We are already entering the second decade of the 21st century and discussions in the museum world seem to be more centered in whether museums should extend their facilities (meaning exhibit space) commissioning new architectural "jewels", and thus embarking themselves on millionaire projects sometimes impossible to maintain in the current economic situation; or put all the efforts in working in enhancing the experience of visitors by means of fascinating media and a, sometimes overwhelming, extensive calendar of full education programs and social activities.
I am a very interested in architecture, media and exhibition planning, but my question here is, if it should not be consider more important a discussion about:
- what should be the content of museums?
- what should museums have to offer to visitors beyond their, many times, too popular temporary exhibitions, but less impressive experience?
- what should be the new definition for museums as research-education centers, especially if they are only to display temporary shows?
- What is left of function of museums as repository of collections based on an intellectual statement?
Many are the questions to revise in the next years, if museums are here to stay for long time as centers of intellectual content. Or is that museums will inevitable fall in the stream of not evolving but changing their own essence, to become what? Are new current museums, "the next museum" to imitate?
