Remuseum的动态

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This article in the Observer tackles an interesting story, but it uses the wrong museum to illustrate and launch the piece. The Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art has not closed; it has only closed its building, launching an ambitious venture of fulfilling its mission of sharing Himalayan art with the public without first requiring them to come to New York City’s 17th?St. to do so. In a short period since announcing its decision last year the Rubin has (among other things) presented its immersive “Mandala Lab” in Bilbao and Milan; loaned its Buddhist Shrine Room to the Brooklyn Museum and its 650,000 annual visitors; launched a collection tour to other museums in Utah, Minnesota, Oregon and California; and initiated an annual prize to artists inspired by Himalayan art forms and techniques. The article states the Rubin’s?building?“represented a large financial drain on the museum’s overall resources,” which is no surprise, since the same fact is true for every American art museum. What is surprising is that we don’t see more museums explore ways to fulfill their missions without their financially and environmentally burdensome buildings.?After all, they aren’t required: The International Council of Museums (ICOM) definition of “museum” does not even include “building” in its 57 words. Museum buildings, which grow bigger and bigger, are beautiful things and offer sublime, educational, and social experiences with art. But they also present challenges, including??the financial and environmental cost of their upkeep (much of which is devoted to storing art the public doesn’t see) and the fact that the museum’s walls themselves become an obstacle to meeting people where they are. Striking the right balance presents more questions than answers, and we should celebrate when a single museum is willing to achieve a global mission with a global business model. Rather than “closing,” you might actually say that the Rubin – liberated from the museum building as its dominant tool of expression – has opened itself to the world. We should all be interested to see where it leads.

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