MUSEUMS – PERSPECTIVES
Journal Title: Muzealnictwo - Year 2015, Vol 56, Issue
Abstract
The fact that the model of a museum institution established in the 19th century needs to be changed has been mentioned at least since the mid-20th century. Defined as a modern or modernistic museum, it was the result of deep social changes which took place in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the essence of its mission was faith in the Enlightenment ideals, especially in knowledge and development, as well as the conviction of the superiority of the Western world over the rest of the world at the time, and also the need to define national identity in the process of forming nation-states. Judging from the opinions of researchers, critics and museum professionals, there are two distinct points of view regarding the functioning of this model in the contemporary world. Some conceive of the museum as a distinct realm, removed from social and political forces, whereas others see it as democratising access to art, and even as politically correct when they attempt to include groups formerly omitted from history.Among the phenomena and trends which may result in the current museum model being changed, new technologies, commercialisation and globalisation are mentioned. The author also suggests adding elements like a change in the character of the museum institution in the light of the great museum boom in Far Eastern countries, especially in China, the United Arab Emirates, Africa and South America, as well as problems connected with the new social hierarchy, or with the generational diversity of museum visitors. Changes may also be elicited by the increasing number of private museums and their impact on museum practices. A public museum, in order to face economic possibilities and the dynamics of private museums, will have to be open not only for the public but also for its collections, which in principle have to date been untouchable and closed for ethical rather than legal reasons.On the basic of these reflections, the author believes that the museum institution will be continuously open to collecting, researching and conserving art objects as well as to diverse educational activity, open to other than traditional forms of contact with the objects it collects, and open to various museum narratives not limited by conventions or academic limitations. What is more, exhibitions organised by museums will more frequently be used as a tool in social politics and in so-called soft diplomacy. Under the influence of the market economy and the dynamics of private museums, public museums will adopt more functional ways of administration, financing and managing museum property, and in the face of new forms of social communication they will reorganise their marketing departments. The organisation of blockbuster exhibitions will still remain an important element of the activity of worldwide art museums. In Poland, museums will be employed more strongly than ever in the state’s strategy aimed at minimising the civilisation gap with respect to developed EU countries.
Authors and Affiliations
Andrzej Rottermund
Keywords
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