Until
1997, I worked in local authority run museums, which laid great emphasis on the
local. This is something I then thought, and still believe, is very important.
Local museums can play a real role in enhancing civic pride and all the
benefits that brings. However, where does that leave collections like the Egypt
Centre? On Friday, I gave a talk on how the study of a small Welsh collection
of Egyptological items at Swansea
Museum threw a light on the local (fig. 1). This was achieved through exploring
object biographies concentrating on how the objects came to Swansea and the
characters involved in their collection and display. Such a study is more
difficult, though not impossible, where the objects only have a short local
history such as with the Egypt Centre, whose collection only came to Swansea in
1971.
Fig. 1: Facade of Swansea Museum |
But,
I wonder, ethically are museums too concerned with the local? Museum strategies
have a tendency to stress the local in their aims and objectives, no wonder as
their governing bodies are local and no-one wants to bite the hand that feeds
them. National bodies also tend to stress their individuality and they give
grants. So, we need to show what we are doing for Wales to receive money from
the Welsh government. The same is true of the Egypt Centre, as you can see in
our Forward
Plan. Of course, additionally, many museums were set up with a local
purpose, to enhance civic pride.
However,
should museums be more outward looking? I have often wondered this. Cynically,
one might say, it is trying to find a clear purpose for the Egypt Centre, that
declaring a museum’s role as international makes life easier. Yet surely we
should all embrace the international? Museums could play a greater part in
improving international co-operation, and not simply those with ‘exotic’
collections. Sharing museological best practise, as for example is done by ICOM, is one way of looking outward. Museum
twinning may also play a part. Finally, a great many long-established museums
do have exotic collections and many of course do make much of them rather than
hiding them away.
Fig. 3: Glass fragment from the Valley of the Kings collected by Welsh Egyptologist Ernest Harold Jones |
I’m
not arguing for either local or national, just wondering if a little more
emphasis should be placed on the international? Thoughts please!
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