The Museum, Samuel J. Redman
The Museum, Samuel J. Redman
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The Museum
A Short History of Crisis and Resilience

Author: Samuel J. Redman

Narrator: Andrew Joseph Perez

Unabridged: 5 hr 2 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 04/19/2022


Synopsis

On an afternoon in January 1865, a roaring fire swept through the Smithsonian Institution. Dazed soldiers and worried citizens could only watch as the flames engulfed the museum's castle. Rare objects and valuable paintings were destroyed. The flames at the Smithsonian were not the first—and certainly would not be the last—disaster to upend a museum in the United States.

The Museum explores the concepts of "crisis" as it relates to museums, and how these historic institutions have dealt with challenges ranging from depression and war to pandemic and philosophical uncertainty. With chapters exploring World War I and the 1918 influenza pandemic, the Great Depression, World War II, the 1970 Art Strike in New York City, and recent controversies in American museums, this book takes a new approach to understanding museum history. By diving deeper into the changes that emerged from these key challenges, Samuel J. Redman argues that cultural institutions can—and should—use their history to prepare for challenges and solidify their identity going forward. A captivating examination of crisis moments in US museum history from the early years of the twentieth century to the present day, The Museum offers inspiration in the resilience and longevity of America's most prized cultural institutions.

About Samuel J. Redman

Samuel J. Redman is associate professor in the Department of History at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and the author of Bone Rooms: From Scientific Racism to Human Prehistory in Museums and Prophets and Ghosts: The Story of Salvage Anthropology.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Sarah on May 30, 2022

~ 4.5 stars~ I read The Museum: A Short History of Crisis and Resilience out of personal interest and happened to get lucky that I could review it as an arc for Netgalley as well! As an aspiring art historian and avid museum-attendee, I found this book absolutely fascinating. It was certainly meant......more

Goodreads review by June on April 21, 2022

Ironic, isn't it, that not long after finishing the book and taking a break on a social media site that almost the first post that popped up was one about a virtual tour of Auschwitz being offered by the Holocaust Education Center. In addition, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum posts regul......more

Goodreads review by Nicolò on December 13, 2021

Samuel J. Redman's THE MUSEUM is an extensive and exhaustive brief history of American museology during the 20th and 21st centuries. As someone who is currently working inside a public museum, it is incredibly fascinating to see how much and how little things have changed in 100 years: the way two W......more

Goodreads review by julia on December 08, 2021

A much needed and timely book, Redman effortless focuses on a succinct but comprehensive timeline of crises that museums have faced in their history. Working beyond obvious natural disasters, I appreciated comments on social, economic, and even health crises that have tested and shaped institutions......more

Goodreads review by Glen on August 09, 2022

Samuel Redman is someone who cares about museums. In other words, he's a museum dweeb. I'm one, too, and and his interests are appreciated. His book is titled simply, The Museum, though thankfully his sub hed is more accurate: "A Short History of Crisis and Resilience." The operative word here is sh......more