Museums in Zimbabwe as public institutions have a colonial legacy, having been set-up, firstly to provide library services and as centres of study particularly of the natural and geological history of the country – the latter being an area of interest for early mineral prospectors. Secondly the aim was to create `order´ in the understanding of pre-colonial societies. Most of the individuals who became early collectors of objects which later spurred the establishment of museums had in fact come to the region as explorers with various antiquarian interests. They were curious about `mysterious´ ruins, exotic artefacts and local history.
Since independence Museums in Zimbabwe have been under scrutiny as well, but so far they have been `lucky´ that this has mainly been from a very tiny academic fraternity - often external critics, and university students (in dissertations). Thus we haven’t seen much concerted public pressure for change in the way the past is presented in museums. As there hasn’t been any outside pressure most of the `modernisation´ efforts have been internally driven, at own (rather slow) pace, principally as a result of exposure to the international community through membership to organisations such as ICOM, participation by staff in conferences, seminars and professional development in museology. However there hasn’t been much internal methodological and theoretical debates on museology such that much of the changes do not reflect `local content´ and are heavily influenced by the western conceptual frameworks of display.
The main challenge for Zimbabwean museums and galleries today is how to attract local visitorship, more so in this prevailing hostile economic and political situations. The trend over the past ye...
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... communities and have a positive impact on national life. The value of museums is created through use by the public (Bradburne 2001), hence they must be firmly rooted in their local conditions and use these to build commitment to the institution.
Our goal should not only be to increase numbers but to provide experiences that satisfy a full range of interests and expectations. As a library does the museum must create its base in the community and work with its local community to expand that base as well as encourage repeat visits. New learning platforms underscore what is unique to specific localities – i.e. on what cannot be found and done elsewhere. Manica Fest tries to do that by focusing on local culture, practices and experiences. Likewise museums should be an important means for the development of mutual understanding, co-operation and peace among peoples.
The Museum Effect turns things of lesser value or artistic appeal to the source culture than was originally intended and gives them a perhaps inflated level of importance as art in our estimation. It is described in the article as a way of seeing, or lens through which something is viewed (ex: art historically, culturally, socially, etc.). Alpers describes TME as such because nearly all items in museums were meant to be seen or used in some other manner and thus much of the original context has been removed and cannot be recreated. The inflation of importance of objects derived from the lack of contextual information and the museum’s tendency to present all things aesthetically are the driving forces causing TME. Alpers suggests that by acknowledging that TME exists, the museum community and visitors can help negate its harmful
The Tampa Museum of Art was not always the same museum that we see today. It went through multiple stages throughout the years. The works vary, creating a large spectrum from the old to the new. The social angles change with the exhibits in the museum, combining to create the diversity we see today. Visiting this museum in person helped me to appreciate it even more than I would have thought possible. Observing and analyzing the other visitors helped me to understand the museum’s impact on the community more than I would have been able to just by reading about it. This museum is much different from others than I have visited.
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
People go to see artifacts in museums for experience. What could be a better experience than going to the place they are from? Yes, the trip could cost a little more, but you cannot replicate the historical value an object holds in its origin country. The price is nothing compared to the true understanding of the history we gain from going out and visiting the place they should be. The place they should be is their home, where they were found and formed, their origin country.
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
...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.
The facility was smaller than expected by many on the tour group. However, the tour guide had a very nice explanation to each of the artworks. By visiting the museum to gain the aesthetic experience it has open many people point of views to how they can express his or her self through art.
Professor LaFleur in lecture on November 11 mentioned, “Museums were extremely powerful in shaping the way people saw the world” (Lecture 007). This same reasoning is why Fusco and Pena embark on this ethnographic journey. By displaying “A Savage Performance”, we see that they are subverting the past notions of ethnography. Ethnographic museums as the ones Sara Baartman was displayed in served a purpose and created a certain kind of discourse. “Discourse do not simply reflect reality, or innocently designate objects; rather they constitute them in specific contexts according to particular relations of power” (Lidchi, p. 185). Lidchi goes on to say that ethnography was created by the dominant culture in the imperial c...
‘New museology’ is the concept of modernising museums and making them more interesting and interactive for the visitors. The District Six Museum is a good example of new museology because it is a relatively new museum that was started and run by the community, not the state and it is very different to older museums. It is very appropriate to have a museum like this in South Africa, because what happened in District Six should not be forgotten and museums like this one encourage people to visit them and find out more about what has happened. Part of new museology is to teach people more about what happened in the past by using more interactive displays; the District Six Museum does this by using a range of interesting and interactive displays.
In “Whose Culture Is It, Anyway? ”, Kwame Anthony Appiah begins by pointing out that some of the museums of the world, particularly in the West, have large collections of artefacts and objects which were robbed from developing and poor countries. He then raises a question: who owns these cultural patrimony and properties? Our first answer may be that since they make up the cultural heritage of a people, they belong to the people and culture from whom they were taken. Appiah has doubt about this and argues that if some cultural artefacts are potentially valuable to all human beings, they should belong to all of humanity. He thinks that when they make contribution to world culture, they should be protected by being made available to those who would benefit from experiencing them and put into trusteeship of humanity.
This report targets the Romanian Government and it examines the positive and negative aspects of the free admission to museums policy which is considered to be implemented in this country. The main focus of this report is on how an increase in the demand for museum tickets will boost the economy of Romania, by allowing people to visit museums for free. Throughout the report, other examples of other countries such as the United Kingdom and Sweden will be used in order to explain how free admission to museums will have a positive impact on Romania as well.
The first European to arrive to Great Zimbabwe was a German explorer named Karl Mauch, in 1871. It was Mauch’s friend, Adam Render, who was also German and was living in the tribe of Chief Pika, that has lead him to Great Zimbabwe. When Mauch first saw the ruins, he abruptly concluded that Great Zimbabwe wasn’t erected by Africans. He felt that the handiwork was too delicate and the people who constructed this showed they were way too civilized to have been the work of Africans.
‘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.
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...
...ad. They change opinions and perspectives and cause people to think in ways they normally would not just because of the sheer power of the exhibits around them. They are a necessity in society because it betters and cultures the population, making the world greater as a whole. I am thankful that museums are taking the initiative to becoming more modernized, adding twenty first century touches to the exhibits as well as creating virtual tours. Even though they do not compare to being there in person, it is a step in the right direction. We need museums more than most know, anything they can do to ensure they do not become a thing of the past, they should. I am glad I got to experience this class this semester, it changed my warped views on museums and caused me to appreciate them more. I am thankful to have learned more about myself through these remarkable museums.