Museum

 

 

A museum is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these items available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary.

The largest museums are located in major cities throughout the world, while thousands of local museums exist in smaller cities, towns, and rural areas.

Museums have varying aims, ranging from the conservation and documentation of their collection, serving researchers and specialists, to catering to the general public. The goal of serving researchers is not only scientific, but also intended to serve the general public.

There are many types of museums, including art museums, natural history museums, science museums, war museums, and children's museums. According to the International Council of Museums (ICOM), there are more than 55,000 museums in 202 countries.

Museums have artistic impressions, crafts, weavings, etches and sketches made through the sands of time. There are even dead bodies. Shown on the walls and glass cases are personal interpretations of what we imagined in books and stories.

Books and movies and documentaries and historical discussions cannot compare with viewing a bowl created thousands of years ago in person.

There are tiny type descriptions on cards that try to expand on the knowledge of the historical piece. If that doesn’t work, there are Tour Guides.

Churches are spiritual museums. Banks are monetary museums. Office buildings are architectural museums.

Now, look around where you live.

This is YOUR museum. All the artifacts of your life hand on the walls and are scattered across the floor and fill the vaults that only you visit.

Take a minute and look around.

How would you describe all the knickknacks and items you view everyday to a visitor?

Why did you buy that oven mitt? Who is in that photograph? What is in your refrigerator? What is in your closet? What is in your bathroom? What is in your trash?

We live in a game of cultural facades to impress others.

When you have a party or guest over, they are viewing your museum. Perhaps a descriptive post note would help tell the story of that table that was handed down by Aunt Helen from great grandmother when they lived on the prairie or that painting you picked up in a yard sales because you like the colors or that jewelry you picked up for a great price on a going-out-of-business sale?

As with any show (museums are a show) there will be critics to evaluate your taste standard.

The personal museum changes with cultural trends, physical moves and perhaps another’s persuasion.

Takes some photos of your interior design and check out how your museum looks.

Some of your historic items might make the display case or might show up in a yard sale. Most will probably go to the dump to be dug up years from now by archeologists who will declare a worthy find for viewing in a museum.

Beware the pennies on your eyes.