Delving into the origin and history of museums, one finds that particular themes emerge which are still present amongst the underpinning dynamics of museums in the 21st Century. Inseparable from the story of museums and galleries, for example, are the notions of ‘collecting’ and ‘curiosity’ and likewise, one’s attention is continually drawn to the concrete reality of museums, that of particular spaces and objects, juxtaposed against abstract concepts such as knowledge and learning. As an overarching theme, of course, what becomes very apparent is humanity’s impulse to construct meaning, or points of reference, between itself and the universe in which it finds itself, both on a micro and a macro level.

Please note: this article pre-dates the current National Curriculum and some content may be outdated.