is:
“ Museums enable people to explore collections for inspiration, learning
and enjoyment. They are institutions that collect, safeguard and make
accessible artefacts and specimens, which they hold in trust for society. ”
A previous Museums Association definition was:
"A museum is an institution which collects, documents, preserves, exhibits
and interprets material evidence and associated information for the public
benefit."
_http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum#Museum_Definitions_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum#Museum_Definitions)
Now many of us who have stronger leanings in science find the Creation
museum to be a farce, failing to hold up to the standards of science. But, to the
bigger question of are they a museum, by the definition above, the answer
would seem yes. They inspire, people learn (remember, that can be very
subjective), and they hold things in trust for a segment of society. Clearly, they
interpret.
According to Wiki, the ICOM definition includes:
A museum is a "permanent institution in the service of society and of its
development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches,
communicates and exhibits, for purposes of study, _education_
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education) , _enjoyment_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entertainment) ,
the tangible and intangible evidence of people and their environment"
(_ICOM_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICOM) definition)._[1]_
(http://icom.museum/ethics.html#1def)
_http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum)
All the creation talk clearly falls into the intangible side of the
equation, relying on belief as opposed to science.
Querying ICOM itself, I found:
ICOM Definition of a Museum
_<< Back to Previous Page_ (javascript:history.go(-1))
____________________________________
"A museum is a non-profit making, permanent institution in the service of
society and of its development, and open to the public, which acquires,
conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits, for purposes of study, education
and enjoyment, material evidence of people and their environment. (...)"
_http://icom.museum/definition.html_ (http://icom.museum/definition.html)
For some on the Creation side, one could argue it's there to study, provide
(biblical) education, and simply enjoyment. Again, one could argue it is a
museum.
Going to the AAM site, one can find the AAM, ICOM, and IMLS definitions of a
museum:
_http://www.aam-us.org/aboutmuseums/whatis.cfm_
(http://www.aam-us.org/aboutmuseums/whatis.cfm)
As much as many of us are averse to the Creation Museum, it would seem to me
based on the evidence at hand, one cannot say it is not a museum. We may
not like the content or what is being portrayed, but we cannot counter the fact
that it is a museum and has a right to exist . . .
OR CAN WE? I leave that to you guys to duke out.
Pamela Silvestri, Seasonal State Parks Interpretive Guide
Northeast States Civilian Conservation Corps Museum
Shenipsit State Forest Headquarters
166 Chestnut Hill Road
Stafford Springs, Connecticut 06076
Telephone: (860) 684-3430
e-mail: [log in to unmask] or
[log in to unmask]
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