New technologies, globalization, sociocultural shifts, the worldwide funding crisis, and an increased awareness of the need for museums to be responsive to their communities are creating rapid changes in the museum sector and wider cultural field. This module explores a number of factors currently shaping the museum sector, and that will continue to inform its future development. The module considers the impact of digital technologies and their application on museums, collections, displays, and other areas of museum work; it also examines the expansion of museum buildings and the development of new museums, with an emphasis on the Gulf, where “mega-museums” and, in certain instances, outposts of prestigious European and North American cultural institutions have become a distinctive feature of the evolving regional cultural landscape. Finally, the module also explores the impact of contemporary issues and debates on the stories told and the approaches employed by twenty-first century museums.
This module covers the following topics:
The creation of new museums, alongside the refurbishment of existing ones, has increased significantly since the end of the Second World War.
MoreWith the recent shift in focus from objects to people, cultural institutions now often present contemporary issues using art or historical artifacts to create dialogues with and between their visitors.
MoreThe increased availability of computers and the worldwide web have dramatically changed many aspects of society and life, including the cultural sector.
MoreThe diversification of the heritage and culture sector has broadened the ways a museum can be run today.
MoreMuseums have shifted their focus from objects to audiences. In doing so, they have recognized the plurality of museum audiences and their needs.
MoreConcurrent with new challenges and expectations about their role in society, museums are facing a funding crisis.
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