The New Museology
Peter VergoA collection of essays discussing critical issues of museum history, theory and practice.
Traditionally, museums have concerned themselves with foremost with conservation and classification. But what is conserved, and why? How is it classified? And who does this benefit? Are exhibitions really designed with the visitor in mind? And what qualities of experience are being offered? These are just some of the pressing questions which the authors - museum professionals, historians and critics - raise in this volume.
Art collections, museums of childhood, science and photography, theme parks and ‘time machines’, and the Great Exhibitions are among the diverse subjects discussed. As a collection of critical views of museum history, theory and practice, The New Museology is of interest not only to those in the museum profession, but to all those concerned with society's attitude to its own history and culture.
A collection of essays discussing critical issues of museum history, theory and practice.
Traditionally, museums have concerned themselves with foremost with conservation and classification. But what is conserved, and why? How is it classified? And who does this benefit? Are exhibitions really designed with the visitor in mind? And what qualities of experience are being offered? These are just some of the pressing questions which the authors - museum professionals, historians and critics - raise in this volume.
Art collections, museums of childhood, science and photography, theme parks and ‘time machines’, and the Great Exhibitions are among the diverse subjects discussed. As a collection of critical views of museum history, theory and practice, The New Museology is of interest not only to those in the museum profession, but to all those concerned with society's attitude to its own history and culture.
A collection of essays discussing critical issues of museum history, theory and practice.
Traditionally, museums have concerned themselves with foremost with conservation and classification. But what is conserved, and why? How is it classified? And who does this benefit? Are exhibitions really designed with the visitor in mind? And what qualities of experience are being offered? These are just some of the pressing questions which the authors - museum professionals, historians and critics - raise in this volume.
Art collections, museums of childhood, science and photography, theme parks and ‘time machines’, and the Great Exhibitions are among the diverse subjects discussed. As a collection of critical views of museum history, theory and practice, The New Museology is of interest not only to those in the museum profession, but to all those concerned with society's attitude to its own history and culture.
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A lively and controversial symposium . . . thought-provoking.
'The Sunday Times (Paperbacks of the Year, 1989)
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The essays are all distinguished by their topicality and lucidity.
'Museum News
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Stimulating
'Richard Cork, BBC World Service
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A welcome addition to the library of Museology.
'Art Monthly
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The New Museology is essential reading for all those seeking to understand the current debate in museum ideologies.
'International Journal of Museum Management and Scholarship
Photographic Acknowledgements
Notes on the Editor and Contributors
Introduction – Peter Vergo
1. Museums, Artefacts, and Meanings – Charles Saumarez Smith
2. Objects of Knowledge: A Historical Perspective on Museums – Ludmilla Jordanova
3. The Reticent object – Peter Vergo
4. Theme Parks and Time Machines – Colin Sorensen
5. Education, Entertainment and Politics: Lessons from the Great International Exhibitions – Paul Greenhalgh
6. On Living in a New Country – Stephen Bann
7. The Quality of Visitors' Experiences in Art Museums – Philip Wright
8. Museum Visiting as a Cultural Phenomenon – Nick Merriman
9. Museums and Cultural Property – Norman Palmer
References
Select Bibliography
Index
Peter Vergo is Reader in the History and Theory of Art at the University of Essex. He organised the 1983 Edinburgh International Festival exhibition, Vienna 1900.