Katharine Cousins Histoire Naturelle In Paris Summary

Douglas Crimp begins his essay by delivering a story about a librarian, Julia Van Haaftan and how she was interested in the photography organization at the Art and Architecture Division of the New York Public Library. In addition, Crimp delivers his most enlightening and meaningful point by explaining how Julia Van Haaftan is also now a “director of the Photographic Collections Documentation Project”. She discovered several lost books and photographs, which she researched, re-categorizing, and placed them under the photography or art category in the photographic collection. I found this section of the essay entertaining because it demonstrates that the history books can get lost

Quoted by Handler and Gable, critic Ada Louise Huxtable declares the newly constructed reproduction of Colonial Williamsburg as “too clean,” arguing that it “does not include the filth and stench that would have been commonplace.” (Source E) This sanitation of the truth completely misrepresents history, and the educational value greatly suffers. Conversely, the National Museum of the American Indian hopes to avoid this lack of judgment by dedicating itself to the “preservation, study, and exhibition of the life, languages, literature, history, and Arts of Native Americans.” (Source C) The main goal of the museum is to “span all major cultural areas” (C) and educate the public about and preserve the rich history of such a vast culture. The authenticity and significance of artifacts are important to representing culture and history, and the ability of these artifacts to educate should be a key factor of the selection process.

The fire was burning too brightly and in order to contain the flames out of this came the creation of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen on the 26 August 1789 by the National Assembly, composed of those from the Third Estate. This declaration was heavily influenced by the American Revolution and Thomas Jefferson, who one of the founding fathers and a principal author of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. It was all about man’s ‘natural right’ at any time and pertaining to any individual, no matter where they were in the world. This is one of the most important and significant declarations created in all of history. It created an outcry and demand for similar rights and liberty across all of Europe, where most countries were still dominated by the establishment of the monarchy. It also spread universally, to places such as the Caribbean and the Middle East who wanted a democratic republic just like France had been aiming for. What many countries started to see was that such freedom was born out of the ever growing reality of nationalism, which had already caused terror among and against the people.

The museum believes in a pastiche and populist pathway, in which the history of all people is displayed. Its interactive viewpoint allows this museum to convey history in a way that would be more accessible to its audience. For example, patrons are given the opportunity to record their own history. However, academics, such as Keith Windschuttle, assert that the NMA is a “profound intellectual waste”. He argues that although it displays accurate history, it’s purpose of entertaining its audience detracts from its value, thus creating “waste”. Although Windschuttle’s view may be extreme, it demonstrates the considerable extent to which the tension between academic and popular historians exist.

However, it decided that before doing so, it should publish a statement of broad political principles. Based on the natural rights of man, these principles would act as guidelines for the new constitutional government. On August 27, the Assembly issued the DEclaration of the Rights of Man and of Citizen. This declaration drew on the political language of the Enlightenment, exhibiting the democratic ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau as well as the liberal views of Thomas Jefferson, who help create America’s Declaration of Independence (doc. 5).The French declaration proclaimed that all men were “born and remain free and equal in rights.” The natural rights were declared as “liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.” Governments ultimately existed to protect those rights. Jefferson, whose thoughts corresponded with the classic liberalism of the Enlightenment, believed that government could only step in if harm is being done to another. On the other hand, principles of the Enlightenment thinker Rousseau, which can almost be described as proto-socialist, are also evident in this document. “The principle of all sovereignty resides essentially in the nation…” This quote from the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens draws from

However, as Amy Lonetree mentions in Decolonizing Museums, audience reception is not always the primary concern (103). The subjects of our readings have also separated out issues like history, representation, and collections practice; education is often mentioned, but not always featured. The readings from his week made me consider the educational perspective.

Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen is a direct response to the ignorance of the two other estates and the King. At the beginning of the French Revolution, the people taking part had a good idea of what they want in the new form of government they are demanding. They wanted more rights, less restriction, and an equal voice in everything from day-to-day operations, all the way up to the Estates General. So, when they piled up all of their ideas into one document, they were able to muster a declaration much like the one created by the Americans earlier in 1776. Prior to the revolution the third estate, which included the bourgeoisie and all the commoners in France, was very upset that

France’s, The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, played an integral role in the development of democracy and the pursuit of liberty throughout Europe. This document was written and introduced by General Lafayette as a result of the French Revolution. The French Constituent Assembly passed it in August of 1789. Influenced by Thomas Jefferson, the American Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution, and the ideas of the Enlightenment philosophers, the document reiterates the values of the French Revolution. Declaring that the rights of man should be universal and remain valid no matter the time or place. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen was a very purposeful document expressing many of the ideas of the French Revolution and the Declaration of Independence.

This article provides information concerning: memories that society wants to acknowledge and pass on to future generations; the manner in which those memories are represented; the responsibility that society has to fully represent aspects of history while also brining into questions the unwillingness to recognise and respect different conceptions of history and how this can diminish the potential that museums have to advance cross-cultural understanding.

In the article, Conspicuous Consumption by Melanie Townsend, she talks about how, as a society, we have developed a compulsive need towards accumulating collections and material items without any regard for the repercussions of our actions. Museums are caught between keeping relevant in today’s changing global environment and the need to protect, preserve and be the keeper of public collections in a way that upholds their mandate. One of the points that I found most interesting was about the Glenbow Museum and Smithsonian actively linking their collections. However, it was also pointed out that even though the Glenbow has been a leader in beginning repatriation, they then turned around and hosted an exhibition that conflicts with the good things

Objects and the collection of objects is a source of human fascination and is a way of connecting us to our history, culture and personality. Collecting is a method of inscribing order, meaning and a sense of permanence to passing human experiences. “Collections and Connections” is the concept investigated in this unit and focuses the connections or relations you make between a collection and past memories, places or other objects. These connections can be emotional, logical or memorial. The collection in which I have been focusing on is coins and I want to interpret in my body of works how they connect the world.

What makes an object worth collecting? Curiosity is an important aspect of collecting. With the spread of colonies, there was an affinity to discover the unknown, or rather, the different. The nineteenth century paved the way for many sponsored expedition, looking for curios. Found object; vases, pots and pans, tools of everyday use, gained an importance, as curios. Nature has captivated the human cognizance since man first acquired tools, it would only be natural for the curiosity to extend to the subject of new flora and fauna. By means of collecting it is possible to establish a personal identity or characterize the other and often identifying this other as a conquest.

Assessment must be done to determine the current strengths and weaknesses of the existing collection. Any proposed acquisitions should be able to address the limits in the existing collection or plug any gaps in the collection. The acquisition strategy should ensure that objects to be accepted or otherwise acquired for museum collection shall enhance and reflect the immediate and long term goals of the museum.

Taking a look at a private art museum in another country, The Pinacotheque in Paris is presented. The Pinacotheque is Paris’s first private art museum and was established in 2007. Pinacotheque loosely translates into the image box (Restellini 2011). The Pinacotheque displays art like the Rubell Collection, but they are not displaying art from one collector, but many collectors. One exhibit included the art collection of two prominent Hungarian families: The Esterhazys and The Romanovs, from the eighteenth century (Restellini 2011). Their mission, like The Rubell Collection, is to make these

The Cambridge Dictionary Online defined museums as “places of study, buildings where objects of historical, scientific or artistic interest are kept, preserved and exhibited”. To The Museums Association, a museum is “an institution which collects documents, preserves, exhibits and interprets material evidence and associated information for the public benefit”. Since 1998, this definition has changed. Museums now enable the public to explore collections for inspiration, learning and enjoyment. They are institutions that collect, safeguard and make accessible artefacts and specimens, which they hold in trust for society. Mike Wallace (1996) categorised museums into four distinct types, namely National Museums that hold collection of