“Museums are often seen as stuffy, boring places where old things are kept. But why are museums so often seen this way? And more importantly, why do people continue to visit museums if they find them so boring?”
“…Firstly, they can be quite large and overwhelming, with so much to see and take in. It can be difficult to know where to start, or what to look at first. Secondly, many museums are quite old-fashioned in their approach and presentation. They can be quite didactic, with long texts and displays that can be hard to engage with…”
“…There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the popularity of museums can vary greatly depending on the location and type of museum. However, some experts have suggested that museums may be losing popularity in general, as they compete with other forms of entertainment and education…”
____________________________________
Simon. (n.d.). WHY DO PEOPLE FIND MUSEUMS BORING?. Arna Bontemps African American Museum. http://www.arnabontemps.org/
Photo by Amy-Leigh Barnard on Unsplash
_____________________________________
This article is interesting as it takes a very broad survey approach to touching on arguments for and against museums as a way of learning. It does not have a lot of definitive evidence either way, rather just recognizing many different points of view. It is a good starting point to delve into different museum experiences though, especially as it touches on historical, art, and science museums. The arguments for museums in the article tend to hinge sometimes on saying museums are boring only if you have too little understanding of the exhibits going in, which then begs the question, are museums truly approachable? Can museums be made approachable?
