The ancient Greek sense of wonder, understood as a dwelling in the everyday, has changed over time. Wonder in this sense was initially understood as a form of thought or meditation on the unknown and an acceptance of a state of not-knowing. Over the millennia, wonder has moved closer in meaning to curiosity and amazement and into the sphere of the rational. Shadowed by a sense that all knowledge is now possible, mystery and concepts of the unknowable have ceased to exist.
This relatively modern loss of wonder can be seen in the history of the museum and its transition from the Cabinets of Curiosities (or Wunderkammer) of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, to the birth of the modern museum at the end of the eighteenth century.
In this paper I argue that in contrast to the Wunderkammer which sought to generate curiosity, museum approaches to display need to be reconsidered to encourage the return of wonder. Museums undermine the possibility of wonder by presenting their collections in forms which reflect linear historical narratives or taxonomical groupings that are considered more important or informative than the singular objects themselves. (Kaulingfreks, et al., 2011, pp. 311-312) I suggest that the attitude of discouragement of wonder as manifested in the museum is shared with the education system in general, due to
Contextualisation has long been the untouchable paradigm of museum organisation. The conventional museum approach has been to show works surrounded by others of the same period and origin, or to communicate a rational linear narrative. (Martin, 2012)
In the early-modern period (c.1500-1800), curiosity was understood by European philosophers as a crucial aspect in seeking knowledge. Cabinets of curiosity ...
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Kaulingfreks, R., Spoelstra, S. & ten Bos, R., 2011. Wonders without wounds: On singularity, museum and organisation. Management & Organizational History, Vol 6(3), pp. 311-327.
Martin, J.-H., 2012. Theatre of the World: The Museum of Enchantments versus the Docile Museum. In: Theatre of the World. Hobart: Museum of Old and New Art, pp. 11-19.
Roberts, D., 2014. Coral, "Curiosity", and the Influence of Surrealism on Contemporary Display. [Online]
Available at: https://www.academia.edu/6153279/Coral_Curiosity_and_the_Influence_of_Surrealism_on_Contemporary_Display._Exhibition_Review_Coral_Something_RIch_and_Strange._Manchester_Museum_Nov._2013-March_2014
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Robinson, K., 2008. RSAnimate: Changing Education Paradigms. [Online]
Available at: http://www.thersa.org/events/rsaanimate/animate/rsa-animate-changing-paradigms
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In Stephen Weil’s essay, he argues “the museum’s role has transformed from one of mastery to one of service” (Weil, 196). According to him, museums have changed their mission from one that cultures the public to one that serves
In “Sacrality and Aura in the Museum: Mute Objects and Articulate Space,” Joan R. Branham argues about the experiences art viewers have in museums based on their surroundings. Her points include how a person is to completely understand and feel a ritual object if it is taken out of its natural context or how someone is able to fully appreciate of work of art if they can’t see it where it truly belongs.
There are two books The pursuit of Quality: The Kimbell Art Museum written by Harry Abrams, and The 1939 Building of the Museum of Modern Art: The Goodwin-Stone Collaboration, written by Dominic Ricciotti. These two books investigate the change in architectural feats, and the layouts in which architects like Louis I. Kahn and Goodwin and Stone used in the changing times in which they lived. These two books and the chapters within them, showcase the change in the architecture and layouts of museum buildings. Yet, these books also show the change in museum models worldwide to alter the way individuals look at architecture and artwork. Both books speak of the ever changing museum models which took places from the early 1930s until the 1960s. The following quotes and instances mentioned in the history of the New York Museum of Modern Art and the Kimbell Art Museum describe how these two museums changed the course of how architects and artists design and fill museums.
Baxandall, Michael. "Exhibiting intention: Some preconditions of the visual display of culturally purposeful objects." Exhibiting cultures: The poetics and politics of museum display (1991): 33-41.
In every museum, each exhibition represents a series of decisions that some individual or group undertook to compile a series of artifacts together in a display. Often times people fail to recognize the amount of time and several steps one took in order to assemble each arrangement. Source A, source B, and source C each mention different, crucial considerations one mast take into account when facing the responsibility of securing a new artifact for a museum.
Her thesis includes why taking ancient, historical artifacts out of context is problematic and then included specific examples of different museums which have demonstrated this issue, such as the Rockefeller Museum, the Walters Art Gallery, and
Historically, museums and galleries have excluded too many people. I want to eradicate the pervasive assumption that “certain people just don’t visit museums.” In a modern era of public discourse characterized by instantaneous updating and dynamic participation, a savvy public shares knowledge and relays experience with the click of a mouse. The Internet, digital media, video games, and social networking offer new approaches to learning and understanding others. Regrettably, many museums – the giants of knowledge – have fallen behind in regard to inclusiveness, technological innovation, and representation of diverse experiences. Museums and galleries shape nationwide educational curricula and discourse. If they fail to resonate with wide audiences, then the public will go elsewhere to learn, despite these institutions’ long-established reputations. Particularly now, when most sentences are prefaced with “In this economy,” I believe that museums and galleries risk obsolescence without fundamental change and a renaissance of innovation.
One pleasant afternoon, my classmates and I decided to visit the Houston Museum of Fine Arts to begin on our museum assignment in world literature class. According to Houston Museum of Fine Art’s staff, MFAH considers as one of the largest museums in the nation and it contains many variety forms of art with more than several thousand years of unique history. Also, I have never been in a museum in a very long time especially as big as MFAH, and my experience about the museum was unique and pleasant. Although I have observed many great types and forms of art in the museum, there were few that interested me the most.
The “superstar” museum gained this status by considering every important detail during its establishment and initial phases of conversion from royal palace to museum (Gombault, 2002). As the purpose of the building changed, each room addressed new functions with new requirements. Although the function of the Louvre is different from the building’s original intention, the building is still appears dignified and important enough to display priceless artifacts and painting (Steffensen-Bruce, 1998). This consideration was applied in designing the Met. The Met looked towards the South Kensington Museum (Victoria and Albert) and the “ideal role model” due to its extensive collections and international reputation (Heckscher, 1995). The Met found itself in a similar situation to the South Kensington, because it did not have a building or a collection to start with (Heckscher, 1995). When designing museums, architects strived to create monuments that “prepare and educate the mind of the visitor (Steffensen-Bruce, 1998).” Education is an essential function of a museum. Acquiring, preserving, and properly displaying materials, permits a museum to fulfill this duty (Steffensen-Bruce, 1998). For instance, lighting is a factor that affects the manner in which artwork is viewed and can be properly appreciated. When determining the proper lighting for the Louvre, Comte d’Angiviller, strongly believed that natural, overhead lighting was the most effective solution (McClellan, 1994, p. 72). The same determination impacted the decision to add skylights at the Met. During the initial phase, architects Vaux and Mould, added skylights to the upper floor, and windows to the lower floor that provided a natural light solution (Heckscher, 1995). Additionally, glass-roofed courtyards provided “unimpeded light” for displaying
However, both events are being compared and used as examples of cultural appropriation. This museum is probably petrified to try any other sort of interactive learning exhibit. This is an example of what society will look like if these ideals take hold and become popular. No one will want to contribute new ideas or learn about old ones for fear of having these ideas stolen or being accused of appropriation. Society adopting this train of thought would be a major step backward in the unity and advancement of exploration of mankind’s
‘Savage Beauty’ was an exhibition that pushed the boundaries of museology, in its artistic, social and critical undertakings. The questions brought to bear by the exhibition of contemporary art and culture in various situations is something I am interested in researching further with a degree in curating.
MacDonald, George F. “The Journal of Museum Education, Vol. 16, No. 1” Current Issues in Museum Learning (1991): 9-12. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.
have never been to a city that did not offer the usual museum fare, usually in the form of the “Anytown Art Museum”, or the “Anytown Museum of Natural History”. While these types of museums house some incredible artifacts, and I do visit them often, I also like to seek out museums of a more unusual sort.
Museum defines as an institution housing collections of objects of artistic, historic, or scientific interest conserved and displayed for the educational and enjoyment of the public. Museums are places of memory that provides the link of distant past to the present generation which also help the society to know the path their forebears trod. The main purpose of museum is neither to educate nor entertain but rather creates a memory bank would remind us of the past. No wonder most societies in different parts of the world traced their origin through the works of arts history. There are many types of museum includes museum of Antiquities-in which are housed ancient pieces of furniture or objects of art such as sculptures, paintings, ceramics, textiles and other crafts. Public record office museum serving as collection centre for famous documents, War museum containing relics of national wars, Maritime museum for maritime history, museum for architecture, with types, structures and styles of building, etc., Museum for Local/Indigenous Technologies, Science Museum, with objects depicting history of science and engineering and Natural History Museum. However, all types of these have their own roles of information institutions in national development. The main roles are to identify, acquire, preserve, and exhibit unique, collectible, or representative objects. The role of museum in the life of a nation involves conducting research into the vast natural history heritage and biodiversity of the country, serving as a repository, of natural objects, source materials and taxonomists in that country, creating scientific awareness, on natural history resources of the nation through annotated exhibitions for public enlightenment in display ga...
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...