New York City is home to over 200 museums. Some museums are devoted to art, others to natural history, and others to some aspect of culture. In the borough of Queens alone, one can visit the Moving Image Museum or take a tour of a Victorian garden and bird sanctuary right in the heart of Flushing at the Voelker Orth Museum. What these museums have in common is that they house artifacts. Artifacts are, in short, objects, but they are objects that are made and used and have some sort of significance. This video shows a conservationist preparing an artifact for exhibition. Notice how carefully he handles the object. The question is: Why museums? Why not just look at pictures of artifacts in books or on our phones? What happens when we view them up close? What role do museums play in our society, our world, or our city? To what extent do--or don't--we need museums? Finally, do exhibitions in museums make an argument? How might that argument fit into the museum's mission? Comment below to share your thoughts!
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About this blogA blog is an online conversation. This one is for students of writing and is an extension of our face-to-face classroom. Here is where we can continue a discussion started in class, ask questions, and test new ideas. Archives
March 2020
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