At present, the National Taiwan Museum has collections more than 100,000 pieces, covering many different categories. Apart from biology, rocks and minerals, and fossil specimens, there are also a considerable number of cultural artifacts, for example the arts and crafts, historical artifacts, folk artifacts from the Taiwanese people, and ethnographic artifacts from aboriginal peoples. The huge number and variety of collections reflects the long history of collecting of the museum, however, to capture it fully in one exhibition has proved challenging. The protagonist in the Story of Collection in a Century: Special Exhibition of the National Taiwan Museum is the museum’s objects, that is to say its collection. However, it is not just the objects, but also the “stories” of the objects which form the major theme of the exhibition. This exhibition examined NTM’s collections from three different perspectives. The first is that of specimens. Specimens that became part of the collections have been regarded as material evidence sketching out the complicated and lasting relationship between collectors, specimens, and academic knowledge, in addition to the collectors’ achievements. The second is from the perspective of paradigms, telling the story of classic collections and type specimens. The third is from the perspective of memorial, searching for the historical significance meaning contained within museum’s objects. From each of the above three perspectives, we hope not only to showcase these collections but also to depict the hundred year old footprints they left behind.
