A museum is a sanctuary of knowledge, history and art; a space designed to slow down our lives, look closely and gain new perspectives on everything from ancient civilisations and classical masterpieces to contemporary works and complex conflicts. Yet it is all too easy to dismiss museums as luxuries, mere leisure activities for a select few. This view of museums reflects an outdated perception of their role in society and is dangerous to the future of our collections.
The major professional organizations that define the museum field offer different definitions of what makes a museum, but most are united by a commitment to the public good and the care, preservation and interpretation of objects. Some, like the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles and the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, have very few artifacts and do not call themselves museums, but are still committed to public education and preserving important historical documents. Others are larger and more traditional, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the world’s most visited museum, attracting nearly 10 million visitors last year, and London’s Natural History Museum which welcomed over 4.6 million people in 2022.
While many museums are focused on teaching and informing the public, some have a more creative mission and focus on inspiring the public to be inspired. This is the case with the Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb, Croatia, a fascinating exhibition where pieces submitted by people from around the globe commemorate their broken relationships. The collection is both evocative and thought-provoking, challenging us to examine our own relationships in an unexpected way.
Museums have the potential to be inspirational, and there is no doubt that some do so well, such as the Met in New York which attracts over 10 million visitors annually or London’s Natural History Museum which welcomed over 5 million in 2022. Even those museums with a more traditional mission can be inspirational, for example the National Building Museum in Washington DC has created a curriculum to teach children to identify problems and experiment with solutions, while the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History teaches kids about the science behind everyday phenomena through interactive displays such as the Wonderlab.
Some museums are a hybrid of these types, for example the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw used to be housed in a beautiful building at Emilii Plater 51 but has recently moved into a white-cube pavilion on the bank of the Vistula River while the renovation of its permanent home is underway. Similarly, the Science Museum in London is famous for its immersive exhibitions such as the Wonderlab, a popular gallery where visitors learn about the laws of light, sound and forces through hands-on experiences.
There is a long tradition of the museum as a place to inspire, and this is likely to be a central theme in the next update of the ICOM definition of a museum. However, it will be a challenge to boil down the MDPP inspiration into an acceptable and universally accepted update, particularly since themes such as decolonisation, repatriation and cultural diversity are at the heart of the debate.