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The origins of the contemporary “museum” can be seen in the rage for collecting unique and unusual objects which characterized the Renaissance and the age of exploration. Possession of such objects conveyed not only the power and wealth of the collector, but also displayed the collector’s intellectual and aesthetic preferences to a selected audience, thus simultaneously confirming the identities of both collector and spectators as members of a privileged group. In the Age of Enlightenment and the Encyclopedia, the classification and organization of facts and objects- both intellectual property and material culture- gave birth to the concept of the modern ‘museum’. This course investigates the construction and communication of ideal national, cultural, and community identities though the medium of the contemporary museum, where material culture is exhibited and organized to express verbal and visual narratives that evoke particular definitions and interpretations of history and values. Lectures and discussions will alternate with museum visits in which museum display and techniques of exhibition are identified and analyzed.
