This week I read three essays from Part I and Part II of A Companion to Museum Studies. The first essay I read was Gordon Fyfe’s “Sociology and the Social Aspects of Museums.” This was a nuanced and intricate piece that explored the relationship between sociology and museums. He discusses how museums became subjects of sociological studies and how the development of this field reflected the broader culture. Fyfe’s essay is reminiscent of the introduction by McDonald. Both discuss the rippling effects of cultural movements such as, post-industrialism, post-capitalism, high-modernism, or post-modernism (Fyfe 40). Unlike McDonald, Fyfe does not emphasize the museums’ interaction with these ideas. Rather, he cites them as the main forces creating the massive growth of museum activity in the late twentieth-century. He writes that 90 percent of the world’s museums were established after World War II (39). Fyfe focuses on how the before mentioned cultural shifts have birthed the modern museum and propelled it into a non-traditional direction, placing museums within the direct study of sociologists.

The second essay I read was “The Conundrum of Ephemerality: Time, Memory, and Museums” by Susan A. Crane. This essay was a fascinating and somewhat metaphysical discussion of museums and time. In the beginning of the essay, Crane asks, “how is what is always the same also always different?” (98). She explores this tongue twisting question in relation to the nature of museums. Whether we realize it or not, we expect certain experiences when we visit museums. There is a sense that this experience is always the same, regardless of what contents the museums displays at the time. It is the paradox of perpetual sameness and constantly changing exhibitions. Crane also discusses how many historical objects that museums display violate their intended life span. Objects which were not created to endure are preserved indefinitely. In our relentless pursuit into the future, we simultaneously cling to the past, even if what we are preserving was not intended to be preserved. Progress necessitates destruction. The old must pass away. Yet, we cannot let it go. Crane explores this phenomenon. She also discusses how different cultures and time periods relate to the same historical object. She uses the Enola Gayas an example, and relies repeatedly on the work of Michel Foucault.

The third essay I read was Elizabeth Crooke’s “Museums and Community.” This piece uses examples of various global community projects to exemplify the developing relationship between museums and community. Crooke also discusses the etymology of the term “community,” and explores how communities are formed through shared characteristics. Later, she discusses the community development ideas of the 1950s and 1960s, explaining how community has become a central theme in public policy (180). This larger public policy is reflected and manifested in museums. In recent modernity, museums have placed a greater degree of importance on targeting and catering to different community groups and the community demographic as a whole. Crooke mentions how this initiative has been political, attempting to foster healthy communities. This political prompting is displayed in governmental founding and the incredible museum growth which Fyfe labels “the museum phenomenon” (4).  Crooke heralds the positive influences of the association between museums and community. She ends her essay with an exhortation to revisit the purpose and functioning of museums with a heightened consideration of community.

Certainly, I have seen the positive effects of museum-community relationships. Last weekend, the Taubman Museum of Art had its 60th annual Sidewalk Art Show. This art show stretched across several streets of downtown Roanoke and attracted thousands of attendees. It provided the occasion for local artists to share their work with the community and for the community to enjoy new and challenging art. At the center of the event was the Taubman Museum. It organized and sponsored the occasion, while opening its doors to the public gathering downtown. The Taubman brought the community together for the express purpose of experiencing art. This event reflected a greater museum initiative. The Taubman seeks to “bring people and art together for discovery, learning, and enjoyment.” This mission statement contains a strong emphasis on community. Crooke’s comments on the community orientated nature of modern museums is accurately embodied in the Taubman. The exhibitions and events are heavily influenced by considerations of audience and community. The Taubman wants to engage; therefore, it strives to relate. This is fundamental to the current progression of art museums. Done correctly, it is a healthy and needful consideration. However, one must be weary of the cultural undercurrents which are smuggled in heightened community initiates. The Taubman, and all museums, must guard against the undermining effects of Post-Modern Relativism and the shifts which Fyfe compellingly presents.