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About this book
Are museums irrelevant? Museums are rarely acknowledged in the global discussion of climate change, environmental degradation, the inevitability of depleted fossil fuels, and the myriad local issues concerning the well-being of particular communities - suggesting the irrelevance of museums as social institutions. At the same time, there is a growing preoccupation among museums with the marketplace, and museums, unwittingly or not, are embracing the values of relentless consumption that underlie the planetary difficulties of today. "Museums in a Troubled World" argues that much more can be expected of museums as publicly supported and knowledge-based institutions.
The weight of tradition and a lack of imagination are significant factors in museum inertia and these obstacles are also addressed. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, combining anthropology ethnography, museum studies and management theory, this book goes beyond conventional museum thinking. Robert R. Janes explores the meaning and role of museums as key intellectual and civic resources in a time of profound social and environmental change.
Contents
Prologue Time Immemorial The Willow Lakers The Curator The Exhibit Technician The Chief Executive Officer The Future 1. Museums and Irrelevance Troubling Questions Sobering Assumptions Uncertainty, Elitism and Myopia 2. A Troubled World The Absence of Stewardship A Troubled World Our Lethal Footprint A Virtual Impression Killing Our Relatives -- Close and Distant Enter Museums Homogenizing the Ethnosphere Diagnosing the Assault on Stewardship 3. It's a Jungle in Here: Museums and their Self-Inflicted Challenges The Three Agendas The Fallacy of Authoritative Neutrality The Lone Museum Director Management Myopia The Consequences of Hierarchy: Learning from Hunters Museum Exhibitions: Ploughing Old Ground Collections: Museums as Consumption 4. Debunking the Marketplace Corporatism Has Arrived Back to the Beginning A Clash of Values The Anatomy of Failure Courting the Corporatists: A Cautionary Tale Business Literacy Methods Aren't Values 5. Searching for Resilience? Resilient Innovators Why Resilience? Resilient Values Assuming Responsibility 6. The Mindful Museum Mindfulness Museum Chatter Thinking Orthogonally Museum Mindfulness Museums for a Troubled World 7. Museums: Stewards or Spectators? A Brief Retrospective The Consequences of Ignoring the Present Renewal -- Denial is Not An Alternative In Praise of Museums
Customer Reviews
Biography
Museums Consultant
By: Robert R Janes
208 pages, 20 figs
In 1973, Ivan Illich wrote "I believe that a desirable future depends on our deliberately choosing a life of action [!] rather than maintaining a lifestyle which [!] is merely a way station on the road to the depletion and pollution of the environment - the future depends upon our choice of institutions which support a life of action." After decades of museum self-help manuals and collections of papers on museum studies, Museums in a Troubled World argues that it is not enough for museums to do their work better -- they have to ask once again what their real work should be. Beginning with a powerful Prologue that sets the moral tenor of the whole book, each chapter deals with a specific challenge we face as a planet and as a society. Intelligent, passionate and provocative, Janes reminds us all that the museum can -- and must -- play a leading role in building a sustainable future. -- Dr. James M. Bradburne, Director General, Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi, Florence, Italy