Museum’s Most Important Function Part II

The video from the Museum Association sparked a huge response, partly as the Museum of Modern Art in New York asked it to their 3000 followers.

Here are the ones I’ve managed to collect.

Mine: To provide meaning.

Beth Dunn of Small Dots: To tell us our own stories, and the stories of others.

tahlib: The single most important function is to preserve cultural history.

Andreas Backoefer: Thinking about “ästhetische Autonomie” and create the “differánce”

Tiberious: preserving and displaying historical artifacts…as a means to educate the public and provide concrete truths about our history…

Krutcha: to advance progress through accumulating preserving sharing and passing by the creative knowledge to the future generations

RichardMcCoy: To provide first-hand experiences with cultural property.

Juliaxguila: To educate, challenge and inspire (also mentioned in the video). But I like @RichardMcCoy’s answer, too.

Margue: transmit and transform.

TheWomensMuseum: The single most important function of museums is to take content and present context that inspires and invites conversation

Paulastudio: to quench the thirst of souls and awaken the the parts of them that are asleep.

OhThatLaura: To enrich the lives of visitors through careful cultivation and presentation of works by different masters of artistry.

Lowconcept: Museums should strive to find the ideal balance between preservation for future generations and access for the current one.

stalyn: function is to inspire & educate. (yes really, it is that simple).

lauraah: To provide access and open eyes, to educate and foster discussion and opinion.

mjkopa: To create communities around historic and artistic objects.

Abi_Annette: to inspire understanding of our past and present.

LucieConnors: Make visitors think for themselves by creating thought provoking exhibitions, create a space for the circulation of ideas.

5easypieces: Museums should be a stage upon which a multiplicity of interactions can occur.

MattressFactory: to provide more questions than answers.

erickogelschatz: To inspire creativity

lauraloveslux: A museum’s most important function is to provide deep aesthetic respite & contemplative space to city dwellers.

chris_walsh: Museums have reponsibility to make preserved work available to the public; hopefully new media can further that mission!

rentonhistory: to document, preserve, and research, and *then* to engage the public in conversations informed by that work.

jeffrey_r: Preservation and access