What Is a Museum?

Only a decade ago, few would have questioned the legitimacy of museums. Today few would
unhesitatingly rush to their defense. This seismic shift in opinion emanates from a dissipation of
trust in institutions generally, exacerbated by tone-deafness among cultural leaders. This volume
of thoughtful essays distills the obligations facing museum leaders in the present and future, from implementing fair labor practices to embracing surrounding communities, to combating climate change. It will serve as an essential primer to understand museums—and, we may hope,
stimulate more enlightened attitudes and behaviors on the part of those in charge.

-- Maxwell L. Anderson, President, Souls Grown Deep Foundation & Community Partnership
The outset of 2020’s dual pandemics – a global public health pandemic, and U.S. racial equity and justice pandemic that has seen reverberations across the globe – remain unresolved in 2022. These revealing essays highlight immediate urgencies across the museum field - urgencies that both historically and still continue to unequally burden our colleagues, stakeholders, conventional audiences/communities as well as those who have historically been ignored. But contributors equally inform this volume with their experiential 'long view', making it clear that these issues are not new at all, that the cultural and financial dominance of a single “museum” model cannot reflect 21st century realities. What IS new at present is the depth and the globalized breadth of a demand for change, from both within the field and from broad sectors of our publics. -- Deborah Mack, Ph.D., Associate Director for Strategic Partnerships, National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian
In provocative, thoughtful, and probing essays, practitioners from around the world explore the potential for museums, as guardians of our shared human heritage, to be agents of transformation. While perspectives vary, the common thread is a passionate call for museums to use their platforms as safe and trustworthy spaces to inspire learning – and motivate action – about the most critical issues of our time: social equity, economic justice, and the future of our planet. As “stewards of global memory” (to borrow a phrase from author Morien Rees), museums are uniquely positioned to deliver meaningful encounters with the authenticity of human experience. They are communal places for discovery (and reminders) of the essence of what makes us human – in all its variety and complexity – so that we can better understand ourselves and our potential, indeed our obligation, to create a better and truly sustainable future for the generations that will follow us. -- Alice Greenwaldt, President and CEO, National 9/11 Memorial and Museum
What is a Museum? is an essential read for both emerging and seasoned museum professionals alike. At once scholarly and accessible, it provides a range of thoughtful essays that capture the breadth and depth of current thinking in this field. Driven by ICOM’s United States National Committee, and written primarily for an American audience, this work nevertheless pulls together a broad geographic range of authors, from ICOM’s deep pool of thought leaders. Its response to conversations about the definition of museums is timely. In a world that increasingly needs the kind of positive influence that museums can provide, considerations of topics such as repatriation, sustainably and social justice are particularly relevant. As Lonnie Bunch (Chapter 25) says in his final remarks '…museums of all kinds have the obligation to use our expertise and platforms for the greater good. We can and must reach more people, be more relevant to their lives, and have a more profound impact.' This book is an important contributor to that vision. -- Eric Dorfman, Director and CEO, North Carolina Museum of Natural Scie