The function of museums has long been an ongoing argument. While some people argue that its main purpose is to amuse people, others believe the educational aim is the reason why it exists. As far as I am concerned, I hold the view that museums can be both entertaining and academic, and in this essay I will provide analysis on both views along with my reasons.
On the one hand, it is understandable why many people think museums should be appealing. Firstly, not everyone is born with artistic gifts, therefore, abstract objects or artistic paintings can only attract a small group of people who are expertises or have extensive knowledge about art or history. For this reason, in order to broaden and convey the meaning of creative activity, history, traditions and customs to the public, a museum should be an amusing place which is included with interactive activities in order to draw attention to people. According to some recent research, hands-on activities assist people to understand the core of the objects and the meaning behind it as well as have a tendency to remember these longer compared to watching or reading them online. Additionally, museums are tourist attractions, thus, in order to allure a vast majority of travelers, especially who are foreign, museums should be delightful and ground-breaking.
On the other hand, there are a variety of reasons why museums should be educational rather than entertaining. The essence of museums is to reflect the evolution of humans through time by illustrating artifacts, historic objects and contemporary art, therefore they are the representations of civilization and historical proofs in each country. When going sightseeing in the museums, by reading and observing people can understand more about their origins. Additionally, children can enrich their understanding about history better than long-lasting lectures and textbooks at school. When it comes to the tourism industry, museums help tourists learn about things that they have not known previously about the country that they are visting, which as a result can broaden the image of the host country.
All things considered, I think that museums should provide both amusing and educational experience to visitors so that people can learn while having fun.