These two readings at first seem to dbeate the role of the museum. Is it to educate, or to tell stories, as they primarily used to be? Or do they “foster negotiation and debate, polarize and politicize space, and invite discussion fraught with contradictory views?” (Macalik, Fraser, McKinley).

It seems impossible to define a spectrum with these as the contradictory ends. To listen to a story is to discuss it, at the very least with one’s inner self. Likewise, we negotiate with all information we process: does it match our previous knowledge? If not, what does it teach us? Can we trust it? This process of question and answer occurs during any learning. Given the roles of the museum (and its curators) and ourselves in society, this is necessarily a politicized debate. So the idea that museums need to change something about the way they behave to foster this kind of response seems trivially false to me.

As Kreps sums up, “curating is situated in particular cultural contexts and is thus a cultural artifact in itself.” Maybe curators have changed their self-awareness, and incorporated new technologies intot heir exhibits. Macalik, Fraser, and McKinley call for “the creation of memorable and immersive museum experiences” – most good museums have had that down for a while, even without requiring visitors (“users”, in modern parlance) to download an application or engage with a Tweet.

I do understand and appreciate the recommendation that museums allow visitors to make use of the exhibits ffor purposes of their own. This speaks towards less rigid storytelling, and more a process of assembling the bricks of narrative from which visitors can build their own houses. And the curatoriatorial field’s increased focus on awareness of audience, tone, and culture is certainly laudable. But I fail to believe in the world where curators did not recognize the power of their roles. Both of these analyses seem to be responses to a mythical world where curators, well, curated, without thinking at all of the message being sent to the audience.

I don’t like to go to museums much, so I’m not the right person to comment on the changed role of the curator based on personal experience. But I can’t imagine feeling restricted by a particular narrative given the companionship of my smartphone.