: Steven Miller
: Unresoloved Museum Issues: A Voice from the Inside 1985 to Now
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: Unresoloved Museum Issues: A Voice from the Inside 1985 to Now
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: English
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UNRESOLVED MUSEUM ISSUES: a voice from the inside - 1985 to now Museums enjoy considerable media attention these days. Much is pleasant. Examples include creating a new museum, expanding an existing one, hiring a distinguished staff person, acquiring a stellar collection, receiving a major financial contribution, and opening an important exhibition. But press coverage can also be about difficulties. When curiously unresolved, loudly controversial, or, debated ad infinitum, they are referred to as issues. Most are brought to the public's attention by museum outsiders. Insiders with complaints about museums tend to be discrete. This book is a collection of essays flouting the practice. They were written by a deeply esperienced museum practitioner and scholar over the past forty years. IEach discusses issues of importance to museum operations, governance, and public service.

Steven Miller began his museum career in 1971. He has served as a curator, administrator, director, trustee, author, consultant, and museum studies educator. Having retired in 2018 he now writes on various museum profession topics. During his career he held leadership positions in six major museums in the northeastern United States. Miller holds a BA in sculpture (with honors) from Bard College, and, an international graduate certificate in the principles of conservation science from the International Centre for the Study of the Conservation and Preservation of Cultural Property, Rome, Italy. For sixteen years he was an adjunct professor with the Seton Hall University MA Program in Museum Professions, South Orange, NJ. He also taught museum studies as the New School for Social Research, NY, NY and Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. He has contributed scores of articles, reviews, editorial comments, and blogs for museum profession publications and the general media. He serves on the board of trustees of the Center for the Conservation of Art and Historic Artifacts, Philadelphia, and the art committee of the Phillips Mill Community Association, New Hope, PA. His books include: The Anatomy of a Museum: An Insider's Text, Wiley Blackwell, Oxford, United Kingdom, 2018; Deaccessioning Today: Theory and Practice, Rowman& Littlefield, Lanham, MD, 2018; How to Get a Museum Job, Rowman& Littlefield, Lanham, MD, 2019; Museum Collection Ethics: Acquisition, Stewardship, and Interpretation, Rowman& Littlefield, Lanham, MD, 2020. Museum Collecting Lessons: Stories From the Inside, Rutledge Press (Taylor& Francis), 2022.

Chapter 1

Behavior

This essay is a slightly condensed chapter from my museum studies textbookThe Anatomy of a Museum: An Insider’s Text(Wiley Blackwell, 2018). pp. 227-239. All I removed are some personal anecdotes. I had thought about changing the title to Manners but that sounds so fusty, as if a spinster aunt has assumed the role of keeping everyone in line. However, in application minding our manners offers a good place to start when addressing behavior as a museum issue. Accusations of poor treatment of a person at work ranks high amongst job irritations. For me, well understood and applied manners comprise a thoughtful, respectful, engaging and understanding way of dealing with people regardless of their age, personal demographic and profile, education, politics, religion or absence thereof, professional standing, economic status, and so on. It is a practical and helpful approach to life that I have found always beneficial even when I would prefer to reject it in certain situations. I did that once when I yelled at a trustee. He was offended and resigned from the board much to the joy of the rest of the board all of whom could not stand him. However, I do not recommend such behavior on thejob.

My concern about prevalent bad museum behaviors is caused by more than affronts to inter-person behaviors. I have a thick skin which usually allows me to handle affronts judiciously. However in hearing from others in the field and especially those just starting out, I am angry. My sense is that having to deal with unfortunate affronts only repels potentially excellent new generations so essential to museum futures. I recognize that my racial (white), gender (male), sexual orientation (straight),social profile (Anglo Saxon, Protestant, middle class) makes me ill-equipped to experientially identify with those who have been or are subject to harsh inequities. This does not excuse me or colleagues in my field from fighting back forall.

When I was starting in the museum world and contacted people for advice they responded in a polite and helpful way. In one case an influential person got wind of my hopes and graciously volunteered to help. After college I took a temporary job at Tiffany& Co for a holiday season while considering my next museum career steps. It was at its flagship Manhattan store on Fifth Avenue. The president learned I was interested in museum work. He met with me and offered to write a letter of introduction to his son who was the director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art! I was so appreciative. Meeting the director remains in my mind as if it happened yesterday. Would such an encounter have occurred had I alone requested it, without a father’s initiative? It may have. Times were different then, but today I wager, sadly, it would not. Self-isolation seems to be in a museum leadership jobdescription.

Most people who work in museums do so in a relatively well-behaved manner. At least that has been my experience over the years. This does not mean such emotions as rancor, jealously, discontent, and backbiting re absent. As in any workplace, feelings bubble up in museums, positive and negative, but I have generally found them to be nice places to beemployed.

I encourage good behavior and basic manners in museum life for several reasons. Most obviously it is preferable to work in a respectful atmosphere. No matter how fusty certain mores may be, understanding and practicing them can be a great advantage. I recognize people have advanced quite far in the museum world by ignoring basic precepts of etiquette but I have no interest in hanging out with them, nor do others. In the long run, those who are most respected, admired, and loved in my field are – not surprisingly – pleasant to be with. I have also fund tht respectful camaraderie engenders higher productivity, loyalty, andcreativity.

The tone for a mannerly workplace starts at the top, in the director’s office. Poor museum leaders set a bad example for employees and create a work atmosphere that limits quality and quantity outcomes. Complaining, pointing fingers, being dishonest, constantly finding fault, relying on excuses, blaming others and criticizing staff and trustees is bad leadership. Showing this sort of management suggests a lack of control and competence. No one is reassured. I can voice gossip and deprecating remarks as much as the next person, but when I became a director I needed to avoid that sort of behavior.…

As a boss, my good feelings about museum atmospheres may be skewed, not to mention that they are a reflection of the fact that I love being in them. I will be the first to recognize that no matter how nice a museum is, there may always be one or two staff who love to whine and complain. These sorts are found in all walks of life, but please leave mine. Change your attitude. Stop belly