There was white smoke and the international museum community breathed easy: it is already clear what a museum is. Most people who have been to a museum know what it is, but defining it is not so easy. That’s what he’s been embarking on International Council of Museums (ICOM) in recent years, not without controversy and dispute: the definition proposed at the organization’s general conference in Kyoto in 2019 was not approved. Last Wednesday in Prague, at the 26th general conference, the story was different: 92% of voters were in favor of the new text. “It is an overwhelming majority: almost unanimity!” exclaimed outgoing ICOM President Alberto Garlandini proudly after the vote.
The pride is not for less: the museums were experiencing a long identity crisis. The definition of a museum in force until this week had been maintained since the 1970s, when it was first enunciated, and in different ICOM conferences they had limited themselves to renewing it, without too many changes. The last time was in Vienna, in 2007. If something works, better leave it as it is. But well into the 21st century, in 2015, it became clear that the world was changing rapidly and the long-standing definition was becoming stagnant. So ICOM decided to update it and, after a complex process, a new text was brought to the previous general conference in Kyoto. When it was time to vote, 70% of the members thought that it was better to postpone the approval of a definition that did not quite convince a good part of the members. The then president, the Turkish Suay Aksoy, presented her resignation from office shortly after. What had happened?
One of the main problems related to what some members considered to be too political in content. The definition said that museums were “democratizing, inclusive and polyphonic” spaces. Also that its purpose was to “contribute to human dignity and social justice, global equality and planetary well-being.” Members of the French branch of ICOM then criticized that it was an “affirmation of fashionable values” or an “ideological manifesto”.
Discontent spread and the proposal did not go ahead: the ball was thrown at the next conference, which took place this week in Prague. There had been usual tensions between progressivism and conservatism, between center and periphery… the different worldviews that exist in many other areas of society, because the museum community is also a reflection of it. The Kenyan representative, George Abungu, noted that African museums had broadly supported this proposal, and declared to New York Times that the rejected definition “was not convenient for Westerners who want to continue living as in the past, in the 19th century.”
One more try
During the last 18 months, an intricate process of various consultations with 124 national committees from around the world, numerous debates and drafts, and the hard work of an international committee that had to be operational with a pandemic in between, and which came to the appointment with a new text, somewhat more aseptic and less committed to the social. Also visibly shorter.
There are 71 words in Spanish, and it goes like this: “A museum is a non-profit institution, permanent and at the service of society, which investigates, collects, preserves, interprets and exhibits tangible and intangible heritage. Open to the public, accessible and inclusive, museums foster diversity and sustainability. With the participation of communities, museums operate and communicate ethically and professionally, offering varied experiences for education, enjoyment, reflection and the exchange of knowledge”.
13 new concepts are introduced, among which are participation, diversity, sustainability and accessibility. “In 2019, the image was generated that we were divided, but I don’t think that’s the case: we are simply diverse, we have different points of view and each one wants to be heard,” says Brazilian Bruno Brulon, president together with Costa Rican Lauran Bonilla- Merchav of the ICOM Define committee, which coordinated the defining task, bringing together 20 experts from all cultures and latitudes.
In this sense, it has been tried to make the words flexible enough, so much so that each one can find an interpretation to suit them. For example, the word accessibility in some places it may mean that a museum has ramps and lifts, but in some African countries it may mean that heritage is available to the public, in the hands of the state, and not in the hands of regional warlords. Words collect either interpret They can also imply that museums are not neutral, because these actions imply taking a position, a certain point of view in the face of reality.
“The old definition of the 70s was too focused on the material, on the collections and exhibitions, on the walls and the things that are kept inside. This is more dynamic: the museum has to be something more than the place where the collections are kept”, explains Bonilla-Merchav. Museums have to put themselves at the service of society and try to make the world a better place.
The old definition was too focused on the material, on the walls and the things that are kept inside. This is more dynamic: the museum has to be more than just the place where the collections are kept.
Lauran Bonilla-Merchav, Co-Chair of ICOM Define
“Some museums have considered that this definition is not progressive enough, but we are a global organization and we represent a wide spectrum of sensibilities,” explains Bonilla-Merchav. A text full of nuances that tries to collect as many aspects as possible without displeasing anyone. A text that, rather than prescribe what a museum should be like, tries to describe the widest range of museums that actually exist. “It is a less progressive definition, but we had to find common ground for all”, Korean Inkye Chang, one of the members of ICOM Define, told the conference, “this new definition can be interpreted differently and everyone can make progressive tasks in his museum, because the definition does not prevent it”.
The Kenyan Muthoni Thangwa, another of the creators, delved into this idea. “I would have liked the word ‘decolonization’ to be there, because that is what is happening in African museums, to say something about repatriation”, referring to the number of looted objects that some ancient metropolises are returning to the museums of the former colonies. “But, although that is not reflected in the definition, they are processes that are already underway and that, like it or not, are becoming a reality,” adds Thangwa. Once the definition has been obtained in the three main languages, English, Spanish and French, another task remains: that of successfully adapting it to the language of each country. ICOM, created in 1946, has around 45,000 members, including professionals and institutions, in 114 countries and territories.
The usefulness of a museum definition
Why is the definition of a museum important? It is not a mere philosophical question resulting from a Byzantine discussion between experts: it has practical consequences. On the one hand, it influences the organization internally: it says who can be a member, what is ICOM’s identity. But it also becomes important externally; For example, this definition is the one adopted by the unesco and many governments around the world include it in their legislation. This is how they distinguish what is a museum from what is not, with all the consequences that this may have when it comes to obtaining aid, status, regulations, recognition or certain taxation. “This definition may not be perfect, but it is a great step forward, a common ground for all museums, and allows us to be better listened to in the world”, insists the outgoing president Garlandini.
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