Contextual Approach

Pearce’s article explained a “contextual approach to understanding” in museums. When I read this article it made me think of keeping items in a museum in the same context that they were found in. What I mean by this is keeping artifacts and other items found in a museum in the same community or region in which they were found. For example, a museum would more likely be successful if it housed items that were relevant to the location and the community in which the museum was placed. I remember going to the National Museum of American history in Washington D.C. and thinking that D.C was the ultimate place to learn about American history. Just being in that city and then visiting that particular museum felt like I could make a better connection to the history that I was witnessing. This approach is different than allowing the viewer to guess about what the museums contents are related to. I definitely feel like a museum can be successful using a contextual approach. It gives the viewers outside perspective and more of an understanding of what they are seeing if they can relate it to the world around them . I was glad that the museum in D.C. that I visited actually had something to do with the environment I was in because being younger it meant that I didn’t absorb all the museum had to offer but I was still able to grasp the main concept because the museum was in context to the environment around it.