A new definition of a museum has been developed by representatives of museums around the globe for the first time in half a century.
Members of the International Council of Museums agreed at a meeting in Prague this week to adopt a definition that recognizes evolving thinking around issues like inclusivity, accessibility and sustainability.
"This new definition is aligned with some of the major changes in the role of museums today," Alberto Garlandi, the council's president told The Art Newspaper. "We have been forced to change. I really think that this decision will improve the role of the museum around the world."
The full definition, which will be adopted by UNESCO, reads as:
"A museum is a not-for-profit, permanent institution in the service of society that researches, collects, conserves, interprets and exhibits tangible and intangible heritage. Open to the public, accessible and inclusive, museums foster diversity and sustainability. They operate and communicate ethically, professionally and with the participation of communities, offering varied experiences for education, enjoyment, reflection and knowledge sharing."
The council, a global organization of museums and museum professionals with formal ties to UNESCO, has chapters in member countries, including Canada.
In other business, the council condemned Russia for the “deliberate destruction of Ukrainian cultural heritage” and voted to strengthen its ethics code, which the council says would allow it to more readily address conflicts.
The international definition of a museum helps guide public policy around the globe. The previous definition was adopted into national legislation that governs museums by countries around the world, including Canada.
The new definition has been a topic of heated debate for several years, pitting reformers against conservatives. No consensus was reached at the council's last conference in Japan in 2019.
The previous definition of a museum was created in the 1970s, and was last amended in 2007.
That definition reads:
"A museum is a non-profit, permanent institution in the service of society and its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment for the purposes of education, study and enjoyment."
Bruno Brulon, the co-chair of a standing committee for the museum definition, has described the new definition, which followed extensive rounds of consultation around the world, as a compromise.
Notably absent are terms like decolonization, repatriation, restitution – issues many museums are grappling with now, and which progressives wanted in the definition.
Details of how to implement the new definition are still under discussion.
Source: ICOM, The Art Newspaper