What is a Museum?

Our class had the opportunity to take a guided tour of the Cleveland Museum of Art, in University Circle. The focus of this tour was the idea of art traveling through time to reach us and us traveling through time while observing it.

Like many other cities, big and small, across the world, museums are abundant in University Circle. This begs the question of focus for today's blog: What is a museum?

While having reviewed a number of possible responses to this question, I feel most strongly about the idea of a museum being an advocate for preservation, conservation, repatriation, sovereignty and tolerance.

It is intended to be a neutral place that allows us the opportunity to observe other cultures, world views and mediums while creating a safe and respectful place to start dialogues. This means all history, good and bad, has a place to live and be passed down through generations to come. This is particularly important for a sovereign entity like a museum, who oversees itself and has full rights and power, without outside influence to interfere with their operations and decisions. This is crucial when telling a story, especially an unfavorable one of another culture.

Many pieces of art travel throughout the world for all to enjoy. During our tour, we were able to enjoy Egyptian artifacts, pass through the armor room and sample some impressionist and expressionist art.