A museum is a non-profit, permanent institution in the service of society and its development, open to the public, that researches, collects, conserves, interprets and exhibits tangible and intangible heritage for education, study, enjoyment and reflection. It operates and communicates ethically, professionally and with the participation of communities, fostering diversity and sustainability.
The term “museum” encompasses many kinds of institutions, from science centers to art galleries and natural history museums. Each has its own unique role in addressing international public service missions, such as raising awareness of important social and global issues or providing recreation opportunities for visitors. Most museums are known for their carefully curated collections and transcendent exhibitions that inspire awe in even the most skeptical of museum naysayers. The world’s greatest museums, from Senegal to Japan and beyond, can change the way we view our culture and our place in it by fostering a sense of wonder through their dazzling displays.
But there’s a lot more to museums than that. The vast majority of museums—the ones that make up the bulk of ICOM’s membership—have long emphasized their role as educational institutions. Some, such as the Guggenheim in Bilbao, have even been designed specifically to be a center of economic development or urban renewal. And yet a significant portion of adults do not visit museums because they see them as too “stuffy,” too “educational” or too “child-like.”
There are many different ways to define the meaning and function of a museum, but most of the major professional organizations have some sort of statement about what makes a museum a museum. The definitions vary somewhat, but all of them include the concept that museums serve the public good by educating and inspiring their visitors. There are also several statements that emphasize the importance of caring for and preserving cultural objects for future generations.
In the end, it’s really up to individual museums to decide how they will use their resources and facilities in order to best meet the needs of their communities. There’s a growing body of research that suggests that museums are being used for many reasons by different groups of people. In some cases, these uses overlap. For example, John Falk has analyzed the various identities that museum visitors assume during their visits. He found that people can be anything from facilitators—who enjoy museums by introducing others to them—to explorers, who go to museums to discover new things for themselves.
It’s clear that museums do many different things for their visitors, but they all come under the broad category of educating and inspiring them to think differently about the world around them. And that’s what makes them so essential. Despite the fact that many adults may not want to admit it, a museum experience is one of the most powerful and fulfilling educational experiences that they can have. So the next time you hear someone complain that they’re too “stuffy” or that they “don’t go to museums to be educated,” show them this article.