What to consider when visiting a museum
The most important thing to consider when viewing a museum is who's telling the story and who it's about.
Like everything, museums have their biases. The most famous (and extreme example) of this happened in Germany during WWI when the German government used museums to promote their history and push the idea of racial purity. Throughout the history of museums examples of bias can be found; the labeling of tribal objects as primitive works, only displaying western works, as well as the way objects are displayed. Quite often a museum exhibit is not put together by the group its objects are from. Because of this what we view in a museum is not reflecting the view of the culture(s) which the object(s) are from.
Another important thing to consider when viewing a museum is representation. You need to consider who/what is represented and the way they/it are being represented.
Often museums use sound, lighting, and display setup to influence reactions to exhibits. The playing of a tribal chanting when viewing pictures/objects from a culture is not uncommon and a good example. It may not seem like it would influence a persons view, but they do. Museums, now a days, no longer refer to objects as curios nor do they use the word primitive in their descriptions because of the misrepresentation caused by doing so. Quite often it is women and minority groups that under represented in museums.
And finally, you need to consider what your own expectations, biases, previous knowledge, and interests are (as well as those of the people you are viewing a museum with).
We all have our individual biases (both conscious and unconscious ones) and these biases can cause us to view an exhibit completely in a manner that is completely different than that of the person who designed the exhibit. Also, previous knowledge can change our view on what is being seen. Most people either go to museums with groups (usually school), for entertainment, or because they have an interest in a certain exhibit.