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READING PASSAGE 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13 which
are based on Reading Passage 1 below.
Museum
Blockbuster
A
Since the 1980s, the term “blockbuster” has become the
fashionable word for the special spectacular museum, art gallery or science
centre exhibitions. These exhibitions have the ability to attract large crowds
and often large corporate sponsors. Here is one of some existing definitions of
a blockbuster: Put by Elsen (1984), a blockbuster is a “… large scale loan
exhibition that people who normally don’t go to museums will stand in line for
hours to see …” James Rosenfield, writing in Direct Marketing in 1993, has
described a successful blockbuster exhibition as a “… triumph of both
curatorial and marketing skills …” My own definition for a blockbuster is “a
popular, high profile exhibition on display for a limited period, that attracts
the general public, who are prepared to both stand in line and pay a fee in
order to partake in the exhibition.” What both Elsen and Rosenfield omit in
their descriptions of a blockbuster, is that people are prepared to pay a fee
to see a blockbuster and that the term blockbuster can just as easily apply to
a movie or a museum exhibition.
B
Merely naming an exhibition or movie a blockbuster, however,
does not make it a blockbuster. The term can only apply when the item in
question has had an overwhelmingly successful response from the public.
However, in literature from both the UK and USA the other words that also start
to appear in descriptions of a blockbuster are “less scholarly”, “non-elitist”
and “popularist”. Detractors argue that blockbusters are designed to appeal to
the lowest common denominator, while others extol the virtues of encouraging
scholars to cooperate on projects and to provide exhibitions that cater for a
broad selection of the community rather than an elite sector.
C
Maintaining and increasing visitor levels is paramount in
the new museology. This requires continued product development. Not only the
creation or hiring of blockbuster exhibitions but regular exhibition changes
and innovations. In addition, the visiting public has become customers rather
than visitors, and the skills that are valued in museums, science centres and
galleries to keep the new customers coming through the door have changed. High
on the list of requirements are commercial, business, marketing and
entrepreneurial skills. Curators are now administrators. Being a director of an
art gallery no longer requires an Arts Degree. As succinctly summarised in the
Economist in 1994 “business nous and public relation skills” were essential
requirements for a director, and the ability to compete with other museums to
stage travelling exhibitions which draw huge crowds.
D
The new museology has resulted in the convergence of
museums, the heritage industry, and tourism, profit-making and pleasure-giving.
This has given rise to much debate about the appropriateness of adopting the
activities of institutions so that they more closely reflect the priorities of
the market place and whether it is appropriate to see museums primarily as
tourist attractions. At many institutions, you can now hold office functions in
the display areas, or have dinner with the dinosaurs. Whatever commentators may
think, managers of museums, art galleries and science centres worldwide are
looking for artful ways to blend culture and commerce, and blockbuster
exhibitions are at the top of the list. But while blockbusters are all part of
the new museology, there is proof that you don’t need a museum, science centre
or art gallery to benefit from the drawing power of a blockbuster or to stage a
blockbuster.
E
But do blockbusters held in public institutions really
create a surplus to fund other activities? If the bottom line is profit, then
according to the accounting records of many major museums and galleries,
blockbusters do make money. For some museums overseas, it may be the money that
they need to update parts of their collections or to repair buildings that are
in need of attention. For others in Australia, it may be the opportunity to
illustrate that they are attempting to pay their way, by recovering part of
their operating costs or funding other operating activities with off-budget
revenue. This makes the economic rationalists cheerful. However, not all
exhibitions that are hailed to be blockbusters will be blockbusters, and some
will not make money. It is also unlikely that the accounting systems of most
institutions will recognise the real cost of either creating or hiring a
blockbuster.
F
Blockbusters require large capital expenditure, and draw on
resources across all branches of an organisation; however, the costs don’t end
there. There is a Human Resource Management cost in addition to a measurable
‘real’ dollar cost. Receiving a touring exhibition involves large expenditure
as well, and draws resources from across functional management structures in
project management style. everyone from a general labourer to a building
servicing unit, the front of the house, technical, promotion, education and
administration staff, are required to perform additional tasks. Furthermore, as
an increasing number of institutions in Australia try their hand at increasing
visitor numbers, memberships (and therefore revenue), by staging blockbuster
exhibitions, it may be less likely that blockbusters will continue to provide a
surplus to subsidise other activities due to the competitive nature of the
market. There are only so many consumer dollars to go around, and visitors will
need to choose between blockbuster products.
G
Unfortunately, when the bottom-line is the most important
objective to the mounting of blockbuster exhibitions, this same objective can
be hard to maintain. Creating, mounting or hiring blockbusters is exhausting
for staff, with the real costs throughout an institution difficult to
calculate. Although the direct aims may be financial, creating or hiring a
blockbuster has many positive spin-offs; by raising their profile through a
popular blockbuster exhibition, a museum will be seen in a more favorable light
at budget time. Blockbusters mean crowds, and crowds are good for the local
economy, providing increased employment for shops, hotels, restaurants, the
transport industry and retailers. Blockbusters expose staff to the vagaries and
pressures of the market place and may lead to creative excellence. Either the
success or failure of a blockbuster may highlight the need for managers and
policymakers to rethink their strategies. However, the new museology and the
apparent trend towards blockbusters make it likely that museums, art galleries
and particularly science centres will be seen as part of the entertainment and
tourism industry, rather than as cultural icons deserving of government and
philanthropic support.
H
Perhaps the best pathway to take is one that balances both
blockbusters and regular exhibitions. However, this easy middle ground may only
work if you have enough space, and have alternate sources of funding to
continue to support the regular less exciting fare. Perhaps the advice should
be to make sure that your regular activities and exhibitions are more enticing,
and find out what your local community wants from you. The question (trend) now
at most museums and science centres, is “What blockbusters can we tour to
overseas venues and will it be cost-effective?”
Questions 1-4
The Reading Passage has seven paragraphs A-H
Which paragraphs contains the following information?
Write the correct letter A-H, in boxes 1-4 on
your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than
once.
1 A reason for changing the exhibition
programs.
2 The time people have to wait in a queue
in order to enjoy exhibitions.
3 Terms people used when referring to the
blockbuster
4 There was some controversy over
confining target groups of a blockbuster.
Questions 5-8
Complete the following summary of the paragraphs of Reading
Passage
Using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the
Reading Passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 5-8 on your
answer sheet.
Instead of being visitors, people turned out to be 5…………………………….,
who require the creation or hiring of blockbuster exhibitions as well as
regular exhibition changes and innovations. Business nous and 6…………………………..
simply summarized in a magazine are not only important factors for directors
but also an ability to attract a crowd of audiences. 7…………………………
has contributed to the linking of museums, the heritage industry, tourism,
profit-making and pleasure-giving. There occurs some controversy over whether
it is proper to consider museums mainly as 8…………………………….
Questions 9-10
Choose TWO letters A-E.
Write your answer in boxes 9-10 on your
answer sheet.
The list below gives some advantages of a blockbuster.
Which TWO advantages are mentioned by the
writer of the text?
A To offer sufficient money to repair
architectures.
B To maintain and increase visitor
levels.
C Presenting the mixture in the culture
and commerce of art galleries and science centres worldwide.
D Being beneficial for the development of
local business.
E Being beneficial for the directors.
Questions 11-13
Choose THREE letters A-F.
Write your answer in boxes 11-13 on your
answer sheet.
The list below gives some disadvantages of a blockbuster.
Which THREE disadvantages are mentioned by
the writer of the text?
A People left hesitated to choose
exhibitions.
B Workers has become tired of workloads.
C The content has become more
entertaining rather than cultural.
D General labourers are required to
perform additional tasks
E Huge amounts of capital invested in
specialists.
F Exposing staff to the fantasies and
pressures of the market place.
ANSWER
1. C
2. A
3. B
4. B
5. customers
6. public relation skills
7. museology/(the new) museology
8. tourist attractions
9. A
10. D
11. B
12. C
13. E
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