An art museum preserves man's splendid cultural heritage, but the collection would be meaningless if the artworks were simply locked up in glass cases.

"An art museum is by nature an educational institution. Its mission is to help people of all ages to find the answers to what art is, how to appreciate art and how art is related to life," says Jason Sun, a curator from the Department of Asian Art of the New York-based Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Today's art museums, especially those specialized in contemporary art, have to do more than put on exhibitions, they need to come up with more creative ideas, according to Ivy Lin, a curator at Hong Kong Art Promotion Office.