SDG here with a pair of related stories on institutions dumbing down culture.
According to British author Frank Furedi, The Tyne and Wear Museum in northeast England “encourage[s] the display of works from the collections which may not necessarily be famous or highly regarded, but have been chosen by members of the public simply because they like them or because they arouse certain emotions or memories.”
Furedi says he doesn’t like the term “dumbing down,” since his argument isn’t that people are getting dumber and dumber. “‘When I do use the term ‘dumbing down’ I’m primarily talking about institutions, not people. I’m talking about the elite, about the inability at the top of society to provide institutional support for the pursuit of scholarship, the arts or knowledge.”
Interestingly, Furedi’s roots are in the “revolutionary left,” and he is a former contributor to Living Marxism magazine.
In a related U.S.-based story, it seems that Washington, D.C.’s new National Museum of the American Indian
stubbornly refuses to impose any recognizable standard of scholarship, or even value, on the items in its galleries. Precious artifacts are mingled with present-day kitsch, with few if any clues provided about what makes them significant. The museum’s curators regard the very notion of a Native American cultural heritage as anathema because it clashes with the museum’s boosterish message that Native American culture is as vibrant today as it ever was. This isn’t a museum; it’s a public service announcement.
What does the National Museum of the American Indian consider worthy of museum piece status? According to the article,
Among the inaugural exhibitions is “The Jewelry of Ben Nighthorse.” If the name sounds familiar, that’s because the artist is a Republican senator from Colorado, where they call him Ben Nighthorse Campbell. In 1989, Campbell, who was then a House member (and a Democrat), sponsored the legislation that created the National Museum of the American Indian; he later helped provide necessary federal funds as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee… The rings, bracelets, tie clasps, and other tchotchkes displayed reverently are indistinguishable from anything you might buy at a roadside stand in Boulder. What establishes Campbell’s bona fides as an artist of national renown? An informational pillar explains that “Nighthorse was among 20 artists selected by Arizona Highways magazine for a contemporary jewelry issue.”
The writer declares this “a straightforward declaration that the National Museum of the American Indian will sell gallery space to the highest bidder.” He also blasts the museum for making it virtually impossible to actually learn anything about the pieces, their historical or artistic significance if any, etc.
