Museum Culture

The American Museum of Natural History is one of those places that has come to define a moment in history as much it has the objects inside of it. There has been much examination and criticism of this space dedicated to the exploration of the realm of human culture, zoology, botany, astronomy, and history. It is a place that holds a special place in many New Yorkers hearts as an escape from the hustle bustle of the outside world (and the lobby) into a place of quiet wonderment - where visitors are able to get a closer view at the world around them and in many cases themselves.

In her essay, Teddy Bear Patriachy: Taxidermy in the Garden of Eden, New York City 1908-1936 Donna Haraway has presented the reader with an interesting view into the times and methods that this massive museum was created under. The museum is a veritable labyrinth of dioramas, display cases, little informational plaques, and mopey security guards. Haraway addresses this specific construct when she writes "A diorama is eminently a story, a part of natural history... The animals in the habitat groups are captured in a photographer's vision and a sculptor's vision. They are actors in a morality play on the stage of nature, and the eye is the critical organ." (Haraway 53) This generous acknowledgment of what the dioramas are acting out and the role they play in depicting the reality they are merely representational of quite commendable.

The Museum has also played such a large role in the contemporary image pool in the collective consciousness of NYC and the country. The name itself conjures up images of large marble pillars (pictured above), dinosaurs, exotic peoples, and even sensory details such as the smell of knowledge. The museum has taken on a muse like role inspiring people and taking on an almost mythical status as magical (Night at the Museum for example).

One other scholar who has put some time and words into trying to further understand the importance and power of this place is James Clifford, who in his book The Predicament of Culture, wrote an essay On Collecting Art and Culture further dissects what it means to organized, collect, and display objects. He writes in regards to collecting versus fetishizing, "Accumulation unfolds in a pedagogical, edifying manner. The collection itself - its taxonomic, aesthetic structure - is valued, and any priavte fixation on single objects is negatively marked as fetishism." (Clifford 219) The Museum of Natural History transcends this category of collecting because it is part of the museum's charm that it is readily available for the public to sift through, explore, and learn from for a bare minimum of cost.

The museum holds a very special place to me personally, because my parents used to take me there all the time as a child and I think it played a large role in me wanting to understand better those different from me. Despite the fact the museum may still house some antiquated notions of Western Culture's dominance over the world, it still holds many precious gems of information and deeper understanding of our world and the human condition.