preview

Metropolitan Museum Of The Modern Museum

Decent Essays

This week readings discusses both the history of museums, primarily in the United States, and their evolution from high brow institutions to ones that serve, educate, and engage the populace. The articles also trace the constant discussions museum professionals had regarding the focus and dissemination of their collections. These articles all agree that museums must transform from places that solely focus on the collection, preservation, conservation, and dissemination of rare items to ones that also become a part of the community, represent the many voices and interests of the public, educate, and become a forum for discussion about issues beyond the items in a glass case of hung on he wall. The evolution of the modern museum began during …show more content…

Marjorie Schwarzer notes this as a period of tremendous expansion and growth for museums. I attended school in the New York metropolitan area, and thus, many field trips were planned to museums of all types. These included the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Natural History Museum and Hayden Planetarium, the Cloisters, Van Cortland Manor, Phillips Manor, the homes of Horace Greeley, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Washington Irving and the Rockefellers, the Jewish Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art, to name a few. Additionally, I recall visits to Colonial Williamsburg, the British Museum, the Smithsonian, the Ringling Brothers Museum and Estate, the Lincoln Memorial, and several others on various family and school trips. While these museums differed in subject matter, they all disseminated their collections in a hands off and guided tour fashion. While a day away from the grind of scheduled classes was a welcomed respite, I cannot say I recall ever enjoying or learning much from them. Granted, a part of that disconnect came from the disposition of a typical teenager, but given the amount of museums visited on school and family trips, there was an inherent problem in the presentation. It was the clear line drawn between the observer and the observed and the failure to connect the collections to anything more relevant than a current topic in the classroom. However, I enjoyed and learned a lot from an …show more content…

In addition to the traditional artifacts one expects to find, the museums presented different voices and perspectives, in addition to many opportunities for the visitor to get closer and interact. Additionally, they provided current perspective to their exhibitions. My recent visits to the Stax Records Museum, the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, and the Hermitage, proved enlightening as to the prime function and obligation of modern museums, as well as their future roles in society. While the primary draw to the Stax Records Museum is the connection the visitor has to the music from the label and studio, Stax begins the tour in a reconstructed church and exhibitions that trace the culture and heritage essential to understanding the people and the art preserved and displayed. The recently opened Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol, Virginia provides the visitor several opportunities to “lean in,” interact, and personalize their experiences with the various exhibitions throughout the floorspace. For example, they provide a multimedia discography of the records made during the “Big Bang of Country Music.” The information with the touchscreen display can be sorted and searched by the patron from the academic “date of recording” and “personnel” to the entertaining “song theme.” The Hermitage recently opened a new exhibit detailing the life of Andrew

Get Access