A museum is a non-profit, permanent institution in the service of society and its development open to the public that researches, collects, conserves, interprets, communicates and exhibits tangible and intangible heritage, with a view to enhance understanding of the world and contribute to human dignity, social justice, global equality and planetary sustainability.
Museums are a democratising, inclusive and polyphonic space for critical dialogue about the pasts and the futures of humanity. They are a safe place to address complex contemporary issues and to acknowledge and address the challenges, but also to identify opportunities. They are open to everyone, and they work in partnership with diverse communities. They are transparent and operate ethically, professionally and with a commitment to diversity and sustainability.
The word museum has been in use since 530 B.C., but its definition has varied. Throughout much of the 20th century, it referred exclusively to a building where cultural material was stored and displayed for the benefit of the public. But in the 21st century, the concept has broadened, with a growing number of museum initiatives, including outdoor museums that incorporate landscapes and ecomuseums involving all aspects of an area’s natural and cultural heritage. Nevertheless, the emphasis on buildings remains important, owing to their physicality and the ways in which they can facilitate access to collections.
In addition to their cultural importance, museums play many economic roles. The Guggenheim Bilbao in Spain is one example, designed to stimulate the economy of its city by attracting tourists and revitalizing its dilapidated old port area. Museums also promote civic pride, serve as a focal point for a town’s history or a country’s culture and even transmit overtly ideological concepts.
While museums are a source of knowledge, they have long struggled to make this knowledge accessible to diverse audiences. This is partly because of the way in which museums define their mission, based on the concept of the museum as a repository for expert knowledge. But it is also because of the way in which museums approach their audience and communicate their message, primarily through didactic, expert-led programs and exhibitions.
In this context, the new ICOM definition has the potential to challenge this paradigm by emphasizing the role of museums in society, rather than as institutions that preserve and exhibit cultural objects for the public. It further focuses on the difference between “acquire” and “collect”. To acquire is to take as one’s own, to come into possession or control of something. But to collect is to gather, assemble and connect, and to share and give.
This process of defining museums has been a difficult and long journey, but the result will be more relevant to a globalized world. It will be up to museum professionals and communities, in their individual regions, countries and societies, to decide how best to move forward with this new vision. ICOM Define is now taking the results of Consultation 1 and the proposals received, to create a final museum definition proposal that will be put to the vote at ICOM’s Extraordinary General Assembly in Prague in 2022.