Do Museums Still Matter?
Ted talk video link
M I D T E R M project
At midterm, student collaborative teams of three will present their arguments to the class. Individual papers will be from each student will present their findings of why museums are so vital in today's society. Make sure your groups are different than those in Project #4!
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Ted talk video link
M I D T E R M project
Published on Feb 21, 2012
Increasingly, our world is filled with tablets, smar, phones and laptops. We move at a pace that would have been unimaginable only a few decades ago. Steven Conn's book "Do Museums Still Need Objects."
video length 53:55
Individuals:
Steven Conn . Columbus Ohio -- author of "Do Museums Still Need Objects" and "What are Museums For"
Steven Conn . Columbus Ohio -- author of "Do Museums Still Need Objects" and "What are Museums For"
Glenn D. Lowry - Museum of Modern Art, NYC
Caitlin Kelly - Freelance Journalist for The New York Times
Janet Carding - Director & CEO of The Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto
Jaye Robinson - Member of the Toronto City Council
with
video notes
What are museums?
- Humans have an impulse to collect
- We like the idea of the authentic artifact or art work
- Cabinets of Curiosity and Wunderkammers
- Living History museums have been around since the 19th century
- These are excellent example of participatory museums where visitors young and old can have a hands-on experience
Steven Conn
- Museums arose in during the Renaissance period as places of wonder.
- Started to be built during the Enlightenment period of the 17th and 18th centuries
- They were public places that were projects of nationalism
- During the 19th and 20th century the building of museums throughout North America thrived and became The Golden Age of Museum Building
- 19th c. becomes a period for interest in strong educational practices and the museum was a way to explore nationalism, science, art, and other ideas to the public
- Late 20th century and 21st century, our new museums are striving to be different are not a place any longer of 'dead things'
Glenn D. Lowry
- Museums start with an idea around something, then shape that idea with objects, followed by shaping the collection with the space
- Many museums have an array of architectural jewels and thus become a 'museum' or at least an artifact in their own right
Janet Carding
- A museum is a place where community goes to learn about something and is then engaged in that intellectual experience
Jaye Robinson
- Threats from government funding cuts are worrisome to smaller museums that need that funding to survive
- What needs to be done is cross-marketing strategies with other tourist ideas in the region
- Work together as effective stewards of the area's regional attractions
- Make museums more viable by introducing them early in educational curriculum (4th or 5th grade)
- Social media involvement is important
- Virtual tours introduce the museum to potential new visitors and thus drive visitors to the physical space
The Value of Museums
- Museums are "economic engines" for the area they are situated in
- Unfortunately, when looking at how funding is granted from the government, they look at the head count through the door and the $ institution brings in -- we need to re-think this
- Museums are a social, dynamic place
- People want more involvement in the educational institutions
- People want a personalized experience and interactive museums are becoming more and more like this
- Cell phones have really changed the way in which we interact with museums and our personalized visit
- Museums are also a place to engage in conversations with others there and afterwards and engagement between objects and people
Museums are the crucible that forge relationships between strangers. G.D. Lowry
The draw of the museum is a social experience to then have a personal experience within. S. Conn
- Some museums have lost their momentum and importance in the culture they are situated in, thus not effective
We have no mechanisms in place to end a particular museum or institution.
G. D. Lowry
Virtual Tours
- Enhance the experience or take away from it?
- Virtual tours often amplify an idea about the collection, the museum, etc.
- It's a double-edged sword
- It offers the opportunity for all the collection to be accessible
- The real and the virtual should be seamless for access to be experienced well
Take thorough notes on the Tedtalk video and submit as an essay (video, document) that argues, why yes, yes museums do matter...
At midterm, student collaborative teams of three will present their arguments to the class. Individual papers will be from each student will present their findings of why museums are so vital in today's society. Make sure your groups are different than those in Project #4!
PROJECT #5 ASSESSMENT RUBRIC
PROJECT #5 Midterm paper: Video: Do Museums Still Matter?
Research paper exhibits an excellent comprehension of facts in the video. As well as the over-arching ideas and points presented
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Student’s responsive voice is present with appropriate facts to back up thoughtful statements
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Mechanics of Writing
1,000 word essay
Organization of paper well expressed and free of error
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Collaborative PPT presenting valuable information gleaned from video
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A = 5 points
B = 4
C = 3
D = 2
F = unable to grade
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TOTAL =
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Numerical Conversion looks like this:
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COMMENTS:
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STUDENT RESPONSES:
Project #5: Do Museums Still Matter?
In many regards, the world is a radically changed place -- and yet, at the same time, nothing is truly different. There is no place where this paradox comes into such sharp relief than in a museum. They represent the crucial space of remembering the past honestly, embracing the present and preparing the public for the future. Simply put, museums are so crucial because of the roles they place in the preservation, education, and appreciation of culture. Museums are just as important today as they have ever been, and perhaps even more so given the turbulent state of current affairs. The segment of the Agenda with Steve Paikin featuring Steve Conn, Glenn D. Lowry, Caitlin Kelly, Janet Carding and Jaye Robinson still features burningly relevant commentary and historical concerns that truly encapsulates museum issues.
Arguably, according to Lowry, the museum begins not with a collection nor with the receptacle for the collection but instead with the barest inkling of an idea. Humankind has been dreaming and collecting since the beginning of humanity, and as such the speakers were quite insistent that museums in some form or another have likely been around since long before the written word (“Do…”). Such is the genesis of the museum. Beginning with the earliest foundations of recorded museums and organized collections, Conn commented on the nature of museums as repositories of power (“Do…”). Power takes many forms to disguise or advertise itself depending on its needs. Museums, like power, also take on different facets depending on the needs of the community the museums springs from, and Conn was quite explicit in stating the relationship between the two (“Do…”). Part of the importance of museums stems from the importance of breathing life into the ideas presented or encapsulated by the collections housed within them, which requires both physical and intellectual preservation efforts.
The example that best summarizes the importance of physical and intellectual preservation was not one stated in the Agenda but was in Jennie Rothenberg Gritz’s article for the Atlantic on the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia from earlier in the semester. This museum is devoted to the United States’ racist and colonial history -- and it does not glorify the idea of racism nor the artifacts of racism like the Mammy salt shaker director David Pilgrim destroyed as a child, but instead it preserves the ignominy in a way that cannot be ignored so that museum-goers can be educated (Gritz).
These objects and their connected ideas provoke conversations that Pilgrim credited as doing the most to educate the public at large. One of the most striking aspects of the article was that Pilgrim, as a child, destroyed one of the artifacts that he would later grow up to curate and care for on a daily basis -- illustrating both the power of items and the fact that items can be imperiled very quickly (Gritz). To Pilgrim, why preserve the materials and ideas of the past if not to use them to educate and better the generation of the present, especially if these items are fundamentally offensive? In light of the recent activities here at Cazenovia College regarding the racist defiling of a bathroom, the continued necessity of education is shown and proved.
Recalling and reconciling both Colin Dickey’s article on the small museum in America and Conn’s brief history of the concept, in the 19th century especially museums were vehicles for the education of small communities in the U.S. These were the places where the preserved objects of humankind’s ancestors could enlighten the generations they had laid the groundwork for. Museums were the places where grandparents and great-grandparents could fill in the gaps left by a slowly advancing (but still inadequate) educational system (Dickey). Thinking foundationally, almost every student alive today owes some part of their education to what could originally only be learned in a museum. Today, as almost any museum exhibit could demonstrate, the past has come back to mirror itself once more in the present.
As noted by the speakers on the Agenda and in Dickey’s article, the modern museum is being threatened with extinction even though it still continues to serve as the only educational points of reference in some communities. It is imperative, according to Carding, that museums remain plugged into the needs of the community to remain relevant (“Do…”). It is a fine line to walk: the necessity of the museum tempered with the criticism reiterated by Carding that many find museums as institutions static and out of date (“Do…”). In some cases, as Pilgrim noted in the case of his Jim Crow Museum, cultural education can be hard to swallow but still intensely necessary to the continuation of society (Gritz).
Museums not only influence the present by preserving the past in order to educate but they also are a crucial influencing force on the future and the appreciation of culture -- including embracing individualism, technology, and the arts. Through educational interactions hosted by museums, visitors have the opportunity to embrace technology and learn skills valuable for the increasingly advanced future, according to Carding (“Do…”). Lowry spoke very fondly of the museum as a social experience, as a form of early age social bonding that later down the road aided the strength of communities (“Do…”).
Beyond teaching the skills of physical interaction, Kelly also mused that museums foster from a young age an appreciation of architecture: she said she “was not even remotely interested in the collection” a great deal of the time but was more focused on the building the museum was housed in (“Do…”). Either way, an appreciation of arts and culture ensues from the exposure to museums. Beyond that, Carding noted that museums provide a rare opportunity for a moment of reflection (“Do…”). Museums are that rare space where the past aligns with the present and submerges the museumgoer for a brief moment in something new and unique, perhaps something from a culture they never would have otherwise encountered. Each member of the panel on the Agenda is a testament to the inspiring power of museums on future generations.
The museum experience is difficult to capture in words and it took the combined efforts of the panel on the Agenda to fathom the different impacts of the museum as a cultural institution. All were in complete agreement that museums have never been more vital and will continue to be crucial aspects in preserving, educating and appreciating the world around us. Museums must persevere so that society and culture can continue to flourish -- it is essential to the foundations of the United States in particular.
Works Cited
Dickey, Colin. "America's Endangered Natural History Museums Hold the DNA Secrets of a
Vanishing World." Pacific Standard, 11 Feb. 2019, psmag.com/ideas
the-priceless-secrets-of-americas-disappearing-natural-history-museums?. Accessed 18
Feb. 2019.
"Do Museums Still Matter?" YouTube, uploaded by The Agenda with Steve Paikin, 21
Feb. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=-91GqSBnUUs. Accessed 10 Mar. 2019.
Gritz, Jennie Rothenberg. “New Racism Museum Reveals the Ugly Truth Behind Aunt Jemima.”
The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 24 Apr. 2012,
www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/04/new-racism-museum-reveals-the-ugly-tru
th-behind-aunt-jemima/256185/. Accessed 10 Mar. 2019.
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After watching The Agenda with Steve Paikin segment based around the question “ Do museums still matter?,” I can say without a doubt that the answer is yes they most certainly do. To quote Steve Conn author of the book Do Museums Still Matter, “It is in our human nature to collect things.” Throughout history humans from across the world have collected, stored, and placed value on interesting artifacts relating to our history or the world around us. It wasn’t until the 19thand 20thcentury that museums reached a golden age around the world. Many kinds of museums were opening and displaying items; however, within recent years the booming interest for these institutions has been on a decline. Just like any other kind of business platform, having low attendance and interest is often followed by a closing. As Glenn, D Lowry stated on The Agenda with Steve Paikin, “Companies are created and fail all the time, but we think of it as a tragedy when a cultural institution fails.” When museums close it is a true loss for the opportunity of learning and growth on topics that affect us in one way or another.
One of the factors which has impacted most museums has been a decreased interest in heritage and traditions. Recent progressive movements to correct history have presented a more accurate, and in some cases disturbing truth to a once “magical or polished” heritage. While the past can be disturbing, it is still important to reconnect with our past, so that way we cannot make the same mistakes twice. An example of a museum succeeding on a more macabre topic, is the United States Holocaust Museum. Though the artifacts and topics can leave a dark feeling within most viewers, the overall content and personal approach also make viewers feel connected to complete strangers. The individualized passports revealing the true story of the victim you are randomly assigned, helps viewers feel more personal connection for victims.
While not all museums are meant to cover such hard and personal subjects, many do have a message or theme which the audience can take away. Along with the information which museums help put out to the public, they also serve as prime examples of architecture. In my own home town of Cazenovia, the Lorenzo State Historic Site showcases many historic reenactments, original collections from the founding family. the Lincklaens, and is a prime example of the American Neo-classical architecture style. Both the interior and exterior of Lorenzo leave the impression of what life was like during the early 19thcentury. Even in small town America, these institutions offer locals a chance to learn from their own surroundings and the art and designs that inspired those in the past. Though the past may seem like a distant place, everything at one piont gets recycled and remixed back into our society.
As Janet Carding, Director & CEO of The Royal Ontario Museum of Toronto stated, “ We need museums that feel like a welcoming space.” In a sense, museums can feel off putting and hold a very dominating presence. If we are going to get the elitist feeling away from museums, we are going to have to try and design them to give an impression of a space in which all can comfortably learn. While this approach does work on an interior level and for construction of newer museums, we must also not sacrifice the significance of the architectural detail of our older museums. A solution to this might be to try and create more hands on and personalized tours and more public events based around the museum itself. Though the need to modernize is extremely important to keeping museums relevant, a careful balancing act will be needed to insure that we still value the historical significance which these institutions provide.
Although there are adjustments which museums need to make to accommodate a more diverse and modern base, these institutions are finding it harder and harder to find the funding to make the improvements the public is demanding. As Jaye Robinson a member of the Toronto City Council, pointed out in the segment, “ Museum funding often goes through a hierarchy cycle of who has over or under performed, and it is often the case that museums who need the funding the most receive the least.” Most non-for-profit museums rely on donations, grants, and state or federal funding. The long standing issue which impacts smaller museums across the country is that they have no way of competing with larger institutions. They are often the last to receive any significant funding to help improve their facilities. For some that funding is what determines if they keep their doors open or not. These small local museums are the ones who are reaching out and educating our more rural population.
Museums in general play a major role in our education systems. They are available to all age groups, exhibit primary sources of information, and they also often work with their local and worldwide communities. These institutions help to give a more personal learning experience to visitors through interactive and visual learning methods. Along with preserving and showcasing collections which can be hundreds of years old, museums also work with other museums and educational institutions to help expand our knowledge in the fields of history, science, and the arts.
Though much improvement is needed to modernize and diversify many small town museums, they serve a vital role in our communities. While the collections they display may not be a vast as those found for example in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, their collections are significant none the less. Many of these museums are trying to serve a more economic role in their communities through hosting many annual events which bring in more tourism. While these intuitions are struggling, many are creating a more creative approach to how they brand themselves, and the services they provide. From yoga to art classes, museums are breaking the molds to became more relevant and community based organizations. With all these changes and issues being raised by these organizations, it is clear that museums do matter.
Works Cited
"Do Museums Still Matter?" YouTube, uploaded by The Agenda with Steve Paikin, 21
Feb. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=-91GqSBnUUs. Accessed 10 Mar. 2019.
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Museums Still Matter
Museums have been around for ages. Physically, they are just a collection that has space. However, museums have been used to display nationalism and elitism; the collections within were the "fruits of an empire" (Paikin). This was more common in the past, and the collections were often private rather than public. Coming around to the present time, museums are still collections, but are heavily education derived. Either way, museums are all created from someone's curiosity and desire to know more. Museums have benefitted the world so much, and will continue to do so.
The value of education has been rising rapidly. This value of education has become a trend for museums to follow. Many museums have adapted or been created in hopes to educate people. Museums are "educational vehicles"; they are capable of reaching large audiences at once. Exhibitions are set up to engage the collection with the viewer. There are exhibitions that are hosted that give the viewers an opportunity to a new experience. When I was in eighth grade I knew about the Holocaust, but didn't know the feelings felt at the time, since it happened before I was born. I went to the Holocaust Museum and was educated so much on the horrible event. The exhibitions made the viewers feel the pain and sadness that the Holocaust caused. Not letting the world forget of events like this is a huge reason of why museums matter. People need to be aware of the past to continue forward.
Many museums also educate outside of their exhibitions. They are able to do this because of their staff involved in programming. Most museums have a curator of education that plans programs outside of exhibitions. These programs may include classes or events. The Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, NY hosts Family Days that include art making, demonstrations, and cultural performances (Everson Museum of Art). Hosting engaging events that are also educational benefit everyone involved. Many of these museums host free programs as well. This gives an outlet to many families who can't afford to bring their kids somewhere to have fun. Children and adults can find programs to participate in; They then have a good time and leave with new knowledge.
Culture is displayed and preserved because of museums. Items that display different time periods, religions, races, or many other areas are parts of certain cultures. Art done 1000’s of years ago may not be around if it weren’t for museums. Museums hire professional preservationists to care for its objects. Many ancient items would not survive if left in their original context. Museums are keeping culture and history alive by taking care of their items.
Museums are also beginning to preserve ancient sites. This may not apply to all museums yet, but technology is advancing so rapidly that some museums are creating virtual exhibitions.
Dr. Sarah Kenderdine, did a TED talk and shared of museums introducing virtual exhibitions. One example was of the Dunhuang Caves that were photographed, and then displayed on a wall. This exhibition was interactive with its viewers as they could decide what caves to explore and what walls they look at (Kenderdine). Creating this digital experience helps preserve the ancient caves, so they can withstand the test of time.
The economy in an area can benefit very well when there is a museum. No matter big or small, museums are attracting people to visit. When people visit a museum, a variety of interactions can occur that boost the economy. For example, some people may want to see a certain exhibition that is happening at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC. Now these people may be from a different state and have to pay for a plane, bus, or gasoline. Since they had to travel, they then may pick up coffee or food along the way. Purchasing hotel rooms, souvenirs, and and other product or service all boost the economy. Many industries benefit from museums because of what everyone does before and after their museum visit. This causes businesses to make more money and for more jobs to open up, in or out of the museum These economy boosters make a difference and are very important.
The most important part of museums in my opinion, is the inspiration they give to others. I specifically enjoy art museums, they give me a motivational that I could never receive anywhere else. I am an artist and I've grown up hearing that it is hard and pointless to try to be one. This caused me to begin thinking of jobs that are feasible and make sense, and not waste my time on trying to be an artist for a living. However, when I visited the Museum of Modern Art, I realized that it didn't matter if it was hard because it's what I wanted to do. I want to be an expert in my media and create work that makes viewers communicate with it. I now am planning to get a Master of Fine Arts, and am entering gallery shows. The artists that have work in these museums were once normal people just like me. I am determined to be an artist now because of my museum experience.
Some people may believe museums don't matter. However, the counterargument against that is too strong to lose. Museums educate people over a variety of ideas and topics. They are the reason many people are able to engage and experience with cultural history. The artifacts that make the world be what it is today, are preserved so anyone can experience them. Jobs are created and businesses are doing well in areas surrounding museums. The inspiration and curiosity that is promoted at museums can change the world. More ideas are stimulated because of museums, advancing our world like never before. They motivate artists, scientists, historians, and people in any other area of study to do better by showing off the great ideas in them. Museums mattered before and they still matter today; They will continue to matter even more as the future comes.
Works Cited
Everson Museum of Art. “Family Days.” Everson Museum:: Family Days,
Kenderdine, Sarah. YouTube, YouTube, 11 Apr. 2014,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXhtwFCA_Kc&feature=youtu.be.
Paikin, The Agenda with Steve, director. Do Museums Still Matter?YouTube, YouTube, 21 Feb.
2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=-91GqSBnUUs.
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Do Museums Still Matter?
3-14-19
After watching The Agenda with Steve Paikin segment based around the question “ Do museums still matter?,” I can say without a doubt that the answer is yes they most certainly do. To quote Steve Conn author of the book Do Museums Still Matter, “It is in our human nature to collect things.” Throughout history humans from across the world have collected, stored, and placed value on interesting artifacts relating to our history or the world around us. It wasn’t until the 19thand 20thcentury that museums reached a golden age around the world. Many kinds of museums were opening and displaying items; however, within recent years the booming interest for these institutions has been on a decline. Just like any other kind of business platform, having low attendance and interest is often followed by a closing. As Glenn, D Lowry stated on The Agenda with Steve Paikin, “Companies are created and fail all the time, but we think of it as a tragedy when a cultural institution fails.” When museums close it is a true loss for the opportunity of learning and growth on topics that affect us in one way or another.
One of the factors which has impacted most museums has been a decreased interest in heritage and traditions. Recent progressive movements to correct history have presented a more accurate, and in some cases disturbing truth to a once “magical or polished” heritage. While the past can be disturbing, it is still important to reconnect with our past, so that way we cannot make the same mistakes twice. An example of a museum succeeding on a more macabre topic, is the United States Holocaust Museum. Though the artifacts and topics can leave a dark feeling within most viewers, the overall content and personal approach also make viewers feel connected to complete strangers. The individualized passports revealing the true story of the victim you are randomly assigned, helps viewers feel more personal connection for victims.
While not all museums are meant to cover such hard and personal subjects, many do have a message or theme which the audience can take away. Along with the information which museums help put out to the public, they also serve as prime examples of architecture. In my own home town of Cazenovia, the Lorenzo State Historic Site showcases many historic reenactments, original collections from the founding family. the Lincklaens, and is a prime example of the American Neo-classical architecture style. Both the interior and exterior of Lorenzo leave the impression of what life was like during the early 19thcentury. Even in small town America, these institutions offer locals a chance to learn from their own surroundings and the art and designs that inspired those in the past. Though the past may seem like a distant place, everything at one piont gets recycled and remixed back into our society.
As Janet Carding, Director & CEO of The Royal Ontario Museum of Toronto stated, “ We need museums that feel like a welcoming space.” In a sense, museums can feel off putting and hold a very dominating presence. If we are going to get the elitist feeling away from museums, we are going to have to try and design them to give an impression of a space in which all can comfortably learn. While this approach does work on an interior level and for construction of newer museums, we must also not sacrifice the significance of the architectural detail of our older museums. A solution to this might be to try and create more hands on and personalized tours and more public events based around the museum itself. Though the need to modernize is extremely important to keeping museums relevant, a careful balancing act will be needed to insure that we still value the historical significance which these institutions provide.
Although there are adjustments which museums need to make to accommodate a more diverse and modern base, these institutions are finding it harder and harder to find the funding to make the improvements the public is demanding. As Jaye Robinson a member of the Toronto City Council, pointed out in the segment, “ Museum funding often goes through a hierarchy cycle of who has over or under performed, and it is often the case that museums who need the funding the most receive the least.” Most non-for-profit museums rely on donations, grants, and state or federal funding. The long standing issue which impacts smaller museums across the country is that they have no way of competing with larger institutions. They are often the last to receive any significant funding to help improve their facilities. For some that funding is what determines if they keep their doors open or not. These small local museums are the ones who are reaching out and educating our more rural population.
Museums in general play a major role in our education systems. They are available to all age groups, exhibit primary sources of information, and they also often work with their local and worldwide communities. These institutions help to give a more personal learning experience to visitors through interactive and visual learning methods. Along with preserving and showcasing collections which can be hundreds of years old, museums also work with other museums and educational institutions to help expand our knowledge in the fields of history, science, and the arts.
Though much improvement is needed to modernize and diversify many small town museums, they serve a vital role in our communities. While the collections they display may not be a vast as those found for example in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, their collections are significant none the less. Many of these museums are trying to serve a more economic role in their communities through hosting many annual events which bring in more tourism. While these intuitions are struggling, many are creating a more creative approach to how they brand themselves, and the services they provide. From yoga to art classes, museums are breaking the molds to became more relevant and community based organizations. With all these changes and issues being raised by these organizations, it is clear that museums do matter.