ABSTRACT

Art museums have the dubious distinction of winning accolades for cultural merit and brickbats for cultural exclusiveness. On the one hand, they are praised for collecting and preserving works of art for a discerning public; on the other, they are called upon to draw into that public a population with little understanding of fine art. How can the art museum provide a safe haven for high art while catering to a crowd it did not select? Achieving one aim may be at the expense of the other. Placing these issues in the context of larger debates about cultural literacy and equality of opportunity sheds light on the role the art museum plays in creating and maintaining the public’s variable aptitude for “appreciating” art.1