Controversy in 20th Century Museum Exhibits: A 21st Century Perspective

This paper examines how museums can be impacted by public responses to their exhibits. This is accomplished by studying two specific contexts from the late 20th century: first, observing the changes and influences that occurred over a relatively short period of time involving the National Endowment for the Arts funding in the late 1980s, and another compares the social responses to the same exhibition, “Sensation” as shown in two different countries. The social and political responses to museum exhibits can play a huge role in how the exhibits, the museums, and the artists are viewed. This can have long-lasting consequences for those involved. Twenty-first century museums have a different approach to controversial exhibits than museums of the past had. Instead of remaining neutral or avoiding controversy, twenty-first century museums use some exhibits to ensure that social issues remain a topic of discussion