A large number of works of art are highly delicate and would need special treatment to live. Since ancient manuscripts were penned on fragile parchment and paintings were made in colors that bleed in the light, museums spend countless hours to preserve these master pieces. Special glass enclosures, temperature-regulated rooms, preservation methods, and so on are designed to keep the works in the most original state. Such a cautious preservation allows touring guests to see the same colors, details and emotions that people centuries ago admired.
Safeguarding Against Loss
We have seen in history that wars, colonization, and natural disasters can destroy whole catalogs of cultural heritage. Without art museums, a lot of the information about ancient civilization and past societies would have been lost. Museums are the places of safety where these treasures are kept at a safe distance. They offer a certain degree of safety and protection that the individual collector or the individual owner would not be able to offer at all times. This is a shared attempt, which guarantees the preservation of creative accomplishments of mankind during the epoch of international catastrophe.
Bringing the Past Back to the Future.
Besides the protection of art, museums also assume the role of restoration. Throughout the centuries, most works fade, crack, or otherwise damage due to environmental factors. Professional restorers take their time in restoring these artworks, in many cases with hi-tech technology to uncover concealed layers or reawaken a long-lost colour. These restorations are not merely technical redresses–they are expressions of affection and admiration of the art of mankind, giving future generations the opportunity to appreciate art in all its glory.
Preserving Human Stories
All the works of art, which we have preserved, are little more than a story which has been preserved in time. A plain clay pot can reveal us to the life of an ancient community, and a great picture can enshrine the splendor or the sufferings of a whole nation. Museums preserve such pieces, and in doing so preserve the stories. When a visitor learns about the lives of others in a museum, he is not only peeking at the objects and their arrangement, but also at the voices, beliefs, and dreams of the people who lived before him. It is through this experience that museums become breathing archives of human history and it is through this that we learn not only who we were but also who we are becoming.