Forums, not temples

Converging forces for change reflect the increasing dependence of most museums on public participation and support, as well as the rising scholarly, curatorial, and exhibition standards expected of them. Museums accordingly cannot escape, and instead are tending to become a focus for some of the multicultural divisions and tensions that are characteristic of our times. The role of institutional authority and expertise is an increasingly contingent and contested one, not only among sponsoring bodies and specialists but necessarily also shared with many contending public interests and constituencies. The ends of widening public education and cultural enrichment are best served by recognizing the diverse audiences and many legitimate aspirations and interests that museums can help to meet in a broad array of alternate ways.