Why Are Museums Important?
When Winston Churchill, then Prime Minister of Britain, was suggested to cut the arts funding in favour of the war effort, he retorted: "Then, what are we fighting for?".
His comment resumes the importance of the Arts and Culture for human kind. And probably no other institution has been of greater importance in the preservation of the Arts and Culture throughout the centuries than Museums.
But, what is a museum? When did they start? With all our current technology, are museums still relevant in the 21st century?
Let’s begin with a bit of history.
Although there are registers of art collections since ancient times, the first public museum ever to be created, in 1677, was the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England.
Its creation was no accident, but a product of its era. The concept of museums as we know them started during the Age of Enlightenment, a time in which the precepts of widespread education, liberty and equality inspired revolutions, and formed the pillars of our modern society.
It’s not surprising then, that some of the most famous museums in the world were created during this period: the Uffizi Gallery (1743), the British Museum (1753), the Hermitage Museum (1764), the Prado Museum (1785) and the Louvre Museum (1793), among many others.
But what is a ‘Museum’, exactly?
The word ‘Museum’ derives from the Latin ‘Muse’, and describes a place dedicated to the divine patrons of the arts in Ancient Greece: the muses. As such, museums are guardians of the Arts and Culture.
However, not all museums are ‘Museums’ - although the name has been applied liberally to almost any collection of artefacts, real museums are spaces dedicated to preserve, display and study pieces of historical and cultural value, and count with a team of specialized professionals dedicated to these tasks.
Although in the beginning museums were a little more than a collection of items displayed in closed cabinets, seen by a select minority, as man’s scope of the world grew wider over the centuries, they transformed into veritable cultural institutions.
As such, their purpose is not only to be repositories of art and ancient artefacts, but also to educate the visitor through changing exhibitions, guided visits, lectures, workshops, classes, etc. as well as conducting specialized research, and the archival, cataloguing and restoration of their standing collections.
In fact, unlike galleries, once a piece of art or artefact is acquired by a museum, its importance increases exponentially. It ceases to become a mere object and becomes part of the intangible, cultural wealth of a nation.
Depending on its main role, a museum may either focus on preservation (see but do not touch museums) or education (which may include a hands-on process).
For instance, in open air museums, such as the Vigeland Museum in Oslo, people are meant to interact with the artworks, and these are sturdy enough to resist the sustained contact with the public and the rigours of weather.
Other museums, such as the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, display fragile historical items in secure cabinets under regulated conditions of light, humidity and temperature, some of which are even covered with fabric to ensure better protection of the pieces.
However, museums are no longer places to go see musty old relics, but interactive spaces that propitiate dialogue, the exchange of cultures and ideas. Nowadays most museums employ the latest in digital technology to increase their appeal to the younger audiences and make them more accessible to visitors, some even including virtual visits as part of their offers.
Moreover, in recent years, and in an effort to reach out to a wider public, museums have started to include select icons of popular culture among their exhibitions, such as the David Bowie and Pink Floyd exhibitions at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
Museums have been an integral part in the spread of knowledge for centuries, and in today’s highly digitized era their importance seems to have only increased, permitting a real, tactile experience with the objects on display, as opposed to the distant virtual experience drawn from pictures and videos.
Still not convinced? Here are a few more reasons why Museums are still relevant nowadays:
His comment resumes the importance of the Arts and Culture for human kind. And probably no other institution has been of greater importance in the preservation of the Arts and Culture throughout the centuries than Museums.
But, what is a museum? When did they start? With all our current technology, are museums still relevant in the 21st century?
Let’s begin with a bit of history.
Although there are registers of art collections since ancient times, the first public museum ever to be created, in 1677, was the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England.
The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.
Its creation was no accident, but a product of its era. The concept of museums as we know them started during the Age of Enlightenment, a time in which the precepts of widespread education, liberty and equality inspired revolutions, and formed the pillars of our modern society.
It’s not surprising then, that some of the most famous museums in the world were created during this period: the Uffizi Gallery (1743), the British Museum (1753), the Hermitage Museum (1764), the Prado Museum (1785) and the Louvre Museum (1793), among many others.
But what is a ‘Museum’, exactly?
The word ‘Museum’ derives from the Latin ‘Muse’, and describes a place dedicated to the divine patrons of the arts in Ancient Greece: the muses. As such, museums are guardians of the Arts and Culture.
However, not all museums are ‘Museums’ - although the name has been applied liberally to almost any collection of artefacts, real museums are spaces dedicated to preserve, display and study pieces of historical and cultural value, and count with a team of specialized professionals dedicated to these tasks.
Not all museums are Museums - ‘Museum of Ham’, Madrid
Although in the beginning museums were a little more than a collection of items displayed in closed cabinets, seen by a select minority, as man’s scope of the world grew wider over the centuries, they transformed into veritable cultural institutions.
As such, their purpose is not only to be repositories of art and ancient artefacts, but also to educate the visitor through changing exhibitions, guided visits, lectures, workshops, classes, etc. as well as conducting specialized research, and the archival, cataloguing and restoration of their standing collections.
In fact, unlike galleries, once a piece of art or artefact is acquired by a museum, its importance increases exponentially. It ceases to become a mere object and becomes part of the intangible, cultural wealth of a nation.
Depending on its main role, a museum may either focus on preservation (see but do not touch museums) or education (which may include a hands-on process).
For instance, in open air museums, such as the Vigeland Museum in Oslo, people are meant to interact with the artworks, and these are sturdy enough to resist the sustained contact with the public and the rigours of weather.
Vigeland Museum, Oslo.
Other museums, such as the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, display fragile historical items in secure cabinets under regulated conditions of light, humidity and temperature, some of which are even covered with fabric to ensure better protection of the pieces.
However, museums are no longer places to go see musty old relics, but interactive spaces that propitiate dialogue, the exchange of cultures and ideas. Nowadays most museums employ the latest in digital technology to increase their appeal to the younger audiences and make them more accessible to visitors, some even including virtual visits as part of their offers.
Moreover, in recent years, and in an effort to reach out to a wider public, museums have started to include select icons of popular culture among their exhibitions, such as the David Bowie and Pink Floyd exhibitions at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
Pink Floyd exhibition 'The Mortal Remains'
Victoria & Albert Museum, 2017.
Museums have been an integral part in the spread of knowledge for centuries, and in today’s highly digitized era their importance seems to have only increased, permitting a real, tactile experience with the objects on display, as opposed to the distant virtual experience drawn from pictures and videos.
Still not convinced? Here are a few more reasons why Museums are still relevant nowadays:
Museums are keepers of everything that is valuable for humanity.
Not only in terms of objects but also of memories, ideas and concepts.
Just as libraries keep books and documents for study and for posterity, Museums do the same but with a larger selection, which may include objects, artworks, organic remains, biological samples and more. Without of the support of these cultural institutions, much of what constitutes value for our society in terms of art, history and culture would be lost and forgotten.
It is precisely this aspect - which usually passes unnoticed by the public - in which resides most of a museum’s importance and responsibility.
However small, all museums count with a professional staff of curators, art specialists, historians, researchers and conservators who work together to decide on the acquisitions, preserve historical objects and artworks, select the pieces to exhibit, organize collections, come up with exhibitions and head research on them.
Just as libraries keep books and documents for study and for posterity, Museums do the same but with a larger selection, which may include objects, artworks, organic remains, biological samples and more. Without of the support of these cultural institutions, much of what constitutes value for our society in terms of art, history and culture would be lost and forgotten.
The Hispanic Society, New York.
It is precisely this aspect - which usually passes unnoticed by the public - in which resides most of a museum’s importance and responsibility.
However small, all museums count with a professional staff of curators, art specialists, historians, researchers and conservators who work together to decide on the acquisitions, preserve historical objects and artworks, select the pieces to exhibit, organize collections, come up with exhibitions and head research on them.
It’s a complex and specialized machinery working behind the curtains of what the public finally gets to see. And yet, without them, museums could not function at all.
Museums allow us to see, experience and experiment by ourselves.
Museums allow us to see, experience and experiment by ourselves.
And often in close interaction with the items on display. The impressions we get from this interaction are unforgettable and become part of our life experience, thus ingraining it into our minds more deeply than all the theory in the world.
This is specially true for Science museums, where we’re allowed to experiment hands-on in a safe environment with scientific laws and theories, and come up with our own conclusions. As with everything learned from first-hand experience, the lessons drawn are unforgettable.
Museums allow us to see things which, otherwise, we would never see. Imagine if you had to travel to Egypt to see an ancient Egyptian papyrus. Or if you had to go to Italy to see ancient Roman sculptures. Or to Japan to see Samurai swords.
We can learn about habitats and animals we may never get to see or visit, or travel back in time to an era before we were born, or visualize a possible future. The possibilities in a museum are endless!
Museums Inspire.
This is specially true for Science museums, where we’re allowed to experiment hands-on in a safe environment with scientific laws and theories, and come up with our own conclusions. As with everything learned from first-hand experience, the lessons drawn are unforgettable.
Museums allow us to see things which, otherwise, we would never see. Imagine if you had to travel to Egypt to see an ancient Egyptian papyrus. Or if you had to go to Italy to see ancient Roman sculptures. Or to Japan to see Samurai swords.
Thanks to museums, we can all access examples from these cultures and more, witnessing them firsthand without having to move from our cities.
Temple of Dendur, Metropolitan Museum of Art.
We can learn about habitats and animals we may never get to see or visit, or travel back in time to an era before we were born, or visualize a possible future. The possibilities in a museum are endless!
Museums Inspire.
Witnessing what our ancestors or other cultures have accomplished before up raises our awareness of the world, and provide us with both a sense of awe and the wish to emulate them.
Moreover, the items we may find in a museum may inspire us ideas, reflections, concepts or even artworks based on some pre-existing work.
Nothing compares to seeing things with our own eyes.
The Clarke Engleman's Court, Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Museums are immersive experiences. In them we learn through all our senses, which makes it for a deeper and more complete learning experience than sitting in a classroom or in front of a screen.
And because everyone’s senses are slightly different, each one of us sees and feels things differently.
Thus, even when witnessing the same item, each person will notice different things and come up with a different impression of it. One artefact that may not appeal to one visitor may engross another for hours.
With the exception of guided tours, museums allow us the chance to experience and learn first-hand from each of the items displayed, with the liberty to check the collections at leisure.
By seeing things with our own eyes and doing with our own hands we draw lessons that no teacher, video or book can teach us.
Museums bring history to life.
Thus, even when witnessing the same item, each person will notice different things and come up with a different impression of it. One artefact that may not appeal to one visitor may engross another for hours.
With the exception of guided tours, museums allow us the chance to experience and learn first-hand from each of the items displayed, with the liberty to check the collections at leisure.
By seeing things with our own eyes and doing with our own hands we draw lessons that no teacher, video or book can teach us.
Museums bring history to life.
It’s one thing to read about historical facts and exploits, about people who’re dead and we’ll never get to meet, and quite another to stand right where the events took place, in true-to-life historical recreations, or next to the armour or costume worn by these historical figures.
I will never forget my impression when I stood in front of a dress worn by a then-recently crowned Queen Victoria. As much as I had seen countless of pictures and photographs of her, none of these reflected how tiny, how petite her frame was.
Selections from the Arms & Armour Collection,
Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The dress was so well preserved that it looked as if she would come back at any minute to claim it, and yet some of it evidenced some wear, which also spoke of the way she moved. From that moment on, Queen Victoria ceased to be a distant historical reference in my mind, and became a real, breathing, moving person.
Such is the power of Museums.
Museums allow us to see the artworks and items in their actual dimension and physicality.
Museums allow us to see the artworks and items in their actual dimension and physicality.
As fine as a picture or video may be, it will never beat seeing the actual piece right before you, where you can almost touch it and see every tiny detail that even the best picture won’t be able to capture, and draw a personal experience from it.
In the case of sculptures, for example, seeing the actual artwork will reveal dimensions that even the best photograph hide, textures, shades and materiality that can only be perceived in person and which for part of the overall experience of the piece.
Even when you think you’ve seen enough reproductions of an artwork, nothing ever beats seeing the real thing with your own eyes, which explains why people gather in hordes to watch the Mona Lisa or the Sistine Chapel.
Museums are dynamic.
In the case of sculptures, for example, seeing the actual artwork will reveal dimensions that even the best photograph hide, textures, shades and materiality that can only be perceived in person and which for part of the overall experience of the piece.
The reproduction...
...and the actual artwork.
"George Washington Crossing the Delaware",
Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, 1851
Even when you think you’ve seen enough reproductions of an artwork, nothing ever beats seeing the real thing with your own eyes, which explains why people gather in hordes to watch the Mona Lisa or the Sistine Chapel.
Museums are dynamic.
Through their different exhibitions, museums allow us to see things that we would probably never see otherwise and learn things we never even knew existed. This capacity to amaze and surprise is what makes museums so special as an experience.
Even if you have visited a museum several times, there’s always something bound to capture your attention and make you see things under a different light, and the change of exhibitions not only keeps this interest alive, but also helps to attract new audiences and expand the subjects covered.
Moreover, many museums include free of charge activities along their exhibitions, which help research more deeply other aspects of the exhibition and allow for a more personal approach to the subject exhibited.
Museums expand our horizons.
Ink drawing by Michael Jackson,
Museo de la Moda, Santiago.
Even if you have visited a museum several times, there’s always something bound to capture your attention and make you see things under a different light, and the change of exhibitions not only keeps this interest alive, but also helps to attract new audiences and expand the subjects covered.
Moreover, many museums include free of charge activities along their exhibitions, which help research more deeply other aspects of the exhibition and allow for a more personal approach to the subject exhibited.
Museums expand our horizons.
Through their exhibitions, most museums strive to foster understanding, diversity and cultural exchange.
In this sense, some Museums act as veritable laboratories of ideas, for artists, researchers, academics and the general public, which in turn only allows for exchange of ideas and breathes new life into society, opening the doors to innovation.
There’s A Museum for Everyone.
Owens Thomas House, Savannah, USA.
There’s A Museum for Everyone.
Almost anything that contributes to our knowledge and culture and is worth preserving has a museum devoted to it.
There are museums on architecture, archeology, art, transport, design, fashion, medicine, natural history, science, military, historical houses, food, folklore and more, without counting botanical gardens and Zoos, which are ‘museums’ of living species of their own kind.
In addition, for those who complain that culture is elitist, most museums offer free admission or charge a moderate fee of entry.
Here’s a brief list to show the vast variety of Museums we can find across the globe:
*Museum of Pencil - Want to learn more about the origins and history of this humble but indispensable writing instrument? This is your place!
www.pencilmuseum.co.uk
*Museum of Ramen - A complete journey through the history, recipes, tastes and regional variations of this indispensable staple of Japanese cuisine, first introduced in Japan in 1958.
http://www.raumen.co.jp/english/
*Museum of Violin - Sponsored by the Stradivarius Foundation, this museum in Cremona, Italy, is a violinist’s paradise.
www.mondodelviolino.org/en
*Museum of Television and Radio - Now the Paley Center Media, it holds a trove of data in their archives of almost every film, short, TV and radio program and commercial ever broadcasted in the United States. A must for anyone interested in the media.
https://media.paleycenter.org/
*Museum for the Blind - A cultural space in Madrid devoted to Spanish and foreign artworks and typhlological material (models, tools, gadgets, and specific aids for the blind and visually-impaired.). One of the few art museums where all pieces exhibited are there to be felt through the sense of touch.
http://museo.once.es/home.cfm.
*Museum of Man - More than an anthropology museum, this is a center for research of humans and societies, encompassing the entire globe. An absolute must see for all of us. http://www.museedelhomme.fr/en
*Cartoon Art Museum - A great museum to learn more on the history of comics and cartoon, with lectures and workshops to learn.
www.cartoonart.org
*ABBA Museum - In Stockholm. If you’re a fan of this pop group, this is the place for you.
https://www.abbathemuseum.com/en
*Museum of London - From before London was ‘London’ up to our days, this is one of the most complete and fun of city museums. A great visit for both children and their parents! www.museumoflondon.org.uk
*National Museum of the American Indian - Native cultures from South, Central and North America receive the first class treatment in this fascinating museum with three locations: New York, Washington DC and Maryland.
www.nmai.si.edu
*Museum of Antique Cars - Although there are many of their kind, this one stands out for the variety and mint quality of their collection, the public’s accessibility to the exhibitions, and their rotating collections.
www.museojedimar.cl
*Museum of Computer Games - Inaugurated in 1997 in Berlin, it explores the evolution of video games, from the first video computer ever presented in 1951 to this day. In addition to learning about your favourite video games, you can also play them!
www.computerspielemuseum.de
So, which museum will you visit today?
In addition, for those who complain that culture is elitist, most museums offer free admission or charge a moderate fee of entry.
National Museum of Fine Arts, Santiago, Chile.
Here’s a brief list to show the vast variety of Museums we can find across the globe:
*Museum of Pencil - Want to learn more about the origins and history of this humble but indispensable writing instrument? This is your place!
www.pencilmuseum.co.uk
*Museum of Ramen - A complete journey through the history, recipes, tastes and regional variations of this indispensable staple of Japanese cuisine, first introduced in Japan in 1958.
http://www.raumen.co.jp/english/
*Museum of Violin - Sponsored by the Stradivarius Foundation, this museum in Cremona, Italy, is a violinist’s paradise.
www.mondodelviolino.org/en
*Museum of Television and Radio - Now the Paley Center Media, it holds a trove of data in their archives of almost every film, short, TV and radio program and commercial ever broadcasted in the United States. A must for anyone interested in the media.
https://media.paleycenter.org/
*Museum for the Blind - A cultural space in Madrid devoted to Spanish and foreign artworks and typhlological material (models, tools, gadgets, and specific aids for the blind and visually-impaired.). One of the few art museums where all pieces exhibited are there to be felt through the sense of touch.
http://museo.once.es/home.cfm.
*Museum of Man - More than an anthropology museum, this is a center for research of humans and societies, encompassing the entire globe. An absolute must see for all of us. http://www.museedelhomme.fr/en
National Museum of the American Indian, New York
(Photo: David Sundberg/ESTO)
*Cartoon Art Museum - A great museum to learn more on the history of comics and cartoon, with lectures and workshops to learn.
www.cartoonart.org
*ABBA Museum - In Stockholm. If you’re a fan of this pop group, this is the place for you.
https://www.abbathemuseum.com/en
*Museum of London - From before London was ‘London’ up to our days, this is one of the most complete and fun of city museums. A great visit for both children and their parents! www.museumoflondon.org.uk
*National Museum of the American Indian - Native cultures from South, Central and North America receive the first class treatment in this fascinating museum with three locations: New York, Washington DC and Maryland.
www.nmai.si.edu
*Museum of Antique Cars - Although there are many of their kind, this one stands out for the variety and mint quality of their collection, the public’s accessibility to the exhibitions, and their rotating collections.
www.museojedimar.cl
*Museum of Computer Games - Inaugurated in 1997 in Berlin, it explores the evolution of video games, from the first video computer ever presented in 1951 to this day. In addition to learning about your favourite video games, you can also play them!
www.computerspielemuseum.de
So, which museum will you visit today?
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