The Mindful Museum: Agent of Change in a Troubled World
Keynote Presentation
Annual Conference of the British Columbia Museums Association
Parksville, Vancouver Island, October 25, 2013
By
Robert R. Janes
Introduction
Thank you very much for that kind introduction and for inviting me back to the BCMA
for a third time. I’m hoping that doesn’t mean three strikes and I’m out.
As the saying goes, optimists see the glass as half-full, while pessimists see the glass as
half-empty. Ever polite and accommodating, the Canadian response is…… “I’m sorry, is
that your glass?” (Pause) I’m thinking that the response should actually be – fantastic,
how wonderful to have half a glass of clean, fresh water. (Pause) I say this because the
biosphere -- meaning all living beings and their relationships on our planet -- is under
siege.
I’ve spent 37 years working in and around museums… and my personal mission has
always been to encourage museums to creatively answer the question – “what does it
mean to be a human being?” 1 This question has now become immeasurably more
important because the biosphere is now under siege, and each of us must figure out what
it means to be a human being now -- at a time when every living system is declining -and the rate of decline is accelerating.2 I regret to think that this question may become the
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central preoccupation of our lives – it certainly will be for our children. As for our
grandchildren, who knows? The year 2050 will undoubtedly be markedly different from
the privileged lives we have today.
Take climate change for example. We’ve now passed the milestone level of 400 parts per
million of climate-warming carbon in the atmosphere for the first time in human
existence – without even a national discussion or an outcry by the citizenry, much less the
intelligentsia.3 The 400ppm threshold is a dire a wake-up call for all of us to support
clean energy technology and reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, before it's too late
for our children and our grandchildren. Yet, Canada doesn’t’ even rank in the top ten of
those countries investing in renewable energy.4
My purpose today is to speculate on the future role and responsibilities of museums in
light of these intensifying socio-environmental pressures, and whether museums and
galleries can become mindful enough to serve as agents of change. In short, the mindful
museum purposefully pays attention to events in the outside world, above and beyond
internal museum concerns. My talk today will be part cautionary tale, coupled with some
alarmism and a hint of the apocalyptic, all for the purpose of emphasizing the centrality
of mindfulness to responsible museum work. An acute awareness of alternative futures
for museums need not be distressing – it can actually be liberating. I’ll conclude my talk
with a proposed ethical framework, as I also believe that there are right and wrong
choices to be made, irrespective of the so-called neutrality that so many museums
ardently retain.
2
Confronting Reality
The ecological historian, John Greer, describes our collective challenge this way:
(Quote) Most ordinary people in the industrial world… are sleepwalking through
one of history’s great transitions. The issues that concern them are still defined
entirely by the calculus of abundance… It has not yet entered their darkest dreams
that they need to worry about access to such basic necessities as food… [or] the
fate of local economies and communities shredded by decades of malign
neglect...5 (End Quote).
In short, our political and business leaders, and most of us, refuse to admit the truth or
existence of several profound realities, including the depletion of natural resources (such
as fossil fuels, minerals and water); the proliferation of negative environmental impacts
(including the burning of fossil fuels), and the inability of governments and banks to deal
with the enormous government and private debt that has accumulated over the last 20
years.6
Despite our collective denial, economic growth is essentially finished because of these
realities, and the real question now is how society, including museums, is going to adapt
to a non-growing, equilibrium economy. As the energy expert, Richard Heinberg,
succinctly noted, “Civilization is about to be downsized.”7 This is the harbinger of a new
future for museums, and the implications for change and continued prosperity are
profound and immensely challenging. This is not apocalyptic thinking, however, as
resource depletion, climate impact, and systemic financial failures (including the
European debt crisis) are a matter of record.
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Enter Museums
In considering the future of museums at this transitional time, I cannot emphasize enough
that the sustainability of museums cannot be separated from the sustainability of the
biosphere. An ecological metaphor is useful here, as ecology is about the relationships
between organisms and their environments – dependent, independent and interdependent
relationships. Museums are both dependent (on money most of all) and independent – as
museums are some of the most free and potentially creative work environments on the
planet.
In the process of overlooking the meaning of interdependence, museums have
contributed to their own marginalization. It is time to forge an ecology of museums that
recognizes that a broad web of societal relationships is the foundation of successful
adaptation in a complex, and increasingly severe, world. The lack of interdependent
relationships among most museums and their communities is an increasing liability, and
being valued for ancillary education and entertainment is no longer sufficient to ensure
long-term sustainability, irrespective of the museum’s size or subject matter.
Museums may or may not be able to contribute to the resolution of many of the global
problems that need solving, but museums of all kinds are in a position to invent a new
future for themselves and their communities. If this is too ambitious, museums could at
least help create an image of a desirable future – the essential first step in its realization.
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While there is considerable problem-solving going on in museums, the focus is on
funding, attendance, collections and so forth, rather than on the larger problems
confronting our world.
Becoming More Mindful
Addressing these challenges is all about being mindful, and by mindful I mean
purposefully paying attention to things that most of us ordinarily ignore. One of the major
strengths of mindfulness is that it is not based on any belief system or ideology.8
Mindfulness actually helps us to be more aware of events in the outside world and our
reactions to them.9 It also means paying closer attention to one’s responsibilities and
responding more wisely.
We are very good at the traditional functions that define our museum practice. Moving
beyond the typical museum concerns of how to increase attendance, raise more money,
and protect the collections, however, is admittedly a courageous experiment. This
experiment is filled with opportunities and hazards, all of which will undoubtedly set new
directions for the conduct of museum work.
Four scenarios to contemplate
With this in mind, I now want to focus your attention on the bigger picture - and think
about some possible futures for the biosphere and our way of life. Museums are essential
social institutions, even if their true potential has yet to be realized, and I want each of
you to think about your museum – its role and responsibilities -- as I review some
possible scenarios.
I am indebted to Bridget McKenzie and her blog, “The Learning Planet” for her
assistance in thinking through some of these possible futures. 10 This work is all about
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scenario planning - a technique to assist with the creation of new mental models that
result in powerful stories about how the future might unfold.11 This is not about
predicting the future, but rather about exploring the future. McKenzie has identified four
scenarios, taking into account global ecological and economic issues. In summarizing
each of these, I want to emphasize that the world is going to be a very different place
several decades from now, irrespective of how optimistic or pessimistic one might be.
The Red Global Scenario
The first is the Red Global scenario (remember that I will be speaking from the future
looking back). In this scenario, there were serious efforts to address the environmental
and resource crises globally, but they were dominated by technology and the
marketplace, with insufficient attention paid to regulating the damage to the biosphere,
coupled with insufficient efforts to restore ecosystems.
The Red Global Scenario is actually the status quo we are living in now. It is failing and
will continue to do so, as it is only the temporary abundance of inexpensive fossil fuels,
and myopic and incompetent politicians and business leaders who provide a sense of
normalcy.
The Black Global Scenario
The Black Global Scenario is the second - the apocalyptic one made popular in films and
books – where chaos and lawlessness were the order of the day. All efforts to address the
environmental and resource crises were ineffective and too late, lacking both purpose and
enthusiasm. The consequences were varied, with some communities accepting the
decline, some choosing crime and conflict, and still other communities becoming
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nomadic. There is not much to discuss about the Black Scenario – it is too dismal and
devoid of hope.
The Silver Global Scenario
The third is the Silver Global Scenario. There was a redoubled effort to replace fossil
fuels with alternative energy sources and to engineer new sources of food and water supported by the biggest corporations. The effects of climate change increased, however,
and the oceans continued to acidify and deserts spread. The reduction in greenhouse gas
emissions enabled some cities to persevere and bring back climate stability.
The Silver scenario, or “Techno-utopia”, is what governments and corporations would
like us to embrace. In fact, governments and big business continue to jeopardize the
future with the simple-minded belief that technology will fix everything. The hubris
underlying the “technological fix” is the result of both wilful ignorance and the
plutotocracy’s self-interest - why change if you are reaping all the benefits? Although the
“Techno-utopia” is theoretically possible, it will fail because it denies the irrevocable
damage to the biosphere’s natural systems.
The Green Global Scenario
In the fourth scenario, the Green Global Scenario, the inherent value of the biosphere was
finally recognized and efforts to restore and “rewild” the forests and oceans intensified.
Urban gardens became commonplace. All of these efforts failed to prevent the tipping
point of climate change feedback, however. Humans and nature are thriving in some
areas, but not globally. The Green Global Scenario cannot happen without the
unequivocal collaboration of public and private institutions, including museums. An
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unprecedented commitment to the integrity of the biosphere will be required, as well as a
commitment to individual and community self-reliance not seen since the Second World
War.
Whither Museums?
I’ve discussed these possible futures in an effort to divert your attention away from the
daily grind of museum practice, so that you might imagine your museum as a player in
defining the future well-being of the biosphere. Because each of these scenarios is
plausible, choosing one or another is a matter of personal choice and will reflect one’s
life experiences and anxieties. Personally, I align with “Ecotopia” because it is a
metaphor for the transcendence that society and its institutions must achieve – it is
hopeful. All of the scenarios are sufficient to demonstrate the magnitude of potential
change.
Keeping in mind these scenarios as the broad context in which museums work today, or
might find themselves in the future, I now want to consider more specifically the roles
and responsibilities of museums. In short, how can museums contribute to a constructive
outcome now? There are clearly ways and means, but it will require moving beyond
traditional museum practices and assumptions.
In considering the role of museums as active agents of societal change, I have four
expectations of them as public institutions: (1) to be open to influence and impact from
outside interests; (2) to be responsive to citizens’ interests and concerns; (3) to assume a
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leadership role in addressing issues that may not be seen as community priorities and last,
(4) to be fully transparent in fulfilling these three expectations. This will require that
museums not only experiment with new ways of working, but that they also expand their
understanding of their mandate and purpose at this point in history. I now want to address
both of these responsibilities, and I will begin with some thoughts on new ways of
working.
New Ways of Working
The key to sustainability for museums, and for society at large, is to address the future
now, while there is time and resources. Our habit as a species, however, is to confront
change when disaster strikes, and by then the necessary resources and energy are
beleaguered or non-existent. This is paradoxical, because it requires that we be sceptical,
curious and inventive before we have to be. This means that museum boards and staff
must challenge all the assumptions underlying current success, and this must begin with
questions. People, organizations and civilizations start slowly, grow, prosper and
decline.12 Organizational decline is avoidable, however, if this thinking and questioning
are adopted before decline sets in, and while there are resources for new explorations and
initiatives.
This necessary questioning is well underway in society at large, and there is a growing
public concern about a variety of global issues, although museums are mostly absent in
these discussions.13 I want to discuss some new ways of working that could embolden
individual responsibility, and strengthen the museum in admittedly untested ways. What
follows is a mix of new and unorthodox approaches that have the potential to expand
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conventional museum practice beyond its current limitations, and contribute to a greater
museum presence in the world. The truth will lie in the doing.
Cultivate personal agency in museum workers
My first suggestion for working differently is to cultivate your personal agency. By
personal agency, I mean the capacity of individual museum workers, not just their leaders
and managers, to take action in the world. 14 I have always been struck by a seeming
paradox – that is the widespread disconnection between individuals who work in a
museum, and the manner in which the museum functions as an organization. I trust that
each of you is insightful and motivated by concerns beyond the museum, and possesses
personal values that guide your everyday life. Yet, many people shy away from
expressing their values and acting on their personal agency - for fear of losing their job or
their friends.
I think that this fear is exaggerated. So rock the boat; …fly under the radar – do what you
need to do to if you feel that something is important. Here are several suggestions for
cultivating your personal agency:
Governance - Ask to attend a board meeting or arrange a reception with your board of
directors and the staff. Meet your board members; ask them about their lives and
experiences, and make sure that they know what you do in the museum.
Leadership and management - Meet personally with your museum director at least once a
year, and review what you’ve accomplished, the challenges you faced, and constructively
discuss how things might be improved.
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Personally - When appropriate, share aspects of your non-work life, whether it be
volunteer involvement in an environmental NGO or your work as an artist. These
seemingly unrelated skills and experiences are essential as a museum broadens its
awareness and engages with its community.
Broaden governance
My second suggestion concerns the need for new approaches to museum governance, as
the conventional board activities of policy development and fundraising are no longer
sufficient for museums that seek enduring relationships with their communities. Paul
Vandeventer, a civic activist, has identified a third skill, which he calls “civic reach”, as
being essential to effective governance. 15 In his words,
(Quote) Organizational sustainability depends on intimate local knowledge that
can inform program direction, and on relationships that can connect programs to
resources and communities. No matter how good an organization becomes at
fundraising and governance, without civic reach it risks failure. (End Quote)
There is a message here for all museums. Museum boards are now heavily populated
with business people of all types, and this distortion underlies their preoccupation with
finances and the marketplace. 16 A board dominated by any perspective, be it business,
legal or political, is an obstacle to civic reach. In short, an individual’s local knowledge
and network of community relationships are equally as important as one’s prestigious
title. “Museums need deep civic roots to thrive” and local relationships are the soil in
which these roots grow.17
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Be intellectual activists
My third recommendation is that museums become intellectual activists. Intellectual
activism is a fancy word for activities which do not necessarily create new knowledge,
but make existing knowledge more accessible, understandable and useful to others. 18
We are in urgent need of museums to identify and explore the myths, perceptions and
misperceptions that now threaten our existence -- such as the belief that unlimited
economic growth is essential to our well-being. 19 Museums of all kinds are untapped and
untested sources of ideas and knowledge, and are ideally placed to foster individual and
community participation in the quest for greater awareness and workable solutions to our
global problems. This is what I mean by intellectual activism.
Link nature and culture
My fifth recommendation is for museums to link nature and culture in their missions and
in their work, whether or not they are natural history museums. In one of the most
thoughtful mission statements I’ve seen, the Field Museum in Chicago states (Quote)
“We focus on critical environmental and cultural issues which are engaging and relevant
to the public’s daily lives and civic responsibilities.”20 (End Quote). This Museum had
over 100 conversations with organizations throughout their region, and identified five
common concerns that connect environmental and sociocultural issues, including climate
change, health and food, and economic development.
Become reality-based
My final and pressing aspiration for museums is that they become “reality-based”.21
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The question is this - Can museums finally subordinate themselves to concerns that are
larger than their own? This is what I mean by becoming reality-based – to become more
visionary, to become more involved in the broader world, to embrace a sense of urgency,
and to see things as they really are in terms of the challenges to our well-being, including
what role museums can play in civic cooperation and support.
Six Ethical Responsibilities for Museums
In the final portion of my talk today, I want to consider the mandate and purpose of
museums at this point in history, and I submit that museums have six ethical
responsibilities as social institutions in an increasingly troubled world. My use of the
word ethical refers to such things as justice, right conduct and duty. And I endorse Janet
Marstine’s observation that (Quote) “the new museum ethics stresses the agency to do
good with museum resources.”22 (End Quote).
Public Advocacy
The first ethical responsibility is public advocacy. As commonly understood among
museum workers, advocacy means lobbying governments for more recognition and more
money. As an ethical responsibility, however, public advocacy is concerned with broader
societal issues where the museum can add perspective, expertise and value. It means
moving beyond a preoccupation with the museum’s well-being, and using the museum’s
resources to enhance individual and community well-being.
A museum need not sacrifice its traditional activities to advocate publicly, and an
excellent example of this is the Museo Pambata, a children’s museum in Manila,
Philippines.23 As global warming continues to threaten the biosphere, the President of this
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museum noted that (Quote) “children have been underutilized in the campaign against
climate change and they should no longer be left behind in this advocacy.” (End Quote).
This statement was made during the opening of the Museo Pambata’s three-day
“Children & Climate Change Museum Conference” in 2012.
Problem solving
The second ethical responsibility is problem solving - a responsibility closely related to
public advocacy, as one may serve the other. Again, the focus of problem solving here is
on societal issues and concerns where the museum can provide advice, assistance and
expertise.
An excellent example of this is the American Museum of Natural History in New York,
which introduced its first Master of Arts in Teaching Program in 2012. 24 The goal is to
produce 50 new science teachers over two years for the state’s high-needs schools, which
have long coped with a critical shortage of math and science instructors.
Collaborating on the Funding of Solutions
Collaborating on the funding of solutions is the third ethical responsibility, and is perhaps
one of the most contentious, recognizing the financial pressures on museums. In thinking
about sharing a museum’s funding, however, it is important to note that there are a great
many non-profit organizations, in all sectors of society, that have far less money than
many museums.
14
A fine example of sharing money is The Chicago Botanic Garden’s Green
Youth Farm, a one-acre farm in suburban North Chicago that offers high school students
the opportunity to learn all aspects of organic farming.25 With mounting concern over the
ill-effects of industrial food, this is vital work and the Botanic Garden pays the students’
wages. Everyone benefits, although the Botanic Garden could easily have supported the
industrial food business as nearly all museums do.
Insisting on the Accountability of Government and the Private Sector
The fourth ethical responsibility is to insist on the accountability of governments and the
private sector and, admittedly, this is a radical. Yet, there is an enormous opportunity for
all museums to address one of the most vexing issues of our time – climate change – and
to hold global governments and corporations more accountable. It has been noted that the
public debate around climate change in the US is no longer about science, but about
values, culture and ideology.26 Climate change is now part of the so-called culture wars in
the US, along with other “cultural” issues such as abortion, gun control and evolution.
I suggest that this may also be true in Canada – take note of the federal government’s
single-minded emphasis and rhetoric on tar sands development. If you oppose it, you are
against Canada’s well-being. What we actually need, rather than Conservative economic
ideology, is a thoughtful societal debate focused on the full range of the technical and
social dimensions of climate change. Museums are grounded in a sense of place,
committed to stewardship, and universally respected, and can readily serve as the vital
bridge between science and the public interest by initiating and hosting this dialogue –
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and hopefully engender a greater sense of accountability on the part of government and
corporations.
Fostering scientific, humanities and social science research
The fifth ethical responsibility is to foster scientific, humanities and social science
research. My concern here is for those museums, that have the necessary resources and
expertise, to increase our knowledge and understanding of pressing social and
environmental issues -- by not only championing practical approaches, but also by
engaging in local problem solving.
An excellent example of relevant research is from the Royal Saskatchewan Museum in
Regina. This Museum is using digital imaging to study the taxonomy of Saskatchewan's
200 native bee species to determine how they can best be managed to help pollinate
Saskatchewan's food crops.27 The Museum’s expertise is a key part of a collaboration to
enhance Saskatchewan's agricultural crops and “continue as a leader in world food
security.”
Maintaining and sharing collections as knowledge seed banks
The last ethical responsibility is the need to maintain and share collections as knowledge
seed banks. This responsibility is the most obvious, recognizing that all museums, by
definition, have permanent collections. Museum collections are a time capsule of material
diversity and, in this respect, museums are as valuable as seed banks. If seed banks are
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gene banks, then museums are tool, technology, history and art banks – curating the most
distinctive trait of our species – the ability to make tools and things of beauty.28
Should the worst come to pass and the world plunges into the Black apocalyptic scenario
described earlier and, if some museums survive, the keeping of collections for posterity
will be redeemed. As author James Kunstler asks:
(Quote) “If the social and economic platform fails, how long before the
knowledge base dissolves? Two hundred years from now, will anyone know how
to build or even repair a 1962 Chrysler slant-six engine? Not to mention a Nordex
1500 kW wind turbine?” 29 (End Quote)
Conclusions
Overall, there is a vast solitude between the ethical responsibilities I have proposed here
and the bulk of mainstream museum practice. Admittedly, this ethical agenda is likely to
be nonsensical or ill-advised for those many museum boards and directors unwilling or
unable to see beyond the status quo. But I know that many of you in this room are already
thinking and doing otherwise, and that is the cause for my continued optimism.
Paradoxically, and despite their inherent conservatism, museums have existed for
centuries, unlike the vast majority of businesses. Museums have always had some sort of
“adaptive intuition” (I don’t know what else to call it) -- to reinvent and transform
themselves, however slowly and unconsciously. Museums have evolved through time,
17
from the elite collections of imperial dominance, to educational institutions for the public,
and now to the museum as “mall” and appendage of consumer society. 30
There is an important lesson in this historical trajectory – that is the ability of museums to
learn and adapt as circumstances require. The museum as mall is the latest chapter in this
long trajectory and it embodies the dead end of materialism - over-merchandised and
devoted to consumption, entertainment and popularity. The museum’s next iteration has
yet to be defined, and will hopefully be grounded in providing sustained public benefit.
Had museums been more mindful of their unique attributes, they might well have served
as distant early warning systems, as global, socio-environmental issues came into sight
decades ago. Museums are uniquely positioned to do so, with their mix of humanism,
science, time-depth and societal respect. But the time has passed, and many of these
warning signs have now become crises.
Museums have always been essential to me because they are organizations whose
purpose is their meaning - to borrow a phrase from Charles Handy, the British social
philosopher. The meaning and purpose of museums are now in need of urgent
redefinition, based on deep listening to the issues and challenges that confront our world.
The challenge of sustainability for every museum -- be it large or small; volunteer or paid
-- is to redefine the ultimate purpose and standards of museum work. Professionalism and
the yearning for popularity must make room for a commitment to the durability and wellbeing of individuals, communities and the natural world.31 This is the work that really
needs to be done, and this is the work of the mindful museum.
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Finally, I recall the observation that…if your talk was good ….the audience won’t
remember what you said. (PAUSE)… they will remember what they thought….about
what you said. Here’s hoping that all of you are brimming with thoughts. Thank you very
much.
Acknowledgements
I wish to thank Scott Marsden and David Jensen for the invitation to present this keynote
address at the BCMA’s 20213 conference. The discussion of ethical responsibilities is
taken from my new book, Museums and the Paradox of Change: A Case Study in Urgent
Adaptation – Third Edition (Routledge, 2013), and I acknowledge my publisher for their
approval to use this material. I also want to thank Bridgette McKenzie for her work on
global scenarios, a summary of which is included in this keynote. My thanks also go to
Shelley Gauthier, the BCMA’s Office Administrator, for all her excellent work behind
the scenes.
Notes
1
N. Postman, “Museum as Dialogue,” Museum News (69/5), 1990, 55–58.
2
P. Hawken, Commencement Address, University of Portland. Portland, Oregon USA May 3,
2009.
3
J. Romm, Into The Valley Of Death Rode The 600, Into The Valley Of 400 PPM Rode The 7 Billion.
May 5, 2013 at 12:34 pm. Available online: http://thinkprogress.org/author/joe/
4
E. May. Canada is missing out on global clean-tech revolution. On Monday, August 12th,
2013 in Articles by Elizabeth. Available online at HTTP:
http://elizabethmaymp.ca/news/publications/articles/2013/08/12/canada-is-missing-out-on-globalclean-tech-revolution/
19
5
J. M. Greer, The Wealth of Nature, Gabriola Island, Canada: New Society Publishers, 2011,
p.239.
6
R. Heinberg, The End of Growth, Gabriola Island, Canada: New Society Publishers, 2011, pp.1
– 4.
7
R. Heinberg, The End of Growth, p.27.
8
J. Kabat-Zinn, Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face
Stress, Pain, and Illness, New York: Bantam, Doubleday, Dell Publishing Group, Inc., 1990, pp.
12–13.
9
D. Fontana, Meditation: An Introductory Guide to Relaxation for Mind and Body, Shaftesbury,
Dorset, UK: Element Books Limited, 1999, p. 112.
10
Bridget McKenzie, “Seeing Museums in 2060,” The Learning Planet Blog, May 8, 2012.
Available online at: http://thelearningplanet.wordpress.com/tag/museums/
11
For an overview of scenario planning, see P. Schwartz, The Art of the Long View, New York:
Currency Doubleday, 1996; and A. de Geus, The Living Company: Habits for Survival in a
Turbulent Business Environment, Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1997, pp. 38–54.
12
C. Handy, The Age of Paradox, Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1994, pp. 49-63.
13
R. R. Janes, Museums in a Troubled World: Renewal, Irrelevance or Collapse? London and
New York: Routledge, 2009 p. 26.
J.A. Davis, “Putting museum studies to work”, Museum Management and Curatorship, (26) 5,
December, 2011, pp. 459-479.
14
P. Vandeventer, “Increasing Civic Reach”, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Spring 2011.
Available online at HTTP: <http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/increasing_civic_reach>
15
16
Janes, Museums in a Troubled World: Renewal, Irrelevance or Collapse?, pp. 94-120.
P. Vandeventer, “Increasing Civic Reach”, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Spring 2011.
R. Gross, The Independent Scholar’s Handbook, Berkeley: Ten Speed Press, 1993, pp. 164–70.
Available online at http://www.sfu.ca/independentscholars/ISbook.pdf.
17
18
19
R.F. Nelson, Personal communication, October 1, 2010.
20
Mission Statement of the Field Museum. Available online at
<http://www.fieldmuseum.org/museum_info/mission_statement.htm> (accessed 17 July 2008).
21
J. H. Kunstler, The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other
Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century, New York: Grove Press, 2005, p. 324.
J. Marstine, “The contingent nature of the new museum ethics”, in J. Marstine (ed.), The
Routledge Companion to Museum Ethics, London and New York: Routledge, 2011. p.8.
22
20
Museo Pambata, 2nd Asian Children's Museum Conference, “Children and Climate Change,”
Available online at <http://www.museopambata.org/acmc/>
23
American Museum of Natural History, “Master of Arts in Teaching Program”. Available online
at: <http://www.amnh.org/education/mat/)>
24
Chicago Botanic Garden, “North Chicago Green Youth Farm”, Available online at <
http://www.chicagobotanic.org/greenyouthfarm/ See also the Garden Café at: <
http://www.chicagobotanic.org/cafe/index.php>
25
A.J. Hoffman, “Climate Science as Culture War”, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Fall,
2012.
Available online at: < Available online at:<
http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/climate_science_as_culture_war?utm_source=Enews&ut
m_medium=email&utm_content=1&utm_campaign=hoffman>
26
27
Government of Saskatchewan News Release, “Royal Saskatchewan Museum Poised to Lead
Bee Research in Canada”, 31 July, 2012. Available online at: <
http://www.gov.sk.ca/news?newsId=ab5c0e2f-91ad-4146-b57e-a40d8e510d9e>
28
Janes, Museums in a Troubled World: Renewal, Irrelevance or Collapse?, p. 179.
29
J. H. Kunstler, The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other
Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century, New York: Grove Press, 2005, p. 130.
A. Gopnik, “The mindful museum”, The Walrus (4, June), 2007, p. 89. This article is adapted
from the 2006 Holtby Lecture at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada.
30
31
W. Berry, Life is a Miracle, Berkeley, CA: Counterpoint, 2000, p. 134
21