A sack gown from the Haddington Collection at the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland,Edinburgh

Abstract

A sack gown of c. 1740–50, remodelled from a brocaded silk gown of c. 1726–28, had the back pleats altered again in the present century, probably for fancy dress. A close study of the gown enabled the pleats to be replaced as they had been arranged in c. 1740–50, so that conservation work could be carried out prior to mounting the gown for display.     

The Via Media of American Museum Practice: Henry Watson Kent and the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Speculation about the character and purposes of American art museums has occasioned intense debate since their inception—never more so than today. Whether to be elitist or populist, object‐based or audience‐based forms the crux of many heated arguments. This article asserts that, in the midst of competing philosophies, the successful American art museum has in reality grown from an amalgam of ideas that form a via media or middle path, far more inclusive and pragmatic than is usually noted. This comprehensive philosophy is most effectively demonstrated in the work of Henry Watson Kent at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York during the first decades of the twentieth century. The work of Kent and his colleagues at the Metropolitan Museum is here examined as a paradigm for the via media museum practice that speaks to the aspirations of America's current art museum leadership.     

Continuous Efforts over 10 Years for Storage Re-organization at the National Museum of Ethnology,Japan

ABSTRACT

The National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka, Japan, collects a vast amount of materials and information related to peoples’ life and culture, and makes them available to society through exhibitions and other activities. The number of collected items is increasing every year: 343581 objects have been collected from Japan and abroad as of March 2017. The continuous efforts have been necessary to improve storage conditions and to save space for both general and special storerooms. The former, which account for 90% of the storage capacity of the museum, are air-conditioned during working hours, with temperature and relative humidity (RH) settings varying with the seasons. The latter, which house objects for which strict conservation conditions are required, are air-conditioned for 24 hours with fixed settings of temperature/RH throughout the year determined by the nature of the materials from which the objects have been made or formed. Storage re-organization began with special storerooms, for which the number of objects and the storage area are far more limited in comparison with the general storerooms. The storage shelves for fur/skin/feather (almost 1000 objects) and for carpets (almost 550 objects) were all renewed in FY2007/2008. Then two large-scale innovation projects for general storerooms were conducted: construction of storage areas for ships equipped with a CO₂-based and anoxic pest treatment facility (FY2015), and a complete refurbishing of the general storeroom for large objects (FY2016). Windows were set in the corner of this storeroom to provide visitors an opportunity to view and learn about the museum activities. In parallel to the above projects, daily storage improvement efforts have been undertaken. Storeroom No. 3, chosen as an example for general storerooms for small and medium-sized objects, was used to investigate the range of issues related to the shelving arrangement and storage conditions. Guidelines for storage re-organization were formulated according to the results of the investigation and according to the experiences gained through the renewal of special storerooms. Storage re-organization undertaken in storeroom No. 3 was conducted for 6 years at the rate of around 2000–4000 objects per year with a low budget and with reuse of existing shelves. In FY2016, all objects in storeroom No. 3 were properly redistributed. About 40% of the storage space was saved. Over these 10 years of storage re-organization, preventive measures have been taken for sustainable collection management. As early as FY1992, pest trap investigations have been carried out seasonally. Since FY2004, the results of investigations have been analyzed using a customized computer program. Subsequently, appropriate integrated pest management measures have been taken. In addition, since FY2014, energy-efficient air-condition control has been adopted for general storerooms. It consists of switching off air-conditioning in spring and autumn, and of starting it only when the temperature or RH values become too high in summer or too low in winter. Because the turning-off of air-conditioning causes comparable or even less climatic fluctuation, it was considered acceptable both economically and from a conservation perspective. It is estimated that turning the air-conditioning off during transitional seasons brings cost savings of about 3000000–4000000 JPY (about 26800–35700 USD as of 23 September 2017) per annum, which accounts for almost 30% of the electricity expenditures for all general storerooms.     

哈萨克斯坦共和国国家博物馆

哈萨克斯坦共和国国家博物馆是中亚地区最年轻、规模最大的博物馆。本文介绍了该馆的基本情况,并详细介绍了该馆的古代与中世纪历史展厅、历史展厅、民族志展厅、黄金大厅等重点展厅展示的历史文化遗产以及创新的展示技术等。     

再现中华民族复兴的壮伟画卷——大型主题展览“复兴之路”从中国人民革命军事博物馆到中国国家博物馆

2007年10月,由中共中央宣传部（以下简称中宣部）等单位主办、中国国家博物馆（以下简称国博）和中国人民革命军事博物馆（以下简称军博）承办的“复兴之路”大型主题展览在军博开幕。至今,在社会上已引起广泛而强烈的反响。今年,根据中央指示,该展将经过“大改”,作为基本陈列迁入新建成的中国国家博物馆,在建国六十周年之际与国内外观众见面。“复兴之路”从军博到国博,从主题展览到基本陈列,经历了怎样的策划与打造,取得了哪些进展与体认,本文试略作评介,以就教同行。     

国家博物馆档案资料流失的启示

2007年第5期的《北京档案》刊载了杜裕禄先生的文章《国博随意丢弃档案资料遭到非议》和彭援军先生的文章《国博‘疑似’文献散落民间引起社会关注》。文中提及中国收藏家协会书报刊收藏委员会副主任秦杰在北京潘家园、报国寺旧货市场以及旧书网上购得大批带有国家博物馆特征的     

A Journey Unlike Any Other: An Interactive Exhibition at the National Museum in Copenhagen,Denmark

Abstract A Journey Unlike Any Other is an interactive museum exhibition that introduces visitors to the experience of being a refugee. First, the visitor is confronted with hostility from soldiers in the homeland, and later, after an escape, with all the difficulties derived from meetings with police and immigration authorities in the new country. The provocations visitors endure during the course of the exhibition enhance a high degree of perceptual awareness, reflectivity and memory. In the aftermath of their experience, visitors indicate an increase of empathic understanding and experiential knowledge, whereas their interest in information and further background knowledge seems to be unaffected.     

纪念中国国家博物馆建馆100周年

<正>[编者按]今年是中国国家博物馆建馆100周年。100年来,中国国家博物馆走过了从国立历史博物馆到中国革命博物馆、中国历史博物馆,再到两馆合并为新的中国国家博物馆的历程。100年来,中国国家博物馆几经变迁、历经沧桑,规模不断扩大,馆藏不断丰富,功能不断拓展,见证了我们国家和民族走过的世纪复兴之路。100年来,尤其是改革     

对国家典籍博物馆职能定位的思考

中国国家图书馆加挂国家典籍博物馆的牌子,在行使图书馆职责的同时,增加了博物馆的职能.如何让典籍的专业博物馆更好地发挥公共文化服务职能,在人们的文化生活中发挥作用,在规划筹建的过程中,对其定位的分析应引起足够的重视.根据新时代博物馆的特点,结合典籍博物馆专题方向,对典籍博物馆的职能定位进行思考,希望能有更多的人关注典籍博物馆的建设.参考文献8.     

A History of Ways of Seeing the Land: Environmental History at the National Museum of Australia

One of the distinctive features of the National Museum of Australia is the prominent role of environmental history in the Museum's programs and in its organizational structure. Environmental history is a field that operates best at the boundaries of science and the humanities, where the natural sciences and social history meet. The National Museum is one of few museums that facilitate this, drawing historians, geographers, archaeologists, earth scientists, and biologists into program development as members of the one curatorial and design team. This article discusses the advantages of environmental history as a strategic focus for the Museum, and looks at one of its major exhibitions.     

A Museum in a Refugee Camp. The National Museum of the Saharawi People in Algeria,Its Use and Function

The paper considers the unique conditions that describe the National Museum of the Saharawi People, its relationship with visitors and its representation of the rights of residents of the refugee camp where it is located. In 1998, a National Museum of the Saharawi People was created in one of the several Saharawi refugee camps established in Eastern Algeria in the mid‐1970s. The museum was designed to provide knowledge about the cultures of the Western Sahara and to disseminate information about the challenges faced in the Saharawi territory. In 2006, a new curatorial investment was made and new exhibits mounted following a devastating flood that destroyed a substantial portion of the museum. In 2013 the Museum was remodelled. This case study undertaken after the 2013 reinstallation explored comments in the visitor books to understand how the museum contributed to cultural heritage, participated in the process of social cohesion, and supported the political struggle of a people demanding their right to self‐determination after decades of exclusion as residents in a refugee camp.     

关于中国国家博物馆陈列体系的思考

中国国家博物馆改扩建工程计划将于2010年竣工。新馆开馆时,如何使中国国家博物馆真正成为展示古今中外优秀文化的历史与艺术殿堂,是我们一直在思考的一个重要课题。