Museums- Trés Important !!!!

As a result of being in London for the past month and a half, I’m just coming to realize that I’ve probably visited more museums recently than I may have my entire life. I’ve enjoyed countless paintings and amazing artifacts, seen dozens of priceless antiquities, and I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything.
The question I’d like to pose is this: What impact has this cornucopia of historical artifacts had on today’s culture? For me, the answer is simple. My world has expanded every time I enter a new museum. I am more cultured, more socially aware, less ignorant of history, intellectually and visually stimulated, and the list goes on.
In a recent BLC lecture, I learned that there are more than 300 museums in London alone! How incredible. As a student myself, I’ve noticed that every museum I’ve been to has never failed to have a flock of scholars, from elementary to college age. This really impresses me and makes me envious at the same time. Where I live now, in Arkansas, there are no serious museums within 2 hours of where I live. When I was in elementary and high school, we hardly ever went to museums, and if we did, it was on a serious venture, like my choir trips to New York and Chicago. To live in a city full of museums now is like a dream come true.
As I walked through The Science Museum the other day, I was able to watch as young children explored nature and science through hands on activities. If a child is able to experience these things throughout their schooling, imagine what an impact that will have on their education. Being offered these splendid educational opportunities will also contribute to the shaping of responsible, motivated adults.

Here’s an interesting figure for London:

“The figures for numbers of children engaged in educational programmes at these galleries are as follows:

2003-2004 2004-2005 estimated outturn

National Gallery 104,000 90,000
National Portrait Gallery 33,212 39,000
Tate Gallery 222,417 249,158
Victoria and Albert Museum 284,000 220,000”

I found this at: http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/foi_requests/1471.aspx



Another aspect that is important to mention is the personal growth that museums help to develop. Because of the distinct subjects they each focus on, anyone can find a museum that fits their individual interests. If a person enjoys anthropology, for example, the British Museum would be a fabulous place to visit because of its rich sampling of cultures all across Europe. One area I’ve really taken advantage of is history. I visited the Imperial War Museum last week and learned an incredible amount about WWI alone. So much personal history was there that I could have never gotten out of a standard history textbook. Because I have a special focus on 20th century Europe this semester, I can appreciate how much of that history is imparted through these museums.

Another level of value is placed on museums when remembering tourism. Tourism is a very important part of how a city’s economy thrives. Museums are a GREAT source of tourism, and although most of the museums here are free of charge, they still bring in plenty of revenue and help to boost the economy. That said, if it weren’t for the very rich quality of the London museums, much of the attraction to visit would decrease and tourism would suffer.

Overall, the importance of museums to European society and culture has not been lost on me. I will forever be indebted to Europe, most especially the great city of London, for providing an enjoyable way to gain a wealth of knowledge during my stay here.

For those interested, here’s a website that lists all the museums in London:

http://www.londonnet.co.uk/ln/guide/about/museums.html