Class Discussion Questions May 4th

Arianna Galluzzo
May 3rd, 2010
Three Questions for my presentation (5/4/10) on engaging the community to come into museums/keeping them engaged:

1.) Whether or not you read the chapters for today, we’ve talked a lot over the course of the semester about how to keep visitors and the community engaged. What do you think is the best way to bring people into the museum and keep them there? Share personal experiences if you can think of any museums that got you to stay for an extended period of time.

2.) When you go into a museum what kind of experience(s) do you usually feel/want and why?
Black mentioned 4 possible experiences:
Object experience—seeing the real thing that is rare and valuable
Cognitive experience—gaining understanding, enrichment and knowledge
Introspective experience—reflecting on the meaning, time, place of the object, reflecting memories or feeling connected to the object spiritually
Social experience—spending time with family and friends, watching family (and yourself) learn new things in the process of a museum visit

3.) In Black Chapter 10 one of the quotes said—“Museums have to change or die”—how do you feel about this statement? Do museums have an obligation to keep up with “the times”, technology, to evaluate themselves as an institution and the interest of people in the community? Is the pressure to be “hip and relevant” outweighing a connection with the community/museum goers? Any happy medium here?