ICOM International Council of Museums - International Institute for ...

museum ‘treasures’. The importance of such to small, back-water towns cannot beunderestimated as they entreat the curious to stop and experience, thus contributing tothe economic well-being of the community as a whole. For some of these ‘museums’,the ‘museum’ appellation, regardless of whether it is a stand-alone building or a backroom in the local coffee shop, is essential for legitimization and appeal. In many cases,the relation between such extremes and any form of museological undertaking mayonly be, at best, coincidental.Larger urban museums, whose mandates require the exploration and explanation ofthe community’s past, can only focus on selective events and histories. Whileprovincial and national museums are expected to cut a much broader historical swathas their coverage dictates, these, too, are selective in what they present. There aremany reason for this - space, object availability, and re-creative capacity being a few ofthe determining factors. There are also other reasons for the selections that are made,and these include, for example, the museum’s choice of what it feels is historicallysignificant, as well as its perception of its audience’s tastes.On the other hand, museums which address very specific subjects, for example,aviation, are more likely to have items which are tagged chronologically and set inevolutionary or explanatory patterns. Physical aircraft and other related objects wouldbe used as illustrations of the historical storyline of the museum. Such museums,therefore, come closest to having an established sequence of explanation, the objectshoused being illustrative of that explanation.Whereas history is a chronological evolution which explains why the presence exists,general museums take an anthropological type of approach. Objects are not set inexplanatory patterns and while they are ‘historical’, they do not explain history.Museums are like three-dimensional books, designing exhibitions to make‘connections’ with their visitorships and by so doing, create often disparate vignettesfrom the past which are presented under the guise of ‘history’. This is the reality of‘historical’ representation in museums.By way of illustration, examples are drawn from the Vancouver Museum (Vancouverbeing the third largest city in Canada, and, the Vancouver Museum being the largestcivic museum in Canada; founded in 1894 - old by west coast standards!) which hasbeen opening a series of new ‘permanent’ ‘history’ galleries since 2002. In concert withthe museum’s mandate, these exhibitions set out to fulfill the stated obligation byreflecting “... the development of Vancouver and its peoples to both residents andvisitors in an engaging, relevant, and responsible manner.” and by involving “... thepublic in the exploration of their heritage and environment, [the museum] will build anunderstanding of the city’s past, present, and future.”“The ‘50s Gallery” was the first to open. It invites the visitor to “Have a WonderfulTime” and to “Share Memories of the Hopeful Decade” - ‘memories’ which arepresented in no particular order. Collage panels, replete with texts and graphics, arecaptioned with alluring verbal images and representative objects.“Behind the Wheel” is depicted by an old 1950s car fitted with a eat-in-car traysupporting reproduced food in the back seat to represent the local White Spot Drive inCar Service phenomenon that was popular in that era. The surrounding walls sportstreet signs, licence plates, verbal captions, graphics, and other ‘memorabilia’.“Domestic Bliss” portrays a sitting or living room type setting with furniture, lights, ablack and white television set on which runs a clip about ‘modern’ living. Included is a328