Everybody thinks they know what a museum is: a great big building in which we see works of art, natural or manufactured, preserved for posterity. The museum as a form of cultural heritage was born out of the Wunderkammern, or Cabinets of Curiosities, that royal courts and wealthy aristocrats began to build in the middle ages before reaching their peak with Napoleon’s Louvre from 1801.
In modern times museums have grown into multifaceted institutions with an extraordinary range of functions, displaying and interpreting art, natural history, science, technology and social and historical subjects. Their reach is global and their missions are many, from promoting civic pride to advocating for planetary wellbeing. Museums vary in size, scope and purpose and yet they all hold a common thread: a desire to preserve and interpret some aspect of humanity’s cultural consciousness.
For the most part museums are not profit-making enterprises and they work in active partnership with diverse communities to collect, preserve, research, interpret, exhibit and enhance understanding, aiming to contribute to human dignity and social justice, global equality and planetary well being. This is a more inclusive and polyphonic definition of the museum that recognises the need for dialogue, rather than the moralistic and ideological imperatives that can turn the space of wonder into a didactic ordeal.
Museums have always been contested spaces, and this is no different in the present day. In the past the debates centred on whether the museum was a place where culture died, or where its vitality could be restored through a re-interpreting mission. Today the debates are centred around the need to keep a museum’s collections fresh and engaging and how to engage a broad range of audience members.
One of the ways that museums maintain their collections and keep up to date with new research is through deaccessioning. This means that some works are sold on to other museums or lent out for special exhibitions. It is a controversial process that can affect the overall quality and significance of the collection. It can also have an effect on the museum’s finances, as it loses a significant source of income.
The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC is the largest museum in the world and is filled with dinosaur skeletons, mineral displays and an exploration of Earth science. The museum has dedicated exhibitions for children, and those with disabilities or sensory sensitivities. It also offers a monthly event called ‘Museum My Way’ where the noise level is reduced and activities are tailored to those with special needs.
Other museums in the top ten are The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the British Museum in London. Each requires a full day of exploring to fully appreciate its depth and breadth. The British Museum’s permanent collection is impressive in its own right, but it also houses one of the greatest treasure troves in Europe. In fact, it is a record holder for the number of items in its collection that have been verified as priceless.