‘Imagine you were in charge of a museum’s collecting policy. What would you chose to collect and how would you justify these decisions?’
Introduction
Collections play a crucial role in fulfilling a museum’s mission and purpose. A museum’s collection is defined by its collection policy past and present which in turn helps to shape the museum’s goals and direction. As stewards of collections, museums are expected to maintain the highest professional standards legally and ethically.
The development of written policies are necessary to govern the management of collections and to establish the museum's collections related activities to support its mission and guide the priorities and decision-making of its governing authority and its staff.
A museum’s collections policy also validates the museum's commitment to care for and manage its collections properly to the highest standards to fulfil its public trust responsibilities as a steward of collections.
Collection policy
Collection management policy defines the scope and limits of museum’s collection and establishes standards and guidelines for its acquisition, accessioning, access deaccession, documentation, conservation, loans, security and management.
“A policy is useless if it is outdated, ignored, too complex to be followed, too simplistic to be useful, or does not serve the museum’s mission. […] Good policies help the museum achieve its mission and demonstrate its commitment to professional standards and best practices.”
The collection policy must relevant and supports the museum’s mission and purpose. All works proposed for acquisition to the collection should be based on and consistent with the museum’s stated mission. At the National Museum of Singapore the mission is to ...
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... recognise the importance of intangible heritage, museums still record very little that is intangible in a meaningful way (this applies to new media and scientific developments as much as to oral history and traditional culture).
It is important to establish the criteria for evaluating and determining whether an object should be added to the collection (e.g. consistency with museum's mission and collecting goals; quality, rarity, intellectual value; provenance; ability to properly care for and store; research and exhibition use; restrictions on use etc).
While resources do not permit any museum’s collection to be exhaustive, the richer the collection, the more stories the museum is able to tell. Museum collections used in exhibitions and other interpretive programs help visitors gain better understanding of the events, activities, and people associated with them.
Baxandall specified his discussion about the problem by supposing that the displays of the gallery were permanent and conservative, which means that the main artifact served for inspection laid in the center of the galley around with additional elements. He also assumed that the viewers were educational members of a developed society, who both enjoyed the expected interesting object view and the functional purpose of the artifacts. After illustrating the assumption, he raised up the main question that different viewers with different cultural background may have different ideas about the artifact. This complicating position was not only the result from the viewers, but also from the object itself and the arrangers of the exhibition. The assumption is strong and will be discussed later.
Duncan’s (1991) analysis of western museums is defined through the theme of “durable objects” as a criterion to judge the heritage of American and European art as a ritual of the modern state. In this manner western art museums are built like “temples” as a symbolic and figurative representation of greatness of western culture throughout the world: “[They] are more like the traditional ceremonial monuments that museum buildings often emulate—classical temples” (Duncan 90). This interpretation of American/European museums defines a dominant source of cultural heritage that ritualizes
The museum prior to 1990 was teetering on the brink of disaster. Attendance had declined and in January of 1989 the museum for the first time ever had to start charging admission. The 7 member board of trustees was unwilling to ask for donations for the museum, as they felt it was tantamount to begging. Isabella’s once very large and generous inheritance had dwindled significantly and there was no means as to how to generate income to keep the museum alive, a museum that was probably set to be auctioned off within a
For years on end, countries have been fighting with big museums from other countries for ancient artifacts that belong to the original countries. The argument of whether or not the museums should be able to keep them still remains. It is the right of the country to have their own artifacts. It is imperative for countries to be able showcase their historical artifacts, therefor museums should return them to their rightful owners.
Balancing at the Canadian Museum of History While, as of yet, the issues with balancing national and social responsibilities has been discussed generally, this section will discuss how the Canadian Museum of History (CMH) navigates these issues. The CMH, formerly known as the Canadian Museum of Civilization (CMC), offers a unique example of a national museum performing both national and social responsibilities. As the main national museum of Canada, it faces a high amount of pressure from the government. However, perhaps what makes it such an interesting case study, is it’s change from a museum of civilization to a museum of history, and the government’s controversial involvement in this transition. To understand how the CMC changed, it is
The Boca Raton Museum of Art and its mission requires the proper care of its collection. The museum will adhere to the highest standards of conservation towards its collections. A safe and appropriate environment is created in the building to preserve our collections for many generations to come. The purpose of the Conservation Policy to ensure that the Boca Raton Museum of Art fulfills it’s to duties to care and preserve collections and items on loan.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art came about as an idea from Jon Jay in Paris, France in 1866 with the idea of “national institution gallery of art” within the United States. Once this idea was proposed, it was immediately moved forward with his return to the United States. With the help of the Union League Club in NY they began to acquire civic leaders, businessmen, artists, and collectors who aided in the creation of the museum. For over 140 years, the visitors who go here have received everything the mission of the institution states.
To collect is to bring things together. However there is an art to collecting, as it is not simply just bringing miscellaneous things together. There is a common theme for the objects and together they serve as a special meaning to their collector. In both texts “The Museum and the Public” by Stephen Weil and Walter Benjamin “Unpacking My Library” by Walter Benjamin, and in the film “Mardi Gras: Made in China”, the purpose of collecting is to tell a story and to showcase the significance of the objects in the collection.
Items displayed in museums hold historical significance and are representative of society’s culture. Preserving valuable collections for education and enjoyment is a primary role of museums. While fulfilling this role, the architecture of the museum is also an important factor. Historical buildings are converted into museums and architects must consider the use of the space and the museum’s purpose during their initial design. Other museums are built with a clear purpose in mind. As museums are designed, many characteristics are determined. Display and storage spaces as well as visitor services impacts museum’s functionality. Based on the function of a museum, architectural requirements are different.
Evaluating Your Collection explores the fourteen essential skills that are necessary to assess objects within the world of antiques and collectibles. The book offers an insider’s look into Winterthur’s first director, Charles F. Montgomery’s approaches to examining and rating objects. The author and compiler, Dwight P. Lanmon, uses Montgomery’s system to articulate the importance of having a trained eye and of understanding the object’s place within its period of creation. The releasing of the book was 21 years after the Montgomery’s death, whose fourteen points of connoisseurship would transform the way that curators, collectors, and conservators identify whether an object is fake or genuine. Lanmon’s information is based on Montgomery’s 1961
Imagine that one piece of history that is taken from a town. This piece of history tells l people how this town was built and all the important people that were apart of the community. “Returning Antiquities to Their Countries of Origin” by Joyce Mortimer can many people about how objects are getting taken from Museums. They should be returned immediately. There are so many artifacts out there that could be so important to people, and if someone can just imagine what it would feel to have one of the most important object taken from a museum and to be never returned again. Many people enjoy seeing these objects so why are they being taken?
...troversy as all countries have lost, to a great or lesser extent, treasures of national renown and significance over time. Wars, theft, treasure seeking, changing boundaries and migration have all in some way contributed to this diaspora of art. There is clear evidence that the historic placing of objects in locations remote from their origin has on occasion afforded protection and preservation, The Elgin Marbles in The British Museum being a case in point. However, given the overarching principle of self determination it is difficult to argue that serendipitous historic placement is sufficient reason for items of true national heritage to be kept indefinitely. A world-wide system of touring exhibitions and cultural exchange, with context being provided by the originating society may provide the natural progression to the accessible widening of people’s experiences.
Has oneself ever wondered if artifacts should be returned to where they were found or kept for people view? Artifacts should be put in museums for other people to study or just to look at. If artifacts are are put in museums other people or younger students could study them and could use that knowledge later in life. Artifacts can be very fun to study. If someone loves looking at artifacts a museum is the place to be.
New museology is the modernisation of museums. New museums are made to be more interactive and more interesting for the visitors. Displays in the museums are no longer covered in glass and people are encouraged to look more closely and interact with displays. The museums are brighter are the displays...
A curator needs to be able to negotiate and be willing to compromise, as it is often the task at hand to borrow from museums or other locations. Teamwork and flexibility are also valued, as the job isn’t completely independent. Museums are designed for public enjoyment, so good communication a...