ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************

Hi Matthew,

I too wondered about this creationist museum and its relationship with AAM.
Apparently these guys went to AAM and according to their account, met a lot
of friendly sympathetic people. They documented the whole trip on their
museum web site. 

The part that is sad for me personally, is they bought off discarded
exhibitry from a bankrupt museum I once worked at (Columbus Center in
Baltimore) and are reusing it in their new place with a biblical creationist
message.

-Rita



***************************
Rita Mukherjee Hoffstadt
Exhibit Developer
New York Hall of Science
47-01 111th Street
Queens, NY 11368 
718-699-0005 ext. 373
***************************



on 5/4/05 3:05 PM, Matthew White at [log in to unmask] wrote:

> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
> *****************************************************************************
> 
> I was busy trying to meet an April 12th exhibit opening and missed
> participating in most of the discussion sparked by the news report of
> science centers who declined to screen a particular iMax movie because they
> thought its Evolutionary content would make audiences feel uncomfortable. I
> did get to read most of the posts, but never had the time or energy to
> respond. You snooze you lose, I figured.
> 
> On Monday the latest issue of Museum News arrived and convinced me to post
> a thought or two.
> 
> I may be beating a dead horse, here, but bear with me to the end, or skip
> ahead, before you make that judgement.
> 
> Class, please turn to page 27 in the May/June edition of Museum News. Here
> you will find the regular column entitled "Noteworthy." In this column they
> highlight new museums, new buildings, new exhibitions etc. lately they seem
> to focus just on large construction projects with high price tags. In an
> inset at the bottom of page 27 (I'll get to the top of page 27 in a minute)
> is a shorter list of new museums entitled "Museums of Biblical Proportions"
> In that list is the Museum of Biblical Art, which features art inspired by
> the Judeo-Christian tradition and includes historic bibles and scriptures,
> The Biblical Resource Center and Museum, which seems to be about the
> archaeology of "biblical times," and, are you ready for this, Answers in
> Genesis Creation Museum, which, for those of you not aware is a museum
> "will proclaim to the world that the Bible is the supreme authority in all
> matters of faith and practice and in every area it touches on. This 'walk
> through history' museum will be a wonderful alternative to the
> evolutionary natural history museums that are turning countless minds
> against the gospel of Christ and the authority of the Scripture. " from
> their website (http://www.answersingenesis.org/museum/about.asp)
> 
> Is anyone else worried that AAM sees no distinction between museums with
> intellectual and scholarly traditions and those created to espouse a
> specific, narrow point of view that, at best, is a-scholarly?
> 
> If no one else is worried, I'll shut up and not quote the AAM's own
> statement of ethics on scholarship and intellectual integrity nor will I
> give voice to my musings on what might happen if the museum in question
> tried to become a Governing Member of ASTC.
> 
> If no one else cares, I'll go away, but I for one am deeply troubled by
> this.
> 
> BTW: On top of page 27 is an announcement of the new Arab American National
> Museum in Dearborn Michigan. I am hoping against hope that this is just a
> coincidence, and not Museum News' attempt to provide some sort of balance to
> shield AAM from  some sort of anti-Arab invective, accusations of being
> Anti-American, or some other repercussion.
> 
> Matthew White
> Director
> Hands On Science Center
> National Museum of American History
> 
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