Museums are sanctuaries of knowledge, history and art, designed to deepen your understanding of a place or subject. They beckon us to explore new cultures and topics through carefully curated collections and transcendent exhibitions. They can inspire, even if you’ve never been to one. But museums can also polarise people, especially if they’re perceived as stuffy and child-like or unnecessary. It’s no wonder that in recent years the field has grown more serious about independent learning and deeper audience engagement, so museums can offer more of those inspirational experiences.
Museum professionals have a hard job, trying to create a meaningful experience for visitors while preserving and caring for their valuable collections. But if we want museums to be more effective at their core mission, we need to change how we think about them. And that starts with asking a big question: What is a museum?
The International Council of Museums (ICOM) has been grappling with this question for years. It has created a standing committee, Icom Define, charged with updating its definition of a museum. But the committee has had a tough time getting consensus on a new definition. The process of defining a museum has been controversial and acrimonious. The new definition includes phrases such as “inclusivity, transparency and participation,” but it does not include key issues like repatriation and restitution, which are central to many of Icom’s member museums’ work.
The new ICOM definition also challenges the way that museums acquire objects. The word acquisition, which comes from the Latin for “taking as one’s own,” implies taking ownership of something and asserting power over it. This is a dangerous idea for museums to promote, especially in a world of growing tensions over global heritage and the right to cultural identity.
Finally, the new ICOM definition calls for museums to take diverse perspectives into account not just in their collections and exhibitions but in their overall organizational practices. This is a challenge for many museums that are already struggling to take the step from being isolated and insular institutions to truly being open and welcoming.
The Advisory Council of ICOM has selected one of the five proposals for a new definition to be voted on by members at an Extraordinary General Assembly at ICOM Prague 2022. The proposals will be published in a free e-book in English and Spanish, available to all ICOM members, as well as on the ICOM website. This is a significant milestone in the long journey to a new museum definition that will reflect the reality of ICOM’s member museums and address the complex issues they face. We look forward to bringing you more updates on this important project!