What is a museum?

A holding space for artifacts of the past,
curated by "experts" who claim a higher level
of knowledge on the things that matter to you.
Bold statements of who you are
and what you represent
made by somebody else.
Pretty displays, with informative plaques
that help you know yourself more
than you could imagine.
Public spaces for the elite,
refreshments for the artistically inclined.
Not the browsing aisles of the poor,
the weary, the downtrodden
those welcomed with stony open arms
at the shores of America.
But what if the narrative flipped?
The museum became not the static representation of past
but dynamic laboratory for envisioning the future?
Would the clientele change?
Would the mission change?
How might we see ourselves now?