Those crazy Germans. They’re almost as crazy as the Japanese.
This week Museum Plagiarius was opened. Their purpose is to “inform the public about the problem of fakes and plagiarisms and the negative impacts they have on not only the economy as a whole, but also on small companies and designers.” It’s an interesting cause. It’s good to see people dedicated to keeping companies and designers honest. It’s an odd notion to have a museum dedicated to plagerism.
This is what interests me the most about the Museum Plagiarius. I am forced to examine the role of museums in our society. My sister gave me the following definition of a museum:
“Museums educate in unique ways. The museum is perfectly suited for the multi-disciplinary, cultural focus of place-based education. Their distinctive connections to their community give them the potential to educate in powerful ways. A key role of the museum is to nurture the community it serves. Museum collections often reflect the particular history and flavor of their location. Museums open doorways into memory, preserving artifacts and memories across intergenerational time. Museums can be institutions of social advocacy and, like schools, be committed to developing a range of intellectual, practical and moral skills as well as centers of community renewal.”
Journal of Museum Education