Museums are democratising, inclusive and polyphonic spaces for critical dialogue about pasts and futures. They hold objects and specimens in trust for society, safeguard diverse memories and knowledge and aim to contribute to human dignity, social justice, global equality and planetary well-being. They are open and transparent and work in active partnership with and for communities to collect, preserve, research, interpret, and exhibit objects and cultural heritage, while respecting diversity and the rights of individuals.
Founded for many different reasons, museums show a remarkable diversity in form, content, and function. Some are dedicated to art, history, science, or nature. Others are founded to promote tourism in a region, encourage civic pride or nationalistic endeavour, or even transmit overtly ideological concepts. But whatever their specific goals, all museums have one thing in common: preserving and interpreting some material aspect of society’s cultural consciousness.
While the basic responsibilities of a museum have remained constant over time, the way they are implemented and legitimised has changed. The most obvious change has been the gradual separation of internal and external functions. This process was triggered by the emergence of professionalisation in the 1960s and 70s, when expanding museums hired increasing numbers of specialists. During the following decades, this separation became increasingly formalised as departments emerged and developed their own specialised jargon and organisational structures.
The resulting departmentalisation led to the introduction of new types of museums with their own specific functional categories. These include the art gallery, the scientific museum, and the historical museum. These museums are not only characterized by their distinct collections and exhibitions, but also by their specific management systems.
A museum’s staff is responsible for carrying out the institution’s day-to-day activities, such as acquiring objects, conserving them, and managing their access and availability. Museums are not necessarily managed by a single individual, but rather by a board of trustees and a director (or equivalent). The size and structure of a museum’s staff and its governance system will vary widely.
Museums can be run for profit or non-profit. The distinction is important because it influences the ways in which a museum is run and governed. In a nonprofit museum, any money that is made is invested back into the museum itself, while in a for-profit museum, profits are distributed to the museum’s owners or shareholders.
Some of the most popular museums in the world are located in major cities, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the Louvre in Paris. However, some of the most visited museums in the world are in more obscure locations. For instance, the Chinese location Zhejiang Art Museum welcomed more than a million visitors in 2020 and is the world’s third most popular museum by gallery space.