Day 1 of American Association of Museums 2007 Conference

Dear Friends of the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum,

Museum Manager Nancy Leonard and I are at the 2007 Conference of the American Association of Museums www.aam-us.org in Chicago this week, and I hope to provide highlights of information we pick up as often as possible. In the Sunday sessions, for example, Dr. Richard Rabinowitz, Curator of the American History Workshop on NY offered this view of the evolution of Museums over the last several generations:

Museum Purpose:

1. Display of Relics & Unusual
2. Interp. of Historical Themes
3. Retelling Hist. Narratives
4. Fostering Guest Narratives

Staff Role:

1. Collector
2. Historian, Curator
3. Educator, Writer
4. Listener

Guest Role:

1. Curiosity Seeker
2. Learner
3. Rapt Spectator
4. Co-Creator


I hope this sparks discussion of how we have evolved/are evolving!

More this evening: Back to the Conference!

-- Steven Armstrong
Curator