TED Community » Richard Blackmore

Comments

• TEDCred score: +0.50 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• +1

  A reply on Conversation: What is the primary role of the museum in the modern world?

  Nov 20 2012: This is an important discussion in the museum field: on the one hand visitors can learn a great deal from looking at real objects, on the other hand, we do not learn passively, we are active learners and so many of us learn by doing. So, this is what brings about the debate over interactivity which comes up briefly in the Night at the Museum movie. Interactives can be great ways of getting visitors to actively engage with the material in a way that they can not by simply looking at objects. The idea of interactives is terrific, however, many museum professionals, such as myself, believe that the reality of interactives falls quite far below what it could be. Too often interactives are simple activities such as doing simple puzzles or connecting the dots. Interactive exhibits should be much more challenging and inspire creative thinking. Interactive exhibits should not only be "hands on" but also "mind on".

• A reply on Conversation: What is the primary role of the museum in the modern world?

  Nov 20 2012: Yes I saw that talk. It was very good. Enjoyed it alot. :)

• A reply on Conversation: What is the primary role of the museum in the modern world?

  Nov 20 2012: I am not an archaeologist and have not read any academic journal articles about this issue, however, I did read a very good article about this in Nat Geo. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/02/black-pharaohs/robert-draper-text.html This article is very readable, but does not patronize the reader. It is a good representation of a hidden piece of history.

• A reply on Conversation: What is the primary role of the museum in the modern world?

  Nov 20 2012: Personally, I don't think that it even matters that much. I understand that your black friends want to be proud of their history and heritage, but the beauty of history is the humanity of it, the achievements, the stories that are told. In my opinion, it doesn't matter who did what or what color their skin was. It is all part of one great story.

• A reply on Conversation: What is the primary role of the museum in the modern world?

  Nov 20 2012: The truth is neither of them are correct. You are correct that the facts are skewed within museums. But it isn't only museums that do this, but also the writers and publishers of history books, etc. The pyramids were built by the ancient Egyptians, however it is not as simple as it sounds. For thousands of years, Egypt was a section of the Nubian Empire, which originated in Ethiopia. The Egyptians and Nubians fought many wars over territories, with each conquering the other and lands going back and forth several times. It has largely been pushed aside that the Nubian Empire ever conquered Ancient Egypt, precisely because of the sort of racism you suspect. Many archaeologists that study Ancient Egypt do not want to accept that it was ever conquered, especially by an Empire of black peoples from below. However, the archaeological evidence maintains that Ancient Egypt was a region of the Nubian Empire for at least two thousand years, and furthermore, that much of the grand innovations of the ancient Egyptians were created under Nubian control.

• A reply on Conversation: What is the primary role of the museum in the modern world?

  Nov 15 2012: The actors in this organisation are bound by a rigid code of conduct. They are not allowed to touch a visitor for any reason. Derogatory remarks, verbal abuse and antagonistic gestures are permitted as long as they follow the script and primary goals of the organization. Actors are required to be aware of how a visitor is responding to the experience and they must disassociate themselves from the visitor in any case of a highly emotional reaction.

• A reply on Conversation: What is the primary role of the museum in the modern world?

  Nov 15 2012: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TweKoGysGW8

• A reply on Conversation: What is the primary role of the museum in the modern world?

  Nov 15 2012: Thank you for this response, Ted Lover. On behalf of the international museum community I want to express my shock at reading the above. Unfortunately, there is no concrete definition of what a museum is, only guidelines and characteristics that most museums have. This unfortunately leaves room for unprofessional and unethical institutions to call themselves museums. The above museum would never have a chance to get accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. Unfortunately, as most museums in the United States are independent financially, most do not need to get accredited. I am sorry to hear about this experience. There is a very good organization in Indiana called "Follow the Northern Star". It is both a museum and a theatrical experience, where for 1 hour, you navigate your way through the carefully designed town, meeting various characters along the way. It is classed as confrontational theater, which means that it is quite an emotional experience and is only recommended for adults who are mature enough to handle it. Terrific program where you get to experience what is was like to be a run away slave.

• A comment on Conversation: What is the primary role of the museum in the modern world?

  Nov 15 2012: Also, I would like to clarify the above statement: I realize that there is ambiguity in my separation of academic research and education. I just noticed it now. Yes, both of these could be categorized as educational functions, of course. However, I was focusing on the separate functions of academic or scholarly research and education of the larger visiting public. There is a debate, particularly with Natural History Museums, History museums, Art museums and other disciplinary museums over which is more important: the continued production of knowledge via academic and scholarly study of the collections, or the dissemination of knowledge to the general public.

• A comment on Conversation: What is the primary role of the museum in the modern world?

  Nov 15 2012: I realize that it will help this discussion if I explain a little bit about myself. I am an emerging museum professional, so I admit that this is a very important subject to me, however, I always try my best not to let my own bias scew the way I see the world. I have completed a Masters in Museum Studies at the School of Museum Studies, University of Leicester. I am interested in all museum functions, however, my primary interests are in interpretation, curating and collections management, education (primarily informal, but also in more formal forms) and to a lesser extent the museum as a site of social justice. My Masters Adviser, Dr. Richard Sandell is a champion of the museum as a social institution. While I admire his work and support it, I have differences in opinion of exactly what social functions museums can and should perform. Hope this helps.