Introduction
According to Duncan F Cameron, the Museum needs an overhaul since it seems to have lost its initial essence, aim, and objective.
In the olden days compared to the modern Museums, Cameron highlights differences such as people used to do individual collections, and public museums never existed. It was pegged on how one viewed things in their own ways and beliefs.
The modern Museum commenced as a result of the democratization of museums where various individual collections were brought together for public consumption. People were made to believe that the info was what it was rather than one’s view. It was believed to be a reality in regard to societal values and beliefs.
Collectors and organizers of museum archives started being grouped as a team of academic members of a specific academic discipline and this made them the main point of reference as they were viewed as academic centers of excellence.
Importance of Museum in Society
A Museum should be essential for any well-being of a society since it acts as a temple where people seek intellectual nourishment for civilization. This creates a sense of forum whereby museums should exhibit professionalism, in the selection of content, organization, and interpretation of issues and beliefs. It should be well versed with reality on the ground to be in touch with the common man and avoid seeming to lean towards what the rich and mighty tend to want and believe in since it doesn’t reflect the true situation of contemporary life and society.
Museum reforms are part of social responsibility in cultural setup. They are necessary to the democratization of culture. Museum being regarded as a public forum, should not only focus on the high and mighty of the society as a way of imposing certain values on the common man but should be open and permit all voices to be heard even if controversial so as to show the actual picture on the offing.
The social responsibility of a forum and museum is to allow healthy engagement for all who have ideas, certain views, and beliefs so as to create a democratic environment for the society.
Hence, therefore, a forum and a museum can both be put together to help shape up an individual despite having to perform separate functions with a common aim of being able to provide a source of information for one’s personal judgment and preference as a point of reference.
Why Do We Need Museums?
In my view, a museum should be our point of reference when it comes to our history and the same time should act as our archives and a reminder on the historical background of various ideas and concepts which at the end of the day upon an individual judgment, one is able to lean towards a certain belief and practice that will help them in the day to day life in an informed perspective. All the same, Museums need to remain centers of our cultural preservations, to bring a sense of pride and a way of living.
Our museums are the background of societal hood hence should reflect the spirit of togetherness and presentation hence should not be seen as a representation of a certain group of people but rather be an all-inclusive material that will help shape up everyone since beliefs should not be individual based but rather representative in nature.
Conclusion
The main aim of a museum should be to educate current and future generations to maintain uniformity in societal behaviors and setups. It should be a source of the societal intellectual library since it remains the main point of reference hence should be well equipped with materials and information.
Museums cant be done away with, and they remain to play the pivotal role in shaping up our children to maintain consistency in beliefs and values for years to come and if possible forever.
Bibliography
Cameron, Duncan. "The Museum, a Temple or the Forum." Curator: The Museum Journal, 1971.
Hooper-Greenhill, Eilean. Museums and Education: Purpose, Pedagogy, Performance. London: Routledge, 2007.
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