The International Council of Museums (ICOM) will vote on a new definition of museums in September 2019.
The proposed change includes language about “social justice, global equality and planetary wellbeing.” Critics say the text is too political for most museums to employ. Do you agree?
The new definition:
Museums are democratising, inclusive and polyphonic spaces for critical dialogue about the pasts and the futures. Acknowledging and addressing the conflicts and challenges of the present, they hold artefacts and specimens in trust for society, safeguard diverse memories for future generations and guarantee equal rights and equal access to heritage for all people.
Museums are not for profit. They are participatory and transparent, and work in active partnership with and for diverse communities to collect, preserve, research, interpret, exhibit, and enhance understandings of the world, aiming to contribute to human dignity and social justice, global equality and planetary wellbeing.
Read the announcement:
icom.museum/en/activities/standards-guidelines/museum-definition
