WHAT IS A MUSEUM?

BEYOND TRADITION

BY: EMILY WELSH

Hello and welcome to the inaugural post of the column Beyond Tradition! This column will be a home for authors to discuss their thoughts and findings of museum practices that fall outside traditional models and conventions. I hope readers and authors alike will be provoked to think critically about the practices they see in other museums and the lessons they can incorporate into their own institution or favourite type, no matter how drastically different the other museum may appear. However, this idea centres around the debatable concept: what is a museum?  

Which museums do you consider to be museums? Source.

I often think that when people consider the word museum, the first institutions that pop into their minds are history museums (including natural history) and art galleries. Their definition for a museum likely revolves around two key concepts - the presence of museum objects and the discussion of historical or cultural topics.

However, I argue this definition of museum is much too narrow. Let's examine science museums and science centres as a case in point. Science museums, such as the Canada Science and Technology Museum (CSTM) in Ottawa, readily exhibit the two attributes of the definition above; CSTM houses and displays a large collection of artifacts relating to the history of science and technology. It is not hard to imagine them as a museum.

But consider a science centre where the emphasis on artifacts is decreased and instead galleries use interactive experiences to communicate current scientific knowledge, concepts and questions. The Ontario Science Centre focuses on hands-on/bodies-on experiences with current science, yet they still present a small range of artifacts in their galleries. The presence of objects would qualify them as a museum under the definition above, but even if they did not display a single artifact, or speak one word regarding history or culture, I would still call them a museum. Consider how science centres discuss abstract concepts or contemporary knowledge: are they really that different from art galleries that display contemporary art or history museums that discuss recent events in temporary exhibitions?

Do you consider science centres to be museums? Source.

For me, the definition of a museum is an institution that uses interpretation to present a subject matter to the public and provides a space for visitors to create their own meaning. They are first and foremost places of informal learning. Eilean Hooper Greenhill (1999, p.3) states:

'museum' is a capacious concept, and as a result museums are intensely varied, with a fluidity of organizational form that can be adeptly exploited to suit specific local circumstances. ... each museum is unique. For all museums, however, their educational role is crucial.  

Whether or not you wish to label zoos, aquariums, science centres, and other non-traditional learning institutions as museums, I hope you will consider what can be gained by keeping an open mind and eye on their practices and research. They all provide visitor experiences. They all present knowledge to the public. They all wish to be meaningful parts of their communities. If all informal learning institutions thought of themselves and their uniquely different partners as museums, then we would be more open to looking at the work being done around us and the lessons we can learn from others' successes and failures. 

References: 

          Hooper-Greenhill, E. (1999). Education, communication and interpretation: Towards a critical pedagogy in museums. In E. Hooper-Greenhill, The educational role of the museum (p. 3-27). London: Routledge

COFFEE WITH A BOBCAT: TURTLE BAY EXPLORATION PARK IN REDDING, CA

A MUSE BOUCHE

BY: ERIKA ROBERTSON

Welcome to my new column exploring the intersection of food and museums! I’ll take a moment to explain my experiment. Museums and food have had a contentious relationship; exhibitions typically begin with signs like this:

Please respect the signs. Photo by Erika Robertson.

Curators and collections managers are protecting artifacts from ice cream fingerprints and the ants that follow. Yet in some ways, food belongs in museums because eating is a universal, and yet intensely cultural, personal, and emotional part of life. Many artifacts begin life as everyday tools for preparing, eating, or serving food. We can’t forget that museum audiences also need sustenance to absorb all those cultural experiences.

So it makes sense that museum folks are taking an interest in foodways. This emerging field brings together farmers, chefs, and people who eat to ask questions such as:

•       Who’s working in the kitchen?
•       Who’s around the table?
•       What’s being served? Source.

My take on these questions will involve a lot of travel. This summer, follow me as I eat my way through museums in California, Washington, and British Columbia. This first article is an overview of some ways in which food influences interpretation, but later stories will explore an issue (or a meal) in greater depth.

This month I visited my little sister, Miranda, at Turtle Bay Exploration Park in Redding, California. The park includes botanical gardens, a museum, and Paul Bunyan’s Forest Camp. The little zoo specialized in native species, such as the turtles that give the area its name. Most importantly, they have a Coffee Bar!

 Museum, aquarium, coffee? Someone has their priorities right. Photo by Erika Robertson.

My exploration began in the permanent history exhibition, where I was surprised to find... food! The display asked me to pack supplies I would need for a gold panning expedition. The text reminds visitors, “How are you going to cook your food? How are you going to eat it?” The exhibit brought back happy hours spent playing Oregon Trail as a kid.

I don’t remember whiskey as an option back then.... Photo by Erika Robertson.

After touring the museum, I headed outside to Paul Bunyan’s Forest Camp, where Miranda and her fellow trainers were rehearsing their summer performance. According to my sister, the animals displayed their natural behaviors on cue because they expect a tasty reward. Of course these behaviours were all about finding food, a drive Homo sapiens share with all species.

That's my sister! Did you know bobcats jump to catch birds out of the air? Photo by Erika Robertson.

Watching the animals eat gave me an appetite, so I circled back to the coffee shop. As I munched on my turkey sub, I wondered about the relationship between food sales and Turtle Bay’s mission: “To inspire wonder, exploration, and appreciation of our world” (source). Some products are advertized as local or environmentally friendly, but I didn’t see a consistent message between retail, museum exhibitions, and Paul Bunyan Forest Camp.

Cute, but is it relevant? Photo by Erika Robertson.

Poking into Turtle Bay’s operations confirmed my theory: as an independent non-profit, sales of food, drinks, and merchandise account for 17% of their operating budget (source). Following the global financial crisis, the City of Redding removed their support in 2010 (source).The institution’s goal to “strengthen our financial stability” may mean remodelling the cafe (source).

So can I feel good about my food dollars helping Turtle Bay feed its animals, pay their staff, and expand? I look forward to hearing your thoughts.