Karen Cushman

Karen Cushman

Newbery award-winning children’s book author

Karen Cushman

Listening to their stories

Q: What drew you to working in museums?

A: I loved the idea of learning from objects and listening to their stories. Who made this? Why? How was it used? Why did someone make this? What is the story behind  it? What does it say about the people who made and used it or the world they lived in?

Louvre Palace and Pyramid
Louvre Palace and Pyramid, Paris, France (Wikimedia Commons)

In 2013 (most recent figures), more than 128 million people visited the top 20 museums in North America, Europe, and Asia.

The top five museums in the world, according to attendance figures, are:

Louvre, Paris, France 9,334,000 (paid admissions)
National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, 8,000,000 (free)
National Museum of China, Beijing, China, 7,450,000 (free)
National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC, 6,970,000 (free)
British Museum, London, UK, 6,701,000 (free)

(Report from AECOM, www.aecom.com)

What’s your favorite museum?