Yang 1

Jenny Yang
AP Lang 3
Mrs. Kaplan
24 February 2014
The Importance of Art
The traditional role of museums is to be used as a center of research, education, and a
means of public outreach. With society advancing, technological measures such as virtual
museums have been created for easy access to knowledge. In a world where knowledge is
constantly expanding, it is important to preserve pieces that can aid in the manifestation of
knowledge. However the selection of pieces put into a museum is tedious work.While funding
and finances enable a museum to run, in actuality, it is the educational value and preservation of
a culture that must be considered when selecting a piece of art.
Finances are essential when contemplating the selection of artwork because it not only
enables the curator to buy art, but is also needed to maintain the quality of that piece. However,
is should not be the sole factor that determines what artwork is selected. It is evident that a
museum needs to be funded. David Rockefeller mentions that two critical business problems of
the institution are money and management (Source A). Ultimately, finances are essential to
maintaining the quality of the museum itself. A museum cannot function without money. Money
allows for the museum itself to exist and so money is a factor when determining what art should
be selected. However, money should not be the main factor when deciding what piece of art to
select. A museum can make revenue through other means, which can help with the future
purchasing of artwork. Mary Miley Theobald mentions a fear that the marketing function of art
will start to dominate the sales process in museum gift shops which overrides aesthetic and
Yang 2
educational considerations (Source D). Museums do make a lot of much needed money off of
the reproduction of famous works in museum gift shops. However, the purpose of the gift shops
is to bring in revenue for the museum itself. Most museums are free to the public, and so the gift
shops is a tradeoff for the privilege of visiting a museum. The gift shops work as a balance
towards allowing for the ownership of a replication of an educational piece, as well as
maintaining the proper funding to continue to run the museum properly and successfully. This
enables the museum to not only focus on money or education but money and education
(Source D) In turn, this allows for additional money to be allocated towards purchasing
educational pieces.
Although money is needed to buy artwork, the knowledge gained through an educational
piece is priceless. Most museums target a younger audience to provide a hands on and visual
experience. A museum allows for an individual to discover history or pursue their own version of
truth. Richard Handler describes colonial Williamsburg as a Disney enterprise that has taught
Americans to believe in a sanitized and selective version of the past, and deny the diversity
and eloquence of change and continuity (Source E) It is understandable that colonial
Williamsburg may be used for a younger audience to engage the future generation to discover
the history of the U.S. However, recently there have been modifications towards the
presentations at colonial Williamsburg. Although it may be hazardous and near impossible to
actually simulate the diseases at the time, there are slavery presentations that replicate the
treatment of slaves at the time. This adjustment allows for the younger generation to get an
accurate exposure of some of the uglier aspects of U.S history. It is important to educate
individuals of not only the amicable parts of the past, but also the reprehensible side. In New
York City, similar measures were created to insure the knowledge of the reprehensible side of
Yang 3
history. Philippe De Montebello explains that the Metropolitan Museum of Art has taken the task
of re-examining its collections in an attempt to certify whether the works were unlawfully
confiscated by the Nazis and never restituted (Source F) Many individuals to this day still deny
that the Holocaust has happened. Like the adjustment towards colonial Williamsburg, more
museums are putting in the effort to verify the accuracy of information. It is essential to bring
awareness to a horrific event so that each individual can gain knowledge of the truth. Although
selecting educational artwork may prove to be a challenge, it is crucial that educational artwork
remains a priority. Not only to provide educational value, but also to allow for mass awareness.
In addition to educating the public, it is extremely important to preserve a culture in order
to lead to sociocultural awareness. The past can be easily forgotten, and small ethnic groups are
continuously disappearing. In the description of the National Museum of the American Indian, it
states that the museum is not only dedicated to protect and foster cultures by reaffirming
traditions and beliefs, but also strives to find new approaches to the study and representation of
the history, materials, and cultures of native people(Source C) Since the discovery of the
Americas, the native people have always been seen as rivals, and therefore targeted. It is
important to note that American could not have been developed into the great nation today if not
for the natives. It is crucial that in a diverse nation, all ethnic groups are represented. Since the
natives population is constantly declining, it is important to preserve the history of their people.
The National Museum of the American Indian allows for the preservation of the American
Indian Culture, and allows for people of American Indian descent to rediscover their own culture
as well as understand their background. The Metropolitan Museum of Art also strives to do the
same. Philippe De Montebello explains that by locating missing pieces of art during the Nazi-
Era, the art will prove a useful resource in arriving at the truth and ensuring justice. By
Yang 4
preserving the art during the Nazi era, it allows for sociocultural awareness of the horrific
event.Therefore art is a useful tool in educating the public and provides a way for society as a
whole to know the struggles of the past.
Even though finances are important, ultimately education and sociocultural awareness are
the most important factors when selecting art. Art should not only be objects of beauty, but
should also be mediators that spark imagination and creativity, allowing for an individual to
discover their own minds, and manifest their own version of truth.