'WHY MUSEUMS MATTER'
Keynote Address, Awards Luncheon. Wednesday 19 September 2007.
Florida Association of Museums Annual Meeting,
Belleview Biltmore Resort, Clearwater FL.
Wednesday, 19 September 2007.
ROY SLADE
Director Emeritus, Cranbrook Art Museum.
Obviously, museums do matter, which is why you are here today. Let us start with definitions. The word matter means: “to be of importance or consequence”. You will all agree that museums are indeed of importance and consequence.
The word ‘museum’ comes from the Greek mouseion: a place sacred to the muses; a place for the muses or study. The dictionary definition is: “a building/ room, for preserving and exhibiting artistic, historical; or scientific objects”. That definition has now been expanded to include any center dedicated to the study of the arts and sciences and, in modern usage, any building in which are preserved and exhibited objects. Professionally, the art museum is defined as: “a permanent, nonprofit institution, essentially educational or aesthetic in purpose, with professional staff, which acquires objects, cares for them, interprets them and exhibits them to the public on some regular schedule”. Every museum represented here shares that purpose: “to procure, preserve, protect and present”; whereas the mission of every museum is education.
President John F. Kennedy said that we judge civilizations by their culture. At the time of the Bicentennial, for the first time in 200 years, the arts of America were recognized and celebrated. In 1967, when I arrived at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington was a sleepy southern town. By the Bicentennial, within a decade, the nation’s capital had become a cultural capital. Museums played a critical role with the building of the East Wing of the National Gallery: the Hirschhorn Museum; The Air & Space Museum; The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts: Arena Stage and much more. Museums were recognized as playing a vital role in our history and nation. You should be proud to be involved in museums. Museums do matter.
Our museums reflect creativity, history, culture, ideas, innovation, exploration, discovery, diversity, freedom of expression and the ideals of democracy. Today, museums matter more than ever; as museums do protect and preserve our culture and civilization. In these dark and dismal days of nationalism; religious wars; terrorism and torture; museums present the highest ideals and achievements of humankind to be admired and cherished.
Last year, 2006, was designated ‘the year of the museum’. 100 years ago the American Association of Museums came into being and, among the celebrations, was a book: “100 years of Museums in America” by Marjorie Schwarzer. Let me quote the opening paragraph: “The American museum is a prism of American society. Its buildings reflect civic pride, often serving as examples of outstanding architectural accomplishment. Its collections are evidence of the nation’s boundless curiosity, our desire to know the achievements of other people, other lands, other times. Its exhibitions tell us stories, adding to the ever changing, sometimes contentious meanings we Americans give to history, to culture, to identity. The way the museum is managed and funded speaks to its position in the community, its many publics and political importance. The American museum today, more than at any of the time over the past century, it is a place of exchange, encounter and education. As a chorus of different voices, an arena of differing, sometimes warring interpretations, the museum has grown to become a reflection of American democracy itself”.
In the past, churches and banks were built to reflect greatness and inspire confidence. Museums were built to glorify and celebrate the arts and sciences. However, these magnificent beaux arts buildings, such as the Metropolitan or Corcoran, with towering edifices and grand entries, can overwhelm and awe the visitor. Modern architecture presents another issue and that is the ego of the architect where, particularly in art museums, the architecture can overwhelm the function of a museum: that is to show art.
Many issues exist within the museum. Is the museum for entertainment or education? New technologies pose both potential and problem in regard to the immediacy and experience of the original object. Rather than virtual reality, why not reality: the primary experience offered in our museums.
In this regard, Ford Bell, AAM President, talked to us about museums as being “essential and not a luxury”. He also stressed the need to see “real” objects; to experience the original as offered by museums.
Of the many concerns, I wrote an article, in 1982, on art museums in America: “The Temple Flourishes”. Ironically the conclusion of that article would seem to apply to museums today; for I wrote, “The problems continue to grow and administrators worry about budgets, climate control, security, conservation, acquisitions, trustees, volunteers, journalists, critics, artists, membership, guides, AIDS, politicians, orientation, elevators, transportation, insurance, parking, building repair and restoration, lighting, heating, garbage disposal, Museum shops, reproductions, exhibitions, catalogs, posters, invitations, annual reports, tours, attendance, education, special events, lawsuits, equal rights, feminism, federalism, regionalism, regulations, minorities, food service, lavatories, access the handicapped, storage, archives, accreditation and, maybe, the purpose of their Museum what ever it may be: art, history, science, children…..” “Museums by their very existence insure a finger grasp on civilization which seems ever to slipping away from us.”
Of course, the problems are many, some of which I have just mentioned, but, always, the overriding issue seems to be that of funding. My feeling was, and is, that if museums provide programs of quality and excellence then financial support will be forthcoming.
Another issue that has to be addressed, mentioned by Ford Bell, is the ethnic diversity that must be reflected in and embraced by our museums at this time. With the changing population of our communities and country, I feel that this can be addressed and changes occur, as is evident by the ever growing role of women in museums. I became director of the Corcoran in 1972 and, later, was elected to the Association of Art Museum Directors. At that first meeting, I noticed that there were no women present. In recent years that has changed dramatically with many major museums directed by women from the Philadelphia Museum of Art to the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Here in Florida, women are directors at many museums including the Norton; Harn; and Gulf Coast Museums of Art and, nearby, at the Dunedin Fine Art Center and Heritage Village. Women museum directors now make up nearly half the members of AAMD. Women play a vital and growing role in our profession and rightly so. In the same way, I feel that the issue of ethnic diversity will be addressed by and in our museums.
Of course, you could also say that another problem could be existing relationships in museums. I did address the opening session of directors and trustees on Saturday and said, in simplistic terms, that “the director should direct and the trustees should trust”. I added that, in a conference with the theme ‘making connections’ and emphasizing ‘collaboration’, the most important collaboration in the museum is between the board of trustees and the director. Equally important is the collaboration amongst the staff and with the director. Respect and trust leads to cooperation and commitment: critical to the ongoing operation and visionary vitality of any Museum.
The educational mission of museums cannot be over emphasized. The educational role is the purpose of any museum. The WK Kellogg Foundation’s report ‘Catalysts for Change’ states: “The idea of museums as educational institutions is not new, however, in the museum world. Virtually every museum in this country was founded with a charter that made education a central mandate.”
The NEA Museum Program Review, 1989, commenced: “America art museums have long viewed themselves as educational institutions committed to enhancing the quality of cultural life in this country. In a sense, all activities fulfill this primary mission of education: lectures, tours, catalogs, brochures and even videos produced by museums are geared to this end. Presentation is not a passive enterprise.”
The educational mission for all museums is paramount to their being. To further human understanding may be the most meaningful rationale. Museums can enrich and transform lives in this millennium thru furthering awareness and understanding between all races and countries. In this way, museums nurture universal appreciation and respect among the world’s diverse cultures.
For a moment, let us consider the art museum and today’s problem of disputed ownership. James Cuno, director of the Chicago Art Institute, has stated that this is an age of “resurgent nationalism”. Cultural property and ownership has become a political issue. However, as Philippe de Montebello of the Metropolitan Museum has said the issue is not that of “ownership but stewardship”. To understand world culture, objects and ideas must be preserved and shared. In his publication “Whose Muse?”, James Cuno writes that, “In museums, people can experience a sense of place and be inspired, one object at a time, to pursue the ideal of objectivity and to be led from beauty to justice… by caring.”
In the words of Harold Williams, past president of the J. Paul Getty Trust, “The world without the arts would be barren, without soul. It is difficult to imagine a human society without the arts. What dark and empty souls repopulate such a place and environment without paintings, statues, architecture, dramas, music, dance or poems? The arts define what we mean by civilization. They are part of the foundation and the framework of our culture. As a language through which we can express our common aspirations, the arts are a channel to understanding and appreciating other cultures. To be conversant with the arts is to be a civilized people, to be cultured. The arts are a basic and central medium of human communication and understanding.”
Although written about the arts, these words apply to all museums, whether science or history or children; for how sad and sorry would society be without our museums.
Museums matter for many reasons because museums:
- preserve and present our culture and times
- protect our heritage and freedom of expression
- help us understand our history and that of other countries and cultures
- give us insights into ourselves; our curiosity; our changing perceptions
- let us reflect on our aspirations and achievements
- educate our sensibilities; enrich our minds; and ennoble our spirits.
Museums are critical for us: to understand the past, appreciate the present and influence the future.
I wish you well in your endeavors. As professionals and volunteers, the museum depends on you, your commitment and effort. For you really are the ones of importance and consequence that make museums matter. Thank you.