The Museum of Museums

 Task 1. Look at the picture. What do you think the text is about? 

 

Now read the text and check whether your guesses are coorect.

Welcome to the Museum of Museums. Museums have been a part of human history for over 2,000 years, but they weren't always like the ones we visit today. The history of museums is far older and much stranger than you might imagine. We'll start with the history of the first museum in the world,

Right over here in the Greek wing. Our word, museum, comes from the Greek museion, temples built for the muses, the goddesses of the arts and the sciences. Supplicants asked the muses to keep watch over academics and grant ingenuity to those they deemed worthy. The temples were filled with offerings of sculptures, mosaics, complex scientific apparatuses, poetic and literary inscriptions, and any other tribute that would demonstrate a mortal's worthiness for divine inspiration.

We have arrived at the Mesopotamian wing. The first museum was created in 530 B.C. In what is now Iraq. And the first curator was actually a princess. Enegaldi Nana started to collect and house Mesopotamian antiquities in Egegpar, her house.

When archaeologists excavated the area, they discovered dozens of artifacts neatly arranged in rows with clay labels written in three languages. She must have had interesting parties. The tradition of collecting and displaying intriguing items began to be mimicked, as you can see here in the Roman Empire wing. Treasure houses of politicians and generals were filled with the spoils of war, and royal menageries displayed exotic animals to the public on special occasions like gladiator tournaments.

As you can see, we have a lion here, and a gladiator, and, well, the janitor ought to be in this wing, clearly. Moving on, hurry along. The next step in the evolution of museums occurred in the Renaissance, when the study of the natural world was once again encouraged after almost a millennium of Western ignorance.

Curiosity cabinets, also referred to as wunderkammers, were collections of objects that acted as a kind of physical encyclopedia, showcasing artifacts. Just step into the wardrobe here, there you go, mind the coats, and we'll tour Ola Worm's cabinet. One of the most notable wunderkammers belonged to a wealthy 17th century naturalist, antiquarian, and physician, Ola Worm.

Ola worm collected natural specimens, human skeletons, ancient runic texts, and artifacts from the New World. In other curiosity cabinets, you could find genetic anomalies, precious stones, works of art, and religious and historic relics. Oh my, you might not want to touch that. These cabinets were private, again, often in residencies, curated by their owners, rulers and aristocrats, as well as merchants and early scientists.

Now, who here's a circus organ? In the 1840s, an enterprising young showman named Phineas T. Barnum purchased some of the more famous cabinets of curiosity from Europe and started Barnum's American Museum in New York City, a spectacular hodgepodge of zoo, lecture hall, wax museum, theater, and freak show that was known for its eclectic residents, such as bears, elephants, acrobats, giants, Siamese twins, a Fiji mermaid, and a bearded lady, along with a host of modern machinery and scientific instruments. Museums open to the public are a relatively new phenomenon. Before Barnum, the first public museums were only accessible by the upper and middle classes, and only on certain days.

Visitors would have to apply to visit the museum in writing prior to admission, and only small groups could visit the museum each day. The Louvre famously allowed all members of the public into the museum, but only three days a week. In the 19th century, the museum as we know it began to take shape. Institutions like the Smithsonian were started so that objects could be seen and studied, not just locked away.

American museums, in particular, commissioned experiments and hired explorers to seek out and retrieve natural samples. Museums became centers for scholarship and artistic and scientific discovery. This is often called the Museum Age. Nowadays, museums are open to everybody, are centers of learning and research, and are turning into more hands-on institutions.

But the question of who gets to go is still relevant, as ticket prices can sometimes bar admission to those future scholars, artists, and targets of divine inspiration who can't afford to satisfy their curiosity. Thank you all for coming, and please feel free to stop by the gift shop of gift shops on your way out.

Task 2. Look at the list of possible titles for the text. Not all of them are relevant to the content. Tell which ones can be used to entitle it. Explain your choice.

"The Most Famous Art Exhibitions in Museum History"

"Behind the Scenes: How Museums Curate Exhibits"

"A Journey Through Time: The Historical Development of Museums"

"Exploring the World's Most Unusual Museums"

"The Evolution of Museums: From Curiosities to Cultural Hubs"

"The Role of Technology in Modern Museum Experiences"

Task 3. Imagine you have been given unlimited funding and a building at the heart of your city to open your own museum. It will exhibit what you believe is worth contemplating and preserving. Write a descriptive text presenting your museum to the public. This text will serve as the opening statement on your museum’s website and its main promotional brochure.

Your text should include:

1. Name: A compelling title for your museum;

2. Concept: A clear explanation of the museum’s central theme or thesis;

3. Exhibits: A description of two or three key exhibits;

4. Education: Any additional services available to the visitors (guided tours, audio-guides, interactive elements etc.);

5. Experience: How will the visitor change from the entrance to the exit? What do you want them to think about as they leave?

Write 250-300 words.