Open Forum

Hello All.  My professional reading lately has centered on how some museum practices and assumptions about audience engagement might need to change even when this current travail is behind us.  At the same time, I've been asked to update/correct our museum website which hasn't received any TLC for a long time.  I came across this quote on our homepage.  "Museums ought to be the center around which educational institutions should cluster, the storehouse whence they could draw the material examples and illustrations required on the lecture table and in the classroom." - J. Patton, 1886.  No idea who J. Patton was, but he was definitely old-old-old school.  I'm looking for suggestions of a contemporary quotation that would embody the future of museums.  Something aspirational, yet grounded.  I could even see writing a piece for our newsletter comparing and contrasting the two quotes - fondly, of course.  If anybody has any contenders for my quote-search, bring 'em on!  The more the merrier.

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Deborah Bell
Central Sierra Historical Society & Museum
Shaver Lake CA
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Original Message------

Hello All.  My professional reading lately has centered on how some museum practices and assumptions about audience engagement might need to change even when this current travail is behind us.  At the same time, I've been asked to update/correct our museum website which hasn't received any TLC for a long time.  I came across this quote on our homepage.  "Museums ought to be the center around which educational institutions should cluster, the storehouse whence they could draw the material examples and illustrations required on the lecture table and in the classroom." - J. Patton, 1886.  No idea who J. Patton was, but he was definitely old-old-old school.  I'm looking for suggestions of a contemporary quotation that would embody the future of museums.  Something aspirational, yet grounded.  I could even see writing a piece for our newsletter comparing and contrasting the two quotes - fondly, of course.  If anybody has any contenders for my quote-search, bring 'em on!  The more the merrier.

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Deborah Bell
Central Sierra Historical Society & Museum
Shaver Lake CA
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Good one, Paul!  I like it.  Really curious to see what else turns up.

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Deborah Bell
Central Sierra Historical Society & Museum
Shaver Lake CA
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-10-2020 11:57 AM
From: Paul Thistle
Subject: contemporary inspirational quote

Dear Deborah & colleagues:

If 2012 is not too 'old school,' I have used the following to focus on the value of museums:

Kratz & Merritt, On the Horizon: The Future of Museums and the Future of Education (2012)

"...on the cusp of transformational change...

increasing dissatisfaction with traditional education...rising demand for non traditional education...next era driven by life-long learning

...greatest contribution to education-museums ability to inspire people of all ages to learn more...to transform lives and ignite the flame of self-directed learning...measured by the difference in ambition triggered by the museum encounter..." Cf. Pine & Gilmore,

The Experience Economy (2011).

Have fun deciding!

Respectfully yours

Paul C. Thistle

Critical Museology Miscellanea blog https://miscellaneousmuseology.wordpress.com/

Solving Task Saturation for Museum Workers blog https://solvetasksaturation.wordpress.com/

Original Message------

Hello All.  My professional reading lately has centered on how some museum practices and assumptions about audience engagement might need to change even when this current travail is behind us.  At the same time, I've been asked to update/correct our museum website which hasn't received any TLC for a long time.  I came across this quote on our homepage.  "Museums ought to be the center around which educational institutions should cluster, the storehouse whence they could draw the material examples and illustrations required on the lecture table and in the classroom." - J. Patton, 1886.  No idea who J. Patton was, but he was definitely old-old-old school.  I'm looking for suggestions of a contemporary quotation that would embody the future of museums.  Something aspirational, yet grounded.  I could even see writing a piece for our newsletter comparing and contrasting the two quotes - fondly, of course.  If anybody has any contenders for my quote-search, bring 'em on!  The more the merrier.

------------------------------
Deborah Bell
Central Sierra Historical Society & Museum
Shaver Lake CA
------------------------------