This thesis considers Mining the Museum: An Installation by Fred Wilson (1992~ 93) and the exhibitions's critical impact on the Maryland Historical Society. A brief consideration of contemporary cultural theory, its relationship to revisions in current museological practices and a summary of the history of the American museum provides a context for this case study. Charged with the collection, interpretation, and exhibition of our cultural heritage, the practices and governing policies of American museums are a continuation of those developed in Europe over 200 years ago. In particular, the museum classification system for objects and cultures, based on an Enlightenment system of knowledge, has perpetuated an exclusionary set of practices, which have marginalized the working class, women, ethnic minorities, and Native Americans. Mining the Museum both reflects and responds to this condition while critically questioning the authority of the museum to define truth as it pertains to our arts, culture and history. Will Wilson's installation have a lasting influence'? Through this examination and consideration of selected responses from the profession, the press, and the public, it will be shown how Mining the Museum has impacted the Maryland Historical Society and how this impact could influence the future of this and other similar institutions.