Every once in a while I spend a few hours visiting different ship Model and model builder websites. Not to keep an eye on the competition, more out of pure interest and sometimes to get inspired. I find it important to follow my own path, to creatively go where I think I should go. Not simply mimic others, no matter how capable they may be. Sometimes I do learn a thing or two; new methods, materials and procedures to bring conceptual ideas to life. The day I cannot improve anymore is probably the day I'll quit. Luckily for me I'm far from perfect, so there's really nothing to worry about just quite yet. Just ask my wife or daughters.

There's a term that keeps showing up on oh so many websites that it had me wondering: Museum Quality. What does that really mean? 

Could it mean: 'quality acceptable to a museum'? Maybe .... but wait .... I've been to many museums around the world and the models on display range from absolutely fabulous to simple folk-art at best. Some models are self evident of the builders skill and artistry, other models clearly indicate the lack of any skill or inspiration.  I guess there's museum quality museums and non-museum quality museums?

Off I went to surely find a definition in a dictionary or an encyclopedia. To my surprise I didn't find a thing.

What I did find was information on museum quality displays, frames and lighting systems. Could it be that the term 'museum quality' is a descriptor of items used for displaying art, that, apart from being expensive, are of high quality? Paintings and other art objects do not usually carry a designation of museum quality. I've never heard anyone describe Venus de Milo as being of museum quality. Vincent van Gogh is not really known as a museum quality painter. Most, if not all of us will agree that painting is an art form. Ship model building however is also considered an art form.

If there's any logic applied to the above, then ship models should not be designated as museum quality but simply as art. It's the case around a model ship that could be of museum quality. What am I missing here?

As a final note, I'm not aware of any artist ever having been asked to create a museum quality painting. But I do remember a million dollar painting of a red stripe on a white canvas. Technically the stripe was very straight and also very red. However I don't think any museum is quite ready yet to buy a nicely tapered yellow stick from me for ... oh ... half a million or so. Mmmm ... maybe they would .... I'll have to look into that and maybe ... just maybe ... my next blog will be from my own little private island.

John Andela
The Art of Age of Sail.