museums & memory

I’ve been following a fantastic thread on Twitter for the past two days.  Tagged #MuseumMemory, the project is the brainchild of the aptly-named museumnerd.

[Yes, I am completely jealous he/she selected the username before I could.] 

By simply asking a question,  museumnerd tapped into something elusive and nearly unquantifiable–what makes museums memorable.

Whether the memory is good or bad, it is to be celebrated.  I would imagine that the worst thing for a museum is to be regarded with apathy.  Even if they hate you, at least they are talking about you!

I have so far managed to resist boring the Twitterverse telling my entire museum history in 140 character vignettes, but it has opened a subconscious floodgate.  Thinking back, it is apparent that a great number of my most memorable moments have museums tied to them.  I led off a recent blog post with just such a recollection.

I can’t think of a vacation that I have taken as an adult that didn’t include a visit to at least one museum.  In fact, some trips were just to see particular museum exhibitions.   Luckily,  my frequent travel partner is a willing accomplice, and his interests have led me to wonderful places.   Following this conversation has invigorated me and I’m using the memories to add to my list of must-see museums!

What are your museum memories? Share them here or on Twitter.

EDIT: It occurred to me that I don’t know museumnerd’s gender, so to avoid bias (and making a fool out of myself) I removed the gender references! 😀