Museums have a wide reach: the most visited museums in the world host more than 9 million visitors a year, eager to see masterpieces such as Aphrodite, known as the Venus de Milo; the Portrait of Louis XIV; the Louvre’s Pyramid and the Temple of Dendur from 10 BCE. Museums are also a source of cultural and spiritual inspiration, offering visitors a chance to learn about the history of their country or civilization. They are even sometimes used as a place of healing, helping us to understand the past and allowing us to make predictions about our future.
Major professional organizations from around the globe offer their own definitions of what a museum is, with common themes such as public good and the care, preservation and interpretation of collections. However, many are hesitant to define a museum beyond the traditional boundaries of a building or site with permanent collections and exhibitions. Pop up museums, which often eschew traditional exhibition spaces for events that take place in an everyday setting (think: a bar or a concert hall) prove that there are new ways of thinking about the meaning and purpose of museums.
The definition of museum has shifted significantly in recent years. The International Council of Museums (ICOM) has recently adopted a new definition at its Extraordinary General Assembly in Prague that stresses inclusiveness, accessibility and sustainability. This is the first time that the ICOM’s governing body has made such a significant change to the definition of museum.
While the new ICOM definition is a step in the right direction, it still leaves many questions unanswered. A new way of thinking about museum may help guide the industry as it reshapes itself to meet the needs and expectations of society.
It could be argued that the earliest museums were simply places where objects were stored. It wasn’t until much later that the idea of educating people about these objects became central to the museum’s mission. This change can be seen in the evolution of museum education from didacticism to interpretive practice.
Some have referred to museums as cultural institutions, but the term culture is a bit ambiguous. It can mean the body of concepts shared by a society (the sociological view) or it can refer to the achievements that a culture deems most important and worthy of preservation (“high” culture).
Another issue is how to define the functions of a museum. Some authors, such as Treinen, have emphasized the importance of preservation – research – communication as museum functions and have even developed a hierarchy of these functions.
Others argue that a museum is a socially constructed space and that its function is to serve the community. This is a useful perspective because it reminds us that a museum is not something that exists outside of our minds and that the definition of a museum should reflect this. In other words, a museum is only as strong as its community.