The Matter of Museums

In my last entry, I tried to touch on the importance of museums and art. I wanted to discuss “Do museums really matter? Can and do museums make a difference?” However, I feel that I didn’t do museums justice. I somehow, neglected them, and concentrated more on art that museums house and not on the museums themselves.

So, to make up for my shortcomings last time, I did more research. And it turns out that I am not the only one concerned with the importance and role of museums.

I searched high and low for the correct answers to these questions. However, like most questions of discussion like this one, there is not a clear answer. Everything seems debatable.

I’m sure if I searched for evidence to support the claim that “Humans need air to breathe”, I’d find articles that rebutted it.

Anyways, in his book, Making Museums Matter, author, Stephen Weil, doesn’t address this issue head-on either. Rather he makes the assumption that museums matter. But he then asks his own questions, “If museums do matter, if they can make a difference, to whom do they matter, and what are the differences that they might make? Who determines, and when, and how, whether they are, in fact, making those differences?”

Well, here is what I’ve got to say about his questions.
1. Museums matter to those who care.
2. Museums make a difference in experience, knowledge, and environment.
3. Everybody that is part of a culture determines a museum’s worth.

Anyways, that’s all for now. I’m sure one of you readers has something to say about my assertions- it’s just the way we are. REBUT and REFUTE!



“Museums are just a lot of lies, and the people who make art their business are mostly imposters. We have infected the pictures in museums with all our stupidities, all our mistakes, all our poverty of spirit. We have turned them into petty and ridiculous things.” By Pablo Picasso