The Museum in Transition: A Philosophical Perspective

by Hilde S. Hein

During the past thirty years, museums of all kinds have tried to become more responsive to the interests of a diverse public. With exhibitions becoming people-centered, idea-oriented, and contextualized, the boundaries between museums and the “real” world are eroding. Setting the transition from object-centered to story-centered exhibitions in a philosophical framework, Hilde S. Hein contends that glorifying the museum experience at the expense of objects deflects the museum's educative, ethical, and aesthetic roles. Referring to institutions ranging from art museums to theme parks, she shows how deployment has replaced amassing as a goal and discusses how museums now actively shape and create values.

Genres: Museums

220 pages, Paperback

First published September 17, 2000

Reviews

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most readable books that I've read about contemporary museum philosophy. Hein approaches changes in contemporary museum methodology from object-centered exhibitions to story-centered interpretation with a philosophical framework. As museums become idea-oriented, popularly-focused, and self-consciously aware, the experience of museum-going is changing. Valuing experience over material culture poses threats to museums’ more traditional educative, ethical, and aesthetic roles, as well as changes the values being actively shaped by museums as institutions. Hein considers a variety of museological institutions from Fine Art Museums to theme parks, and the potential narrowing of differentiation between.