The Museum in Transition

Since 1970, museums of all kinds have tried to become more responsive to the interests of a diverse public by shifting from the presentation of real things to the production of experiences. With exhibitions becoming people-centred, idea-oriented, and contextualized, the boundaries between museums and the “real” world are becoming eroded, and museum professionals now admit to having a hand in the creation of reality. In this work, the author contends that glorifying the museum experience at the expense of objects deflects the museum’s educative, ethical, and aesthetic roles. Referring to institutions ranging from art museums to theme parks, she shows how deployment has replaced amassing as a goal and discusses how museums now actively shape and create values. She is critical of the dominating influence on all museums of an aesthetic of art works in art museums and proposes a more integrative museum aesthetic.