Week 9 - Deconstruction of Museums

One of the readings for the week by Hilden, talks about the way museologists have been trying to totally 'deconstruct' the overall idea of a traditional museums so that displays and ideas do not look as if they are 'produced' or shaped in any specific way.  There is often a racialized and gendered nature within the different museums, and Hilden speaks about how the 'universalist' approach to modern curators still does not do justice in a way that prevents people from thinking in a Euro-centered way.  At the end of the day, museums get their shaping and orientation in a specific way depending on the curator, their areas of expertise, and even because of sponsors and bodies that fund the institution which play a big role in the overall orientation of the museum.

Hilden makes a very good point about how museums further push the limitless impression of colonialism as an aid to groups of people in the past, as well as Eurocentric practices and norms as a focal point of viewing the different displays within a museum.  What does one consider as normal, or in what way can people look at something and think they are better or worse than another culture? When it comes to museums, they shouldn't portray any particular sides favouring nor should their be a portrayal of something like colonialism as an advancing agent in a country or groups of peoples development.  However, it is very hard to do so because of what exactly a museum is in the first place -- Museums as mentioned above, are influenced by particular people and is basically an institution that houses a collection of 'things' which are chosen at the end of the day.  What gets chosen, and what doesn't can always be questioned regardless of what type of museum it is or where it is located.  Everything simply cannot be stored and displayed in a museum from every single country or point in time, but we trust the judgement of curators to display items that they think are significant to display to people or are in rotation across the globe.  Hilden refers to 'timeless Africa' and the clustering of objects that show a 'universal' appreciation for the capitalist structure, and also the fact that such objects can be replicated and found for sale so that the classic, timeless, and African look 'can be yours too'.  We can then understand the significance and overall power that a museum can have on a mainstream audience in the western world.

Question #1: Is there a way for museums to become a place where the general public can drop off items and have them displayed?

Question #2: How do you see museums evolving over the next 50 years? More accessible? More digital content online?