Museums offer insights to history

Have you ever wondered where all the things our ancestors have used/created have gone?

Luckily for us, many of those things are now in museums: old artwork and prehistoric spears, Egyptian mummies and ancient Greek sculptures. We can learn about the first radios or the first planes used during WWI. Museums have it all and so much more.

A museum is defined as “an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these items available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary” (scribblenauts). On May 18, we celebrate International Museum Day, a day established in 1977 by the International Council of Museums.

The purpose of a museum is to collect, preserve, and display special objects that hold a lot of meaning or one that is just very expensive. They can display artistic, cultural or scientific items for educational purposes. International Museum Day encourages people to come together and appreciate/support their local museums, even something as small as our local Vacaville Museum at 213 Buck Avenue.

The largest museum in the world today is the Louvre in Paris, France. Established in 1792, the Louvre is located in the Louvre Palace and is 782,910 square feet. It is a historic monument and is home to the Mona Lisa (Wikipedia).

Have you ever considered creating a museum of your own? There are many legal steps you need to take in order to create your very own museum, but you must remember that creating one comes with many responsibilities. It isn’t just about getting items in there but also about getting people to visit and interested in the items displayed. “You will need to understand the legal and tax obligations that will come with establishing and running a museum…Once your museum legally exists, you need to understand the day-to-day operations of a museum, from caring for collections to hiring staff and keeping the museum financially viable” (aam-us.org).

It might just be easier to celebrate International Museum Day with a visit to the Vacaville Museum, where you can see an exhibit honoring The Nut Tree’s Centennial. The museum, itself, however, is only open Thursdays through Saturdays, so you won’t be able to visit on the actual day.