Answering the Question, 'What Is a Museum, Anyway?'
In a recent Becoming Artsy episode, host Jessie Hendricks recounts feeling out-of-place in art museums as a kid. Denise Mc Iver can relate
Denise Mc Iver stands before a bronze bust of activist Frederick Douglass sculpted by Alexander Kricheff. The bust was donated to the California African American Museum by Kricheff's widow, in his memory.
Photo: Helen Marish
Body Content
I am the Research Librarian at the California African American Museum (CAAM), assisting researchers who want to learn more about the wealth of information regarding the achievements of, and contribution made by, people of the African diaspora.
Happily, my position at CAAM dovetails with my personal focus: to collect, make known, and provide access to information about the history of my people.
I recently screened an episode of Getty’s video series Becoming Artsy featuring the wonderful Jessie Hendricks. During this video, Jessie explored the question, “What is a museum, anyway?” I was so struck by her warmth, measured goofiness, and empathy that I called her office to tell her how much I enjoyed the video, and how I felt the pull of connection to her personal origin story.
Like Jessie, I grew up in a working-class family, and though money may have been tight, we were both fortunate enough to have parents who made certain that we were exposed to the arts. My family’s “art policy” included the drive-in theater, traveling the island of Manhattan on the famed Circle Line, and maybe a visit to Radio City, which is where I originally saw the film A Raisin in the Sun starring Sidney Poitier and Ruby Dee. I was an adult the first time I ever visited a museum during my undergraduate years, and now I’m working for one. Wow!
In response to Jessie’s question, what is a museum, I would say: A museum is a place to learn, delight in, and behold the incredible creative endeavors of humankind. It is a place to grow, a place to question, and perhaps most importantly, a place to experience beauty.
I am deeply fortunate and amazed that I get to do all of this every day!
