The Role Of Museums In Society: Education And Social Action

Abstract

The museum community has long debated whether museums are primarily educational or aesthetic institutions. I propose two interrelated propositions. First, the raison d’etre of the museum is education broadly defined. It’s possible to have collections of objects, even collections carefully classified, organized and preserved, that are not primarily educational—the world includes many fine private collections and archives—but as soon as these are open to the public, the museum becomes an educational institution. Second, I argue that there are moral, social, and political consequences to accepting the view that museums are educational by nature. If we conceptualize museum education as more than particular tasks assigned to specific personnel, then we must acknowledge our worldview of the role of education in society as relevant to all museum functions. We must accept the responsibilities inherent in the kind of education we value and in our convictions about the purpose of education—and therefore the purpose of museums. I believe that the significance of the educative task in museums is greater than can be circumscribed by any list of specific tasks. Museum education is at the center of museum activities. Museums are primarily educational institutions; what makes them public institutions for the preservation of culture is their educational work.