Twelfth International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

Having been established in early nineteenth century Europe, the art museum is a relatively recent type of cultural institution. Instead of evolving into a cultural relic, however, the art museum has evolved into an increasingly desirable urban status symbol around the world. The ongoing art museum building boom is not just the result of a ‘love of art’ but of powerful socio-economic forces and ideological agendas. To survive in a highly competitive cultural entertainment market, art museums apparently have adopted mass entertainment models to attract general audiences. This paper addresses a number of critical questions including: What social and cultural values do museums continue to hold for society? How have the traditional notions of art museums as venues for cultivating taste adapted to the pressures of mass culture? What emerging relationships might be identified amongst museums, art, and corporate influence? More specifically, what is the relationship between museum and art, the container and the contained?