• Title/Summary/Keyword: Museums

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The Commercialization of Blockbuster Exhibitions in Museums (미술관 블록버스터 전시의 상업주의적 경향 연구)

  • Hwang, Kyung-Ja
    • The Journal of Art Theory & Practice
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    • no.2
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    • pp.191-213
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    • 2004

  • The trend of "Blockbuster Exhibitions" over the past decade has led to the unfortunate reality that museums, losing sight of their role as an Academic organization, are becoming increasingly influenced by the corporate world. In my dissertation entitled "The Commercialization of Blockbuster Exhibitions in Museums," I explore the modern tendency toward Blockbuster exhibitions in art museums and the negative impact of those exhibitions on the art world. Museums of the modern day have expanded their territory from the traditional venue of public education to the hybrid cultural space. This mission, evident in the museum's attempt to satisfy audiences with the offering of diverse activities, has changed the concept of the museum, giving priority to the desire for financial gain. From the viewpoint of this new museology, the museum considers Blockbuster exhibitions as the safest method to increase ticket sales. As a program that openly reveals the commercialism of the museum, I explore the Blockbuster show and its strategies as a means of exposing the influence of the corporate world on art. A key component to the Blockbuster exhibition is the "hype" that is created to attract an audience. This devotion to increased publicity distracts from what should be the goal of public education, as the primary focus leans towards the desire for a large number of visitors. Consequently, this unavoidably standardized exhibition is presented to the public in a manner that deprives the audience of a unique experience. With large crowds and increased ticket prices, it is difficult to form a genuine appreciation of the artwork. In addition to the profit gained by increased ticket prices and the commercial sales of "souvenirs" from the museum gift shop, Blockbuster shows are used as a means to attract the attention of corporate sponsors. As explained in my dissertation, the importance that the museum places on corporate sponsorship as a capital resource is evident, however the degree to which the museum allows itself to he influenced by the desire for capital gain poses a threat to its function as an academic organization. Circumstances in American museum history, in particular, have influenced the transition from academic resource to corporation within museology. In keeping with the nation's tendency towards capitalism, art museums in the United States were initially established and developed by individual capitalists who applied principals of corporate operation to museum management. As a result, in modern days, We witness the influence of enterprise on museum programs, while corporate management may be able to guarantee immediate fiscal benefits, however, it is unable insure the future of the museum. In Slim, my dissertation discusses the mechanism of the commercialized "Blockbuster Exhibition" and the impact that it has on the future of the museum as an industry. This research provides an opportunity to reconsider the role of the museum as an academic institution, particularly in regard to the need to decrease the capitalization of exhibitions and refocus their influence on the art world as an educational resource.

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An Analysis of Operating Characteristics and Management Satisfaction of Forest Museums in Korea (우리나라 산림박물관의 운영특성 및 관리 만족도 분석)

  • Ha, Sung-Gyone;Shin, Hyun-Tak;Jung, Tae-Yeol;An, Jong-Bin
    • Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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    • v.102 no.3
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    • pp.382-389
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    • 2013

  • The present study grasped the operation characteristics and operation management of forest museums in Korea and analyzed satisfaction with the foregoing. In the results of a survey of forest museums' operation characteristics, with regard to groups to which exhibits were helpful, over half of respondents answered that the exhibits were helpful to students and many respondents had an opinion that all age groups should be equally considered as targets of exhibition. Among matters that were considered with regards to forest museums, accessibility showed the highest rate of answers followed by museum programs. The curator was needed for the majority of respondents were exhibits prior to the survey had the highest expectations for the medium. With regard to the operation management of forest museums, the expected value of periodic and extraordinary exhibitions was shown to be high and high and satisfaction was shown by the professionalism of staff. As for matters of forest museums that must be improved, attention should be paid to the development of programs in which users can participate, diverse exhibition media should be developed, and exhibition should be planned to fit the composition of exhibits. As for operation management, since exhibits were repeated every year, environments should be changed by exhibiting new exhibits or otherwise and active methods of improvement should be devised such as the utilization of broadcasting media for public relations.

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