Future of Museums

soldiering through the galleries and paying minimal attention to the exhibits prepared expressly for their viewing

reanimated by the opportunities to engage in eating, spending, and talking on the phone—activities compatible with a sidewalk stroll.

critical message about the socializing function of the city

There is scientific data, too, upon which to build an argument for ensuring that we do better by our museum guests.

participation in the arts, especially as audience, predicted civic engagement, tolerance, and altruism.”

“[T]he space of the art museum is an inherently public or civic space,” wrote Glenn Lowry, director of the Museum of Modern Art, in a recent essay. “Art museums in this context need to be understood as quintessentially urban institutions that play a critical role in defining the intellectual and physical fabric of cities and towns.”