As we head into a long weekend, here’s some inspiration to visit a museum. <\/p>\n
Today\u2019s museums are more interactive, inclusive, and innovative than ever before \u2013 so if you wrote them off as dull, it\u2019s time to think again.<\/p>\n
The transformation of museums over time has been profound, says UNSW\u2019s Professor Louise Ravelli, an expert on museum design and communication from the School of the Arts & Media.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe museums of today are a world away from the elite collections of the 1600s and 1700s that displayed artefacts picked up by the wealthy on their travels,\u201d says Prof. Ravelli. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve shifted from bespoke collections for the privileged few to dynamic spaces that invite dialogue, participation, and even virtual exploration.\u201d<\/p>\n
From private \u2018cabinets of curiosity\u2019 to elevating diverse voices <\/p>\n
Early museums were exclusive and eclectic. Described as \u2018cabinets of curiosity\u2019, they were rooms or display cabinets in private houses filled with objects picked up by the wealthy on their travels and shared with guests by invitation only. <\/p>\n
During the 18th and 19th centuries, museums evolved into grand public institutions, such as the British Museum in London, with collections meticulously organised into categories designed to educate visitors as they walked through. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd towards the end of the 20th century, around the 1980s, there was another real shift, reflecting broader social changes,\u201d says Prof. Ravelli.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust as the move towards \u2018plain English\u2019 gained momentum, museums began presenting their collections in more engaging and accessible ways, so non-experts could connect more easily with what was on display,\u201d says Prof. Ravelli. <\/p>\n
The 21st century has brought even more change \u2013 museums now share multiple perspectives, including stories that historically would have been overlooked. <\/p>\n
Whose stories get told<\/p>\n
\u201cMuseums do an incredible job of presenting information in engaging and interactive ways, but a key part of the process is choosing which story to tell and from what perspective,\u201d says Prof. Ravelli.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd this means that they can also be cultural battlegrounds about representation and authority, as they negotiate multiple perspectives and political viewpoints,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
At its most violent, this battleground can see museums ransacked, closed or even destroyed. At its most subtle, it can look like curatorial choices designed to shape national identity.<\/p>\n
Such a contest of ideas has occurred throughout history and continues to this day. In the US, a 2025 Executive Order titled \u2018Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History\u2019, mandated that public monuments and museum displays emphasise national achievement rather than examining historical injustices \u2013 a move critics say curtails honest engagement with the past. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe order singled out the Smithsonian for allegedly adopting a \u2018divisive, race-centred ideology\u2019 through an exhibit exploring how race shapes systems of power,\u201d explains Prof. Ravelli.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the past there was an idea that museums shared \u2018facts\u2019 in uncontested or unproblematic ways \u2013 even though such objectivity does not in fact exist. But increasingly they reflect the acceptance of multiple points of view in their exhibitions,\u201d says Prof. Ravelli. <\/p>\n
The reframing of an often-told story <\/p>\n
Closer to home, the exhibition Eight Days in Kamay, which ran at the State Library of NSW in 2020, reframed the story of James Cook\u2019s initial landfall in Australia in 1770 from an Indigenous perspective. <\/p>\n
The exhibition, which coincided with the 250th anniversary of Cook\u2019s arrival, presented the \u2018so-called\u2019 British discovery of Australia in terms of an Indigenous encounter.<\/p>\n
Upon entry, visitors read the following explanation: “In April 1770 strangers appeared off the shore of Kamay (Botany Bay). The eight days those strangers spent on Gweagal lands and waters pulsed with curiosity and unease on both sides.”<\/p>\n
\u201cThe explanatory texts of the exhibition were not only written by Indigenous peoples, but included the spoken voices and written transcripts of direct descendants of the people who first encountered Cook”, explains Prof. Ravelli. <\/p>\n
One of these texts quotes Gweagal\u202fKnowledge holder Shayne Williams who explains, \u201cSo\u202fthe Aboriginal people here, the Gweagal people, knew [Cook and his crew] were on their way, they were waiting for them, they were prepared.\u202fSo,\u202fI can’t see how the British discovered us when in fact we discovered them at Point Hicks and followed them all the way along the coast. We discovered them before they even set foot on land!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHighlighting the voices of the Gweagal people of Kamay (Botany Bay) in this exhibition was a powerful example of how museums are embracing inclusion and dialogue,\u201d says Prof. Ravelli. <\/p>\n
Another example of reframing can be seen in the Netherlands, in their famous \u2018Mauritshuis\u2019 museum \u2013 home of Vermeer\u2019s \u2018Girl with the Pearl Earring\u2019, among other treasures. Their \u2018Lost Museum\u2019 exhibition of 2024 interrogated the ethics of collecting and display as it takes place. <\/p>\n
\u201cAs you look at a cabinet displaying various historical objects, you notice a small sign, \u2018Nowadays not on view\u2019. This makes the viewer reflect: what is it that has been taken away, and why? It\u2019s a very simple strategy but creates a very poignant and powerful moment.\u201d <\/p>\n
Museums are for everyone<\/p>\n
The International Council of Museums\u2019 latest definition describes museums as \u201caccessible and inclusive, fostering diversity and sustainability\u2026 operating with the participation of communities.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cThe definition captures the broader social and technological changes that have taken place in museums as they move away from presenting exhibitions from the perspective of an all-knowing expert curator and towards visitor-centred experiences,\u201d says Prof. Ravelli.<\/p>\n
Digital technology has also helped to make the museum experience more accessible than ever, Prof. Ravelli says.<\/p>\n
This can include highlighting collections online, as with individual stories of migration at the Australian National Maritime Museum or offering virtual excursions at the Hyde Park Barracks, so students can access learning experiences from remote and regional locations.<\/p>\n
\u201cVirtual exhibitions, interactive media, and even \u2018digital twins\u2019 of objects allow visitors to engage with collections in ways that were unimaginable a generation ago,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
For example, you can take virtual tours through galleries around the world or zoom in to take in the most subtle brush strokes of a painting. Examples include:<\/p>\n
Rijksmuseum (Netherlands) \u2013 offering high-resolution digital access, opens in a new window to masterpieces.<\/p>\n
Sir John Soane\u2019s Museum (UK) \u2013 where visitors can \u2018fly through\u2019 a virtual tour, opens in a new window of its historic interiors. <\/p>\n
\u201cMuseums today are closer to their goal of offering something for everyone: education, entertainment, inspiration, and a chance to reflect on the stories that shape our world,\u201d says Prof. Ravelli.<\/p>\n
“So, whether you choose to visit in person or explore a virtual exhibition from your home, it\u2019s time to revisit the museum.” <\/p>\n