Museums and Halls of Fame
By: Jim | September 29, 2008 | Category: Travel
A recent weekend away got me thinking about some of the historic and artistic destinations in the DC area that I’ve not yet seen. A lot of them free at that! Why is it that so many of us who live in cities with a variety of attractions rarely take advantage of them? For example, I have yet to finish touring all of the museums of the Smithsonian Institution or go to one of its Folklife Festivals.
If you're like me, you probably have the usual excuses, like being too busy or wanting to wait until you have houseguests. Others of us may have children and think the kids may not enjoy a trip the local museum. Not to fear! Museums and Learning has tips on how to prepare for and enjoy a trip to the museum with your kids. If you think you're not ready for a trip to the Museum of Modern Art with the kids, then maybe a visit to a children's museum is in order.
For something a little unusual, try a hall of fame. Back home in Northeastern Ohio there are such diverse venues as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, and the National Inventors Hall of Fame in Akron. If you or your kids have a particular interest or hobby, do a quick search using your hobby with the term "hall of fame" or "museum" and see what you come up with, like the Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum in Gatlinburg, TN. Another way to find about interesting cultural opportunities is to go to your town's chamber of commerce or department of tourism. Check out USA.gov's history, arts, and culture page page for more ideas, too.
Does your home town have an unusual attraction?
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I recently retired after 35+ years as an art museum curator, and have a few ideas why people don't patronize museums. Although, the American Association of Museum claims that more people go to museums than attend sporting events, that seems like a bit of a stretch... if I got their statement correctly.
There are about 9,000 museums of all kinds in the USA. Roughly half of those are history. Of the total art museums, 60% or so were built since 1965 thereabouts - at HUGE cost.
Many average Americans feel alienated by art museums, sometimes justifiably... to say nothing of the enormous admission charge the largest art museums demand. To counteract that, art types have imposed "education" departments on visitors, most of whom are mainly interested in looking at nice artifacts with good labels.
Still, museums like the Smithsonians, Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, Greenfield Village in Detroit, The Metropolitan in New York, Chicago Art Institute, DC's National Building Museum, Arlington National Cemetery, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Ohio's National US Air Force Museum, and so many many others of that scale have got to be on everyone's list to must-see in a lifetime.
By taking me to museums as a little boy, my father made it possible for me to be inspired toward a lifetime profession well spent.
Comment PermalinkIf Clowns are your thing, we have the International Clown Hall of Fame.
If Harleys are your thing, we have the Harley-Davidson Museum.
If beer is your thing, we have MillerCoors Visitor Center & Girl in the Brewing Shop.
Lastly we have one of the most stunning buildings in the world. The Quadracci Pavilla.
Thomas
Comment PermalinkTo Bluehawk's comment that "art types have imposed 'education' departments on visitors, most of whom are mainly interested in looking at nice artifacts with good labels," I would say that it's often the education departments of museums that help create a better environment for visitors. Those "good labels" are often written by education staff who understand learning concepts and the ways in which visitors interact with artifacts. Education departments in museums have become more and more professionalized over the last 30 - 50 years and, as a result, visitors can find museums to be more welcoming, approachable, and accessible places for learning and personal connection. We all benefit from their efforts, which open museums to more and more audiences each day.
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Comment PermalinkHowever, museum professionals nor the AAM or AASLH or ICOM have yet dealt with the fact that the education component of museums has in many cases sucked all the oxygen out of the remaining 3/4ths of our traditional mission!
To share with other readers, and to reiterate, the four purposes have always been:
- Acquisition
- Exhibition
- Interpretation (aka "education")
- Preservation
Today, 3 of the 4 purposes are being given short shrift, in my opinion, by the insatiable education juggernaught.
I regard that development to be an experiment in social engineering rather than a necessary or sufficiently justifiable progress.
No doubt interpretive improvements were in order a generation ago, but the response has been to suffocate rather than to augment.
The consequences will be noticed in coming years as fewer and fewer museums are able to attract named gifts and other funds for storage, collection, exhibits and conservation... ending up being educational "interactive" theme parks and restaurants with interesting displays attached.
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