What is a museum? More importantly, what should a museum be? All my museum studies have been about answering those questions in discussion and in writing.
For such long established institutions, members of the public, museum officials, politicians are still trying to answer these questions. Yet, still more go to museums, look at a 2,000 year old pot, ogle an oil painting of a naked lady, and nod vaguely at what looks like a child’s scribbles; all the while they just accept what the museum is doing and never think once about what a museum should and can do for them. But these are topics with immense depth, full of ethical concerns and controversy. Being observant and asking questions can give you something to write about and isn’t that the point? Don’t make me write. Give me something to write about.
Writing about museums gets complicated quickly because soon you start writing about something else entirely. In the essay, I’ve attached here, I began writing about how it is immoral and unethical for museums to buy illegal antiquities and somehow end up touching upon international politics, cross-cultural exchange and the legacies of imperialism. It takes curiosity and insight to take up such subjects. I’m not sure I have enough of those qualities; my reach is often farther than my grasp. However, that’s how you get better I think. By writing about issues with cultural issues, I not only practice how to tackle complex issues in my writing but how to tackle complex issues with my writing; I can define my beliefs and hone how I express them.