Summer Book Club: Elaine Gurian's Civilizing the Museum

Over the last two months, I've been slowly poking through Elaine Gurian's collected works, Civilizing the Museum. From inclusion to admission, from objects to exhibit design, Elaine's essays cut to the core of many museum design issues. While the pieces were collected over her last thirty years of work, it's not a dusty museum piece: there's a ton of potent content worth considering and batting around in the context of the future of museums. Many of the pieces end with a call for a new generation to take up the battles and debates. So, heck. Let's get started.

Beginning next Tuesday, I'll be adding a weekly segment over the next couple months, writing a commentary on a chosen essay from the book. I invite you to pick up the book (cheaper here if you are an AAM member) and join the conversation.

Next week, I'll be writing about Free at Last, Elaine's essay on the use, abuse, and overall impact of admissions fees on museums. Page 127. Enjoy.