博物馆教育性格的养成——从《美国博物馆:创新者和先驱》一书谈起

The Forming of the Museum's Educational Character:A Review of the Book The Museum in America:Innovators and Pioneers

与欧洲博物馆强调皇家收藏与民众教化的传统不同,美国的博物馆性格立足于社会教育与公众服务。自初创之日起,"教育至上"的性格一直贯穿美国博物馆发展的始终,由此养成的有关博物馆教育议题的思考成为国际博物学界的典范。爱德华·亚历山大在《美国博物馆:创新者和先驱》一书中系统考察了13位美国博物馆领军人物的超前理念和伟大事迹,他们无一例外地都在强调博物馆教育和公众娱乐的重要性,并在"教育至上"的博物馆性格上达成共识。这些先驱们在博物馆平台上发挥才智、创造典范的经验材料对于理解美国博物馆教育性格生成与演变的具体过程与整体图式具有举足轻重的作用。

While European museum tradition emphasizes royal collections and mass enlightenment, American museums focus on social education and public service. Since their formation, American museums have taken education as their primary mission and carried it throughout their development course. Their thinkings and practices concerning museum education have become a role model for international museums. The book Museum in America recounts the advanced ideas and great deeds of thirteen visionary museum leaders in American history, who emphasized the importance of museum communication and public enter- tainment, and agreed upon education being one of the museum＇ s basic characters. The experiences of tlaese pioneers in leading museums toward institutions of public service and education may help us better under- stand the forming and evolving of the educational character of American museums and museums in general.