"Let's go to a museum!" evokes entirely different images in each and every one of us. So, what is a museum?
The term “museum” comes from the Latin “muse” and refers to a place dedicated to the Muses, the Greek divinities of the arts, and dedicated to research or study. The original museum dates back to 280 B.C.E. in Alexandria. The Library, or Bibliotheca Alexandrina, housed the institute for philosophy and research. Its librarian or curator was Ptolemy I Soter.
In order to get everyone on the same page, the International Council of Museums began attempting to define a museum back in 1946. Decades later, even ICOM continues to revise what a museum is.
The essential definition requires that a museum be devoted to collecting. A problem arises when the museum is the collection, such as a ship or house. While there may be a collection inside, the museum itself is part of the collection.
ICOM members must be non-profit making. Of course, museums are not required to belong to ICOM and not all museums are 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations. The Leanin’ Tree Museum of Western Art in Boulder, Colorado, is a for-profit museum. Among their collection is work by artists such as sculptor Glenna Goodacre, most well known for creating the Vietnam Women’s Memorial in Washington, D.C.
The Sony Wonder Technology Lab, in New York City, is a for-profit museum with free entrance to everyone and funded by Sony Corporation of America. The SWTL is designed around the city-mandated academic standards.
In the early years of museums, only a select few researchers were allowed entrance. While certain areas of museums may restrict access to certain holdings today, exhibits are largely accessible by all visitors.
Museum curators, or keepers, acquire, conserve, research, communicate, and exhibit collections for three purposes. The primary purpose is for studying the collection. Museum study, also called museology, is often funded by grants. Structured study programs exist at museums such as the Research Institute at The Getty in Los Angeles. The War Damage to Museums and Galleries in Croatia documents where collections have been moved for safekeeping during war and enumerating lost and stolen museum holdings.
The second task is making a museum visit an educational and enjoyable experience. Museums don’t just happen. Exhibiting a collection so that it positively impacts anyone of any age is a challenge. Museum staff devotes their efforts to staying current on museum trends and opportunities through publications like Journal of Museum Education from The Museum Education Roundtable.
The third task curators present “material evidence of people and their environment.” This is accomplished through collections like the Indigenous Cultures exhibit at Museum Victoria in Melbourne, Australia.
So, let’s go to a museum and see what’s in store!
