Looking Reality in the Eye: Museums and Social Responsibility (review)

Museums contribute to the education of our children and ourselves, to our collective memory, and to the development of our culture. In a compendium of stories edited by two eminently qualified museum colleagues, we see a movement today which promises transformative change in this historic contribution to society. The nine stories in this new book illustrate the recent experiences of museum colleagues, which provide ideas and lessons for museum professionals to advance their own contributions.

In their introduction to Looking Reality in the Eye, R.R. Janes and G.T. Conaty provide an informative history of museums, art galleries, and science centres that places the current movement in useful context. Their attack on postmodern relativism reflects their critique of a disinclination among museums to be more socially responsible. It captures the chill that went through the museum community when 'Into the Heart of Africa' and other exhibitions attempted to deal critically or responsibly with history, culture, and representation, but instead evoked controversy and backlash.

The chapters themselves provide telling examples of museums coming out of their safe spaces, pushing socially progressive and relevant agendas that deal with the realities of our time. The case studies provide useful templates and issue challenges for others to follow.

Conaty and Carver's case from Calgary's Glenbow Museum balances stories from different perspectives, ideologies, and beliefs, allowing us as visitors to question the complexity of different truths. Their chapter reminds us that doing the right thing is hard and takes time; but it's clearly worth the effort. Joanne di Cosmo, of the Canadian Museum of Nature, begins her chapter with excellent, fundamental questions that we continually need to ask ourselves. It's honest, direct, and clear. Emlyn Koster and Stephen Bauman, at the United States Library Science Center, present the most solid description of this museum movement as, essentially, social marketing: it's about making change. Janet Pieschel of the Calgary Police Service Interpretive Centre shows how even private corporations will become aligned with museums doing socially and environmentally sustainable work. With the exception of the first chapter, which is narrated in the first person singular and describes a complex project apparently devoid of problems or glitches, authors are inclusive, candid, introspective, and instructive in their descriptions of collegial collaboration and project realities.

Given that each of these chapters stands alone with no continuity or structural context to the compendium, and assuming that most readers will not pore over this book from front to back, organizing the chapters in content categories might have made them easier to access and use. The first chapter, for example, could then have been put in less troublesome context for this reader within a category which reminds us that individual passion and dedication are necessary to drive effective change.

Powerful arguments and instructive lessons are presented throughout the book on how museum missions can contribute to a civil society and to sustainable environments and communities. The knowledge that all museums hold in their collections and the expertise of their professional staff can be positively mobilized to identify and illustrate the issues of our communities and our world.

More non–North American stories would have been welcome. The sole example, from the Auckland Museum, introduces a valuable new view and reminds us that the borders of North America need not impose limits to what we can learn from one another.

The editors should be encouraged to put together another book in a few years to look reality in the eye once again, not only to monitor progress in museums becoming more responsible, responsive, and relevant, but also to build courage for rewriting museum missions and rewarding professional action that builds civil, sustainable societies. Glenn Sutter and D. Worts, whose excellent chapter shows how responsible social action makes museums themselves more sustainable, should provide a follow-up.

Let's keep the momentum going by taking intelligent risks, doing the right thing, making real change...