Inside the Lost Museum: Curating, Past and Present by Steven Lubar (review)

Steven Lubar's Inside the Lost Museum is a rich and accessible work on the evolution of museums (natural, history, and art) from the 1700s to the present day. Lubar's book is many things, but most importantly it is a valuable contribution to the burgeoning field of museum studies, as well as a practical guide that can be used by museum professionals.

Lubar's work covers a wide range of museum activities, with topics including: collections, policies, interpretation, presentation, preservation, and research. He begins each chapter with a look into the now lost museum of John Whipple Potter Jenks. Jenks was a naturalist, taxidermist, and professor, as well as founder, director, and curator of Brown University's museum of natural history. Founded in 1871 and closed in 1915, this museum offers a tangible way of delving into a wider discussion of museums.

To offer a behind-the-scenes peek into museum work, Lubar uses an eclectic mixture of sources from North America and Europe, including books, articles, newspapers, and primary sources produced by museums, such as policies, reports, and bulletins. This vast array of sources provides a rich and encompassing view of the subject matter by exploring the discipline from multiple angles.

There are many interesting historical and present-day examples used throughout the book. Its greatest strength is that it places current museum activities in a historical context, allowing the professional to have a more nuanced understanding of the field. The topic of contemporary curating, discussed in the fourth chapter, is particularly poignant, offering numerous insights into the complex nature of curators' field work. Lubar succinctly summarizes the history of collecting at protest movements and after tragic events before offering powerful present day examples. This discussion encourages readers to think about the delicate and complex nature of adding to collections in this manner. For instance, immediately after the September 11th terrorist attack curators worried about the moral and professional implications of collecting personal memorials, despite the materials' importance. Lubar's point is timely, especially as this activity is becoming increasingly popular after historic events. Recently, many curators and archivists called for donations of materials after the numerous women's marches following American President Donald Trump's inauguration, highlighting the importance of such questions for contemporary museum professionals.

In contrast to the theoretical insights displayed in chapter four, chapter twelve offers more practical guidance for writing museum labels. A thoughtprovoking glance at the history of label writing allows readers to connect the past with present day practices. Traditionally, artifacts were seen as stand-alone pieces. Lubar notes that Enlightenment ideas of order and systems changed the way artifacts were displayed in museums; explanations became more important. Today, labels are written with the visitor in mind: "What matters is what the visitor gets, not what the museum presents" (199). Lubar explains many of the label writing standards used by professionals. Statements like, "[s]horter is better. Section and introduction labels should be no longer than 150 words, object descriptions no longer than 80 words"(199) provide valuable information that can be used by both students and professionals.

In the final chapter, Lubar revisits each section of the book by examining them through contemporary artists' work. He argues that "artists offer not only a new perspective but also a question: why do museums do things the way they do? Looking at the museum through artists' eyes helps us understand them better" (317). This section offers a highly interesting account of how artists understand and re-envision museum activities. To offer one example, for his 2009 show, Recycle LACMA, Michael Asher refashioned deaccessioned artifacts from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, embroidering the original accession number onto the new object. This account and numerous others allow readers to re-imagine museum work, presenting it as an ever-evolving process.

Inside the Lost Museum is a book that museum students, professionals, board members, and laypersons will find...