A Place For Meaning: Art, Faith, And Museum Culture

A Place for Meaning: Art, Faith, and Museum Culture

Review If more museums use the lessons provided by the Ackland and adapt them to their own communities, we can hope that they too will rally behind the value, and the different insights, that a museum environment can bring.--Art and ChristianityBeautiful photos . . . . This example of respectful dialogue creates an opportunity for peace-making within our communities and in the world.--Anglican and Episcopal History With funding from the Henry Luce Foundation, the Ackland Art Museum welcomed more than thirty professionals--museum directors, curators, educators, scholars, and faith leaders from across America--into a multiyear conversation about how museums might create a common ground for the exploration of art and faith.With candor, Amanda Millay Hughes and Carolyn H. Wood open a window on the inner workings of a museum as it grappled with questions of meaning in the presentation of works of art with sacred content. The text includes more than 80 full color illustrations, essays, and presentations by scholars and museum professionals, as well as practical advice for educators and others interested in teaching and learning about world religions. Review Without minimizing the risks and challenges, A Place for Meaning offers readers a unique opportunity to discover the benefits of taking religion and religious art seriously in museums.--Charles C. Haynes, First Amendment Center, Washington, D.C. From the Inside Flap The Ackland Art Museum welcomed more than 30 professionals--museum directors, curators, educators, scholars, and faith leaders from across America--into a multiyear conversation about how museums might create a common ground for the exploration of art and faith. Hughes and Wood open a window on the inner workings of a museum as it grappled with questions of meaning in the presentation of works of art with sacred content. The text includes more than 80 full color illustrations, essays, and presentations by scholars and museum professionals, as well as practical advice for educators and others interested in teaching and learning about world religions. About the Author Amanda Millay Hughes is director of external affairs at the Ackland Art Museum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.Carolyn H. Wood is adjunct associate professor of art at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.