Manker’s list. Museum collections in the era of deaccessioning and disposal
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5617/nm.6398Keywords:
deaccessioning, museum collections, Ernst Manker, things, archaeology museums, careAbstract
During the last decades debates and concerns over deaccessioning anddisposal have affected museums worldwide. At the root of the debate lies the ever
more pressing problem with overstocked collection; the consequence of decades and
even centuries of allegedly far too liberal and eclectic collecting and acquisition
practices. This paper presents some alternative views and argues in favor of such
liberal collecting. Taking as its starting point a list of desired museum objects
compiled by Swedish curator Ernst Manker, it emphasizes the immense value and
unruly power of large and heterogeneous museum collections. By constantly being
added to, these assemblages have developed into new and unforeseen becomings
that may radically affect and disrupt existing knowledge. The paper also addresses
museums as caretakers, offering spaces where things, including those once soiled
and broken, can be treated with care and dignity.
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