Art History: The Museum

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What is the main criterion for an object to be considered part of a collection according to Walter Nelson Durost?

Its representational value (correct)

Its historical age

Its monetary value

Its physical appearance

What is the primary function of a museum?

To care for and exhibit a collection of artifacts (correct)

To display objects of scientific importance

To educate children about collecting activities

To sell artifacts

How does the text define a collection?

Objects valued for their physical appearance

Objects valued for their representational importance (correct)

A group of objects with no inherent value

A random assortment of objects

What role did museums play in the emergence of the modern system of arts according to the text?

They organized objects into hierarchically structured categories Signup and view all the answers

In what century did the museum as an institution emerge?

18th century Signup and view all the answers

What distinguishes a collection from individual objects based on the reading by James Clifford?

The representational value of the objects Signup and view all the answers

What term did the museum actually come from?

Old Greek Signup and view all the answers

Which cultural practice involved burying the deceased person with objects considered valuable for the afterlife?

Egypt Signup and view all the answers

What was housed in the mouseion in Ancient Greece?

Artifacts honoring the goddess of Arts and Sciences Signup and view all the answers

What concept was exemplified by the cabinet of curiosities kept by European elites in the 16th and 17th centuries?

Permeable boundaries between nature and artifact Signup and view all the answers

What was a common feature of pre-modern and non-Western worldviews regarding human-made versus natural products?

Permeable boundaries between human-made and natural products Signup and view all the answers

What role do personal and institutional collections play in preserving personal memories?

They help preserve and organize personal memories Signup and view all the answers

What aspect contributed to the showcasing of wealth and power by European nobles through their collections?

Showing valuable objects from distant lands Signup and view all the answers

Which collection activity helps in forming and preserving identities according to the text?

Collecting things Signup and view all the answers

What did children's collections as adults help in forming and preserving?

Memories Signup and view all the answers

What does forming and preserving identities through collecting things reflect according to the text?

The role of objects in shaping people's lives Signup and view all the answers

What is the main difference in how objects were perceived based on their creators?

Objects made by white men were seen as having intrinsic aesthetic value, while those made by others were valued for their scientific significance. Signup and view all the answers

Why were objects made by so-called 'others' often placed in ethnographic museums?

Because they represented the culture that produced them rather than having intrinsic aesthetic value. Signup and view all the answers

In what way did the Tokyo National Museum categorize the objects from colonized territories in the Meiji period?

As part of their ethnological materials category, separate from traditional art media. Signup and view all the answers

What was one of the main goals of the Tokyo National Museum and similar institutions established in the late 19th century?

To construct and express a sense of national identity. Signup and view all the answers

How did Meiji Japan's policies affect regional differences and cultural practices?

They led to the erosion of regional differences and the prohibition of certain practices seen as primitive. Signup and view all the answers

Why did Japan try to assert itself as a modern nation to the West during the Meiji period?

To unify all people under one centralized government. Signup and view all the answers

What did the emergence of Japan as a modern nation-state lead to in terms of identity?

The assimilation of ethnic minorities into a unified Japanese identity. Signup and view all the answers

Which term best describes the objects from colonized territories in the context of Meiji Japan?

Ethnological materials representing 'Others'. Signup and view all the answers

What historical factor enabled the gathering of large amounts of objects for Western museums?

Colonial domination and oppression Signup and view all the answers

How were museums in the modern era linked to the construction of the modern nation-state?

By shaping a sense of national culture Signup and view all the answers

What role did museum exhibits play in relation to groups seen as 'Others' in Western societies?

They legitimized dominance over 'Others' Signup and view all the answers

How do museums confer authority to certain histories and objects over others in the present?

By endorsing the status quo Signup and view all the answers

How are objects from other cultures recontextualized in Western museums?

By overriding their specific histories with a coherent order Signup and view all the answers

What criteria are used to distinguish between different types of cultural or artistic products according to the text?

Historicity & temporality Signup and view all the answers

What is one way in which personal and collective identities are formed?

By selecting specific objects to represent oneself or the group Signup and view all the answers

Why did Europeans collect objects from others during colonial expansion?

To exhibit them in museums and cabinets of curiosities Signup and view all the answers

What was the relationship between racial categories and the classification of natural and human-made objects?

Racial categories influenced the classification of objects Signup and view all the answers

How did non-Western objects play a role in shaping collective identity?

By being studied and categorized based on racial hierarchies Signup and view all the answers

What is one factor that contributed to the separation of objects made by humans and nature?

Racial categories and hierarchies Signup and view all the answers

Why were objects made by non-Western peoples considered belonging to the realm of nature?

To justify their classification as primitive societies Signup and view all the answers

What concept emerged alongside the birth of the museum?

Nation-state Signup and view all the answers

How did the creation of national identity involve symbolic borders?

By emphasizing shared origin and continuity through objects and rituals Signup and view all the answers