Are museums relevant in today’s culture?

St. Vital

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/09/2024 (748 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With Folklorama behind us and Culture Days around the corner, it is a good time to reflect on the role of museums in culture.

My parents and I spent two weeks of Folklorama immersed in the rich cultural diversity that is Winnipeg today. The cultural displays at the pavilions were a mix of historic and modern-day items. These mini-museums were a tangible expression of cultural pride and belonging.

In a few weeks, Culture Days 2024 will begin (culturedays.ca). It runs from Friday, Sept. 20 to Sunday, Oct. 13. Museums will serve as event hubs for artistic, cultural, and heritage activities that are planned. In Winnipeg, event hubs include the Manitoba Museum, the Manitoba Children’s Museum, Transcona Museum, Dalnavert Museum, and the Canadian Museum of Human Rights. The New Icelandic Heritage Museum (Gimli), Winnipeg River Heritage Museum, and the Sam Waller Museum (The Pas) will serve as hubs for cultural activities in their respective communities, as well.

Culture is the shared way-of-life for a group of people. It is reflected in the things we create. This includes artwork, tools, clothing, vehicles, furniture, maps, books, sacred objects, crafts, toys, technology, and musical instruments. Museums collect and care for these items. They play a key role in preserving and sharing a community’s cultural legacy.

In the European museum tradition, human-made items are called artifacts. This is not the best word for intangible items like music, stories, and traditions. Nor is it appropriate for sacred and other Indigenous belongings from living cultures. The word implies that something is ancient, old, and perhaps even irrelevant. By extension, some might think that museums with “dusty old artifacts” are not relevant to life today.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. Museums are more relevant today than ever. They are filled with authentic, irreplaceable belongings that tell the stories of the cultures that created them. These belongings can inspire us to think in new ways and learn from past mistakes.

Years ago, I bought a cultural belonging at an antique sale. It was an authentic beaver felt hat with a leather hat box and brush. It embodies the powerful story of the fur trade. An icon of Canadian heritage — the beaver — was driven toward extinction because of a European fashion craze. This old hat opens the door to discuss current issues like species extinction and economy versus environment.

So, yes, museums are very relevant to life today.