ABSTRACT
A paradox characterizes the museum's perceived image and its actual position as an institution. From neoclassical building to undisturbed parkland, the museum radiates the aura of a refuge from daily life, a place that is set apart from the world. Museums exist within the broad context of large-scale national and international developments. A sense of professional camaraderie clearly infuses such receptivity to what is happening outside museum walls. The significance for the museum of pressures from all quarters—economic, social, political—can always best be measured in light of the museum's obligations to society. Especially in these times of extraordinary transformation, the basic principles of this mandate absolutely hold fast. Moreover, the museum's mission has the potential to guide the profession as it moves into the future. By opening our collective minds during this period on the millennial cusp, the museum can thrive most reliably through embracing with renewed dedication its essential purpose as a public institution immersed in the world.
