As a response to my last story, I received an email from the “THEMUSEUM” CEO, David Marskell. To his credit, it was courteous and detailed.

I will not post his email without his permission. However he made some points that are worth commenting further upon.

To Mr. Marskell, it appears the root of the problem was a “disconnect” between our reference to the facility as a “mini science centre” and what he views as reality. He compared the RAM display to art galleries such as the “AGO in Toronto or the Louvre in Paris”, insofar as the sanctity of the artwork is concerned – and perhaps also their putative value. To the extent this may be true, the problem originates in the half-baked rebranding of this facility.

Until recently, “THEMUSEUM” was known as the Waterloo Regional Children’s Museum, and sported 5.0 floors of kid-friendly displays, including travelling exhibits. Now, it sports 3.5 floors of the same kid-friendly displays, plus 1.5 floors of travelling exhibits. Previously, it offered cheap entrance to entire families, with deep discounts for children, including to the special exhibits. Now, it does exactly the same. Previously, the place was full of kids, including toddlers. Same now.

I get the impression that the organization is trying to have it both ways: retain its family clientele, and yet bring in the adult art aficionado. The problem is that if one squishes all that into a single facility, incidents such as ours will inevitably happen. Putting fragile & dangerous & high-putative-value widgets within the unsupervised reach of the general family-weighted public seems delinquent in foresight and due care. (When the Titanic artefacts visited, many were properly enclosed & alarmed, so they get this right sometimes.) Berating people for being curious about how something works — even if it’s “art” — seems like a polar opposite of the mission and history of the place.

Over time, I expect “THEMUSEUM” will untangle its mixed messages and fix the undisputed safety/security problems. Maybe they will become a little less resentful toward those who accidentally highlight how far they have yet to go.