Comments on: Does a university museum have to be elitist? http://www.corporeality.net/museion/2009/11/06/does-a-university-museum-have-to-be-elitist/ Medical Museion @ University of Copenhagen Mon, 15 Mar 2010 07:52:47 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.1 hourly 1 By: Adam http://www.corporeality.net/museion/2009/11/06/does-a-university-museum-have-to-be-elitist/comment-page-1/#comment-257777 Adam Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:32:57 +0000 http://www.corporeality.net/museion/?p=2706#comment-257777 Well spoken, Jonas. I agree with your fundamental position, i.e. that research should be for everyone, and certainly we should strive to do both popular and innovative work. Getting the ressources necessary for living up to that ambition, however, will require that we first and foremost have a sharply defined research profile, an internation reputation with our peers, and the ability to attract manpower and funds. If we do not work tirelessly to maintain that position, there is a real chance that we will fade into the obscurity from which we spent 10 years clawing our way out of. It is a matter of Realpolitik, me thinks. It is our intellectual reputation that will ultimately attract the necessary ressources to do larger, more accessible projects. One of the ways in which I believe we should go about disseminating our research, is by stipulating that anyone holding an academic position with us should be required to actively work to spread his or her work (and the name and research that we all do) through writing in the press/more popular publications, by doing seminars, teaching as much as possible, being available for lectures for all audiences, and so on. Again, this is not a matter of not doing exhibitions or hiding away our lovely collections. But it is a matter of prioritising, of focusing on that which is most likely to keep us in the mix with those that have deep pockets. Skill to pay the bills, as they say. Well spoken, Jonas. I agree with your fundamental position, i.e. that research should be for everyone, and certainly we should strive to do both popular and innovative work. Getting the ressources necessary for living up to that ambition, however, will require that we first and foremost have a sharply defined research profile, an internation reputation with our peers, and the ability to attract manpower and funds. If we do not work tirelessly to maintain that position, there is a real chance that we will fade into the obscurity from which we spent 10 years clawing our way out of. It is a matter of Realpolitik, me thinks. It is our intellectual reputation that will ultimately attract the necessary ressources to do larger, more accessible projects.

One of the ways in which I believe we should go about disseminating our research, is by stipulating that anyone holding an academic position with us should be required to actively work to spread his or her work (and the name and research that we all do) through writing in the press/more popular publications, by doing seminars, teaching as much as possible, being available for lectures for all audiences, and so on.

Again, this is not a matter of not doing exhibitions or hiding away our lovely collections. But it is a matter of prioritising, of focusing on that which is most likely to keep us in the mix with those that have deep pockets.

Skill to pay the bills, as they say.

]]> By: Kirsten Jungersen http://www.corporeality.net/museion/2009/11/06/does-a-university-museum-have-to-be-elitist/comment-page-1/#comment-257587 Kirsten Jungersen Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:03:12 +0000 http://www.corporeality.net/museion/?p=2706#comment-257587 Bravo, Jonas! Shifting between hot and cold exibitions is what Louisiana has been doing explicitly and successfully for decades. Bravo, Jonas!
Shifting between hot and cold exibitions is what Louisiana has been doing explicitly and successfully for decades.

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