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What is a Museum? |
by Evan Levy >> more about the author
Have you ever gone to a museum? What did you see?
Museums are all over the world, and they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes--with all sorts of things inside!
Museums don’t just hold works of art, like paintings and sculpture; museums of natural history, design, armor, firefighting, even seashells all exist!
A museum generally has works of art or other artifacts that are studied and taken care of by a trained staff, and is housed in a building that is open to the public. Some museums concentrate on a period of history or a certain type of object; others have collections of all sorts of things.
Most museums have a permanent collection (things that are always on view) and some have special exhibition–displays that are just on view for a short time, as well.
Museums often offer programs for the public that help people understand and learn about their collections, like children’s workshops, lectures, and films.
The first public museum opened in 1683, and was started by the University of Oxford, in England. Two of Europe’s most famous museums, the British Museum, in London, and the Louvre, in Paris, opened in 1759 and 1793, respectively.
Museums are great places to learn about art and science. There’s probably a museum not too far from you, so go check it out!
You can make your own museum! Do you collect something like rocks, shells, or snow globes? Find a place to display them and set them up. Next, make labels for them describing where they came from and what they’re made of, plus any other important information. You can even make a sheet describing your museum and display it. Now invite family and friends to visit!
