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Childhood, Children and their Culture in Museums
It seems to me that children are hot property
in today's museums. I suppose they always have been in so far as
group visits of school children have been fodder for impressive
visitor numbers. As educational institutions, museums in the modern
period have always given serious regard to child visitors, often
somewhat pedagogically and didactically, though in more recent times
in more participatory and enjoyable ways. However, it may be argued
that many of the recent concerns expressed regarding representation
of social groups in terms of equity, empowerment and authenticity
have largely ignored children. Unlike most minority groups whose
voices have been increasingly heard in museums, children remain
largely unable to represent themselves. Their culture is appropriated
by adults and commodified as childhood. Once one speaks of childhood
as opposed to children, the lives of these young people are framed
within an adult constructed worldview. It is not the place
here to report on the history of childhood but suffice it to note
that societies have not always regarded childhood as a natural phase
of life. In earlier times and in less affluent circumstances children
were seen more as little adults and there was simply a gradual maturing
to full social and economic contribution according to what each
young person was capable of achieving at each stage of maturity.
Museums of childhood have their origins in the
museums of applied and decorative arts that flourished in the second
half of the nineteenth century. Accordingly they were composed of
the material culture of a childhood constructed and understood by
those sections of society responsible for the creation of such institutions.
Hence they presented an upper middle class orientation in which
a leisurely and almost idyllically removed world of the child was
cherished. Further, because of established traditions in the display
of decorative arts, the objects of childhood were likewise arranged
in genres such as all the dolls in one section arranged by date
or maker. Perhaps the best known such museum is that at Bethnal
Green in London, itself a branch of the Victoria and Albert Museum
where many of the displays still exemplify this form of presentation.
On arrival at the Museum of Childhood at Edith
Cowan University I found a surprisingly large, if somewhat undisciplined
collection which was an heir to the early traditions of museums
of childhood. Indeed, its creator Mary McKenzie, described herself
as having been "inspired" by both the Bethnal Green and
Edinburgh museums of childhood. Over the years we have striven to
make the collections and their interpretation more truly representative
of the fabric of Australian society. Hence attention has been given
to expanding the representation of ethnic diversity, to gender issues
in childhood and to the material culture of childhood from less
affluent sections of the community. With regard to the latter, the
Museum's touring exhibition Home Made Treasures presents items improvised
for children from a rich and extensive collection interpreted according
to whether the items were produced as a result of wartime scarcity,
depression conditions, the tyranny of distance, or simply for fulfiling
creative and nurturing instincts. Presently the Museum is developing
a travelling exhibition illuminating the experience of indigenous
children over time. Coolungah: Stories of Indigenous Childhood will
encourage visitors to 'meet' a variety of indigenous people and
explore with them their childhood memories. This project has an
indigenous advisory committee and curator. We envisage this as a
form of sharing across cultures for nonindigenous visitors
and as a means of valuing and including indigenous people and their
perspectives in the Museum.
Important as are the serious inclusion of childhood
and children's perspectives in museums everywhere, they are not
enough to guarantee appeal to young visitors. Increasingly I have
come to believe that the path to the successful inclusion of childhood/children's
culture in museums is to have the children actively involved in
participating and manifesting that culture. I believe this to be
what lies behind the success of the children's museums that have
become such a part of the museum scene in North America and, to
a lesser extent, in Europe. As yet they are not evident to any considerable
extent in Australia. Interestingly, Home Made Treasures typifies
the best of what I believe to be possible for museums that wish
to represent childhood/children's culture more effectively. This
is because the exhibition provides opportunities for improvised
play, in a similar spirit to the way the historic items were used,
so that the values espoused in the exhibition can be internalised
by young visitors in a manner suited to their level of maturity.
Adults can enjoy observing this participatory aspect alongside an
interpretive display of considerable interest and relevance to them.
It is important to remember that the portrayal of children's experience
and the culture of childhood is of importance to adult visitors
as well as children. Although one would ideally like to make childhood
representations accessible to even young children their more reflective
aspects will not be within the level of comprehension or motivation
of children. Accordingly it would be a pity to jettison collections
of childhood heritage in favour of the 'hands on' approach of children's
museums which of themselves do not require a collection. Something
of a blend of both is more likely to succeed. Traditional childhood
collections have a hard job to stand up in today's museum market
place unless they take a more socially relevant and enjoyably participatory
approach.
- Dr Brian Shepherd, Director, Museum of
Childhood, Edith Cowen University. Dr Brian Shepherd presented a
paper on this topic at the Museums Australia 2001 conference. The
Home Treasures Exhibition will be at the MPRG from the 3 Nov-2 Dec
2001.
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