Chiming in too late to do any good...



Museums collect, preserve and interpret objects.  Objects do not exist without context.  It is the museum's job to research the context and present it to allow people to understand how and why the objects are important. Even facts can be interpreted different ways, and interpretations based on known facts change over time as new fact-based research accumulates and perspectives change based on that research...think of all the natural history museums that used to automatically reconstruct their dinosaur bones into menacing positions and now no longer do so, because research over the past hundred years has revealed information that allows the objects to be interpreted more accurately.



It is perfectly valid for a museum to take an interpretive position based on facts without giving "equal time" to the other side, if another side exists.  It then becomes even more important for different museums to offer the other side.  The main thing is that both sides are dealing with the same set of facts, and not ignoring disproving facts in order to bolster their opinion.



Best, 



Julia Muney Moore

Public Art Administrator

Blackburn Architects, Indianapolis, IN

(317) 875-5500 x219

mobile (317) 460-0596

[log in to unmask] 





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-----Original Message-----

From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Deb Fuller

Sent: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 5:08 PM

To: [log in to unmask]

Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Hate speech on this forum--one opinion over the other



On Tue, Nov 24, 2009 at 3:45 PM, John Martinson <[log in to unmask]> wrote:



> Thus, presenting the subject of "evolution" or "creationalism" should be done with an "open mind" to include BOTH aspects of the "theories" or issues, to allow the visitor to come up with their own interpretation or understanding of the subject(s).   But, in no way do I feel that it is the responsibility of a museum to "tell" visitors one opinion over the other or what to believe.



I respectfully disagree. It depends on the mission of the museum.

Would you expect equal time for the Nazi point of view in a Holocaust

museum? Should the Creation Museum in Kentucky devote equal time to

the purely scientific theories of evolution? How about an exhibit

promoting the KKK or other white supremacy groups in a Black/African

museum?





Deb Fuller



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