Holocaust Memorial Center’s Stephen M. Goldman Among Contributing Authors for Book on Museums

June 27, 2011 - PRLog -- Stephen M. Goldman, executive director of the Holocaust Memorial Center Zekelman Family Campus in Farmington Hills is one of several contributing authors of the recently released book, “The Radical Museum: Democracy, Dialogue & Debate.”

Available through Museums World Book Collection (www.museum-id.com) for £24.95 + £5 worldwide shipping ($39.92 + $7.99), the book features an international collaboration of 14 highly-respected museum leaders, who argue that contemporary museums should break free from traditional constraints to become dynamic agents of social change.

Goldman’s chapter, “Accessibility and Historiography: Meeting the needs of Constituencies in the 21st Century Museum,” focuses on the needs of museums to do what they can to make sure that what is available and on display is of interest to as broad an audience as possible.

“As museum leaders, we need to reach out to the public and give them a reason why they should visit,” said Goldman.  “Just having a few artifacts in a display case does not cut it today.  The core exhibition must personalize the story and provide the opportunity for the visitor to become a part of it in the same way a listener becomes part of the story related by a survivor or other witness.”

Prior to his arrival at the Holocaust Memorial Center in 2009, Goldman served as Museum Director/Curator for the Florida Holocaust Museum, where he led a $13 million expansion program that saw the facility grow into the fourth largest Holocaust museum in the United States.  Under his guidance, the museum received accreditation from the prestigious Association of American Museums (AAM).
Goldman also has held a similar position as executive director with the Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art in Tulsa, Okla.  

He graduated with an M.F.A. from Carnegie-Mellon University (1971) and a B.A. from Brandeis University (1968).

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It is the mission of the Holocaust Memorial Center Zekelman Family Campus to remember those who perished and those who survived the Holocaust and, in a world increasingly faced with sectarian strife and intolerance, to set forth the lessons of Holocaust as a model for teaching ethical conduct and responsible decision-making. By highlighting those individuals who, in the midst of evil, stood for the best, rather than the worst of human nature, the Holocaust Memorial Center seeks to contribute to maintaining an open and free society.

The facility is wheelchair accessible and free parking is available at both the North and South entrances.

For more information on the Holocaust Memorial Center, visit www.holocaustcenter.org, or call 248-553-2400.