Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 1990 Weill, Rethinkingthemuseum

    Uploaded by

    Melissa Acosta
    6 views5 pages

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Report this Document

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    6 views5 pages

    1990 Weill, Rethinkingthemuseum

    Uploaded by

    Melissa Acosta

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 5
    evelopment and transformation of oi trough he awareness and partici ofthe popaition. ‘What the New Mascology wil be able to accomplish re- mains tobe sen. Whatever it, though, it should certainly be fomething more significant than that imaginary accomplish tment of the old maseology—a toothpick museum. “Those, then, ate some ofthe posites open tous ifweare to envision our museums as fundamentally driven-by-purpose father than devoted-o-objects. For each of us the best mix of those possibilities wil be different, Common to all, however, ‘Should be the notion that the primary and central relationship of ‘muscology is between the museum and its vistors and other ‘dients—not between the museum anditscllecton, Common as ‘wel should be the sense chat itis ideas, viewpoint, and insight that finally powers the maseum—aot the care of collections Good collections management is essential, but it can no more take museum excellent than good bookkeeping can make & basines flourish. "The question wemustulkimatey ask ourselves ithis: do our museums make a tel diference in and do they have a postive impact on, the lives of other people. If if inthe end we are only the servants of our collections and not of our fellow hu- ‘mans, then we might just as well be off someplace plying our trades at some imaginary Temple of Thumbtacks, Paper Clip Palace, or even the NIM. Batifso,ifhelfeof the community i Fiche forthe work we do if we make an important and posi {ference in thelinesof others, then thezel we bingo our daly work will have been well rewarded, and our own working lives, wll spent. Weill, Stephen E, — 440 Rethinking The WWuseum AND Thee Meditiaieno, Swartycowins Tusinon Peas, Linetuoa waa (> folmand dab. rnusrotoryFeu RETHINKING THE MUSEUM, ‘An Emerging New Paradigm [irene rap ine tr 1970 sue of Museum New, that Joseph ‘each Noblo—later to see as distinguished president ofthe ‘60h American Assocation of Museums—publised his “Museum Manifest.” Ini, Noble briefly described what he took to be the five basic responsibilities of every museum: to cole, to con- “ferve,t study, otnterpret and to exit. Sesed as well was the tntertelationship among these responsibilities. “[T]hey fora,” he said, “an entity. They arelike the ive fingers of hand, cach independent bt united for common purpose. fa maseum ‘mits or slghts any ofthese five responsibil, i has hand- ‘capped ill immeasurably.” ‘Dung the two decades since, Noble's fiv-pare analysis of museum functions has proven enormously useful. Asan evalua tive tool, ie has supplied a series of peespectives from which a ‘museun’s performance might be systematically judged. Em- ployed as an armature, it has provided a sturdy framework {round which o build such verse stractute 1s museum o ‘ational charts, collections management polices, and the curtc tla of various museum studies programs. Rept wih permit, am Mu Nes, Marcel 1990, Cony Fide © ps Aneran Ana of Naeume Al igh ered a 8 werent re MUSEUM Despite is uty, howeves, @superseding paradigm now appears to be emerging. BY no means entirely new, it amends ete than replaces Noble’ 1976 formulation. ln 9 doing it lth prescriptive with respect tothe future operation of mi- Seams and, co some degre, correspondingly questioning (if not [eually eitial of certain oftheir ecen past practices. “A csion of hisnew paradigm was irstintroduced tomeby eter van Mensch, the Dutch museologist who teaches a the Resi Academy in Leiden, As analyzed by xan Mensch, the ‘Caendal factions of museum are reduced to thee: 0 preserve {locollect being viewedassimply an earl stepinthat proces) [oat afunction chat remains unchanged) and to communicate {this hed funtion being a combination of Noble final nwo, fey wo imerpret and to exhibit). Noteworthy isthe degre to ‘Silch van Menachs analysis parallels tht of John Henry Merry- Than ofthe Stanford University Law School in is recent studies of public policy with respect to cultural property. The basic amewor of any such policy, Merryman has concluded, mist fe based upon “the ordered triad of preservation, tuth and Tn seckng to establish a more dret link berween the m~ seam’ activities a8 collecting instntion and its ability to preserve what it acual collects, this amended approach closly rrreeds withthe postions most recently taken by the major professional organizations representing the fit. Thus, pars faph 3.1 ofthe Code of Professional Ethics adopted by the Fhcernatonal Counei of Museums a its 1986 triennial meeting in Buenos Ares provides: “Museums should noryexceptin very teceptional circumstance, acquire material thatthe museum is Thttely to be able to catalogue, conserve, sore or exhibit, as “appropriate ina propec mannes.” Tra similar veins the postion taken by the AAMn ts 1984 report Museums for a New Century- tn the fist recommends evofthauseport, museums were urged to collect carefully and purposeflly Specially sugested was that every museum rey exercive care by collecting with its eapacity to house and An EmergingNew Paalion 59 preserve the objects ails and species in its stewardship” He pronouncements id ot ak thee acoso eon Indeed the AM 1935 etic codes first nor ade the matte of preservation stall. “Tous thaca meseum ought aot collec artifacts and speci mena for which i cannot propery care—whetherbecaue of the inherent fragility or because the inataton lacks the ce sources necessary to doso—har more than an ethical dimension. Irhas poccaltmplications thar een tothe aqua oe ta oe potentially srnghenng the role of te conservation spedalt sa vis that ofthe custo. The rats, importance or

    You might also like