Re-Imagining the Museum presents new interpretations of museum history and contemporary museum practices.
Through a range of case studies from the UK, North America and Australia, Andrea Witcomb moves away from the idea that museums are always 'conservative' to suggest they have a long history of engaging with popular culture and addressing a variety of audiences. She argues that museums are key mediators between high and popular culture and between government, media practitioners, cultural policy-makers and museums professionals.
Analyzing links between museums and the media, looking at the role of museums in cities, and discussing the effects on museums of cultural policies, Re-Imagining the Museum presents a vital tool in the study of museum practice.
Introduction; Chapter 1 Unmasking a different museum: museums and cultural criticism; Chapter 2 Floating the museum; Chapter 3 FromBatavia toAustralia II: negotiating changes in curatorial practices; Chapter 4 'A place for all of us'? Museums and communities; Chapter 5 Beyond the mausoleum: museums and the media; Chapter 6 Interactivity in museums: the politics of narrative style;
