Museum Studies Commons^™

A Hazard Assessment And Proposed Risk Index For Art, Architecture, Archive And Artifact Protection: Case Studies For Assorted International Museums, Clara Jeanene Kirk

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study proposes a hazard/risk index for environmental, technological, and social hazards that may threaten a museum or other place of cultural storage and accession. This index can be utilized and implemented to measure the risk at the locations of these storage facilities in relationship to their geologic, geographic, environmental, and social settings. A model case study of the 1966 flood of the Arno River and its impact on the city of Florence and the Uffizi Gallery was used as the index focus. From this focus an additional eleven museums and their related risk were assessed. Each index addressed a …

Volunteers In America: How Volunteerism And American Civil Society Shape Our Museums, Sarah C. Crocker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the intersection of volunteerism, museum studies, and American civil society, using these frameworks to examine volunteer motivations within two Denver area art museums. Additionally, there is much current scholarship that focuses on the relationship between museums and community, yet does not often address the role of museum volunteerism within such a context. This thesis therefore also examines the intersection of community and museum volunteerism, presenting a starting point for future researches to continue studying museum volunteerism within the context of civic engagement. This thesis finds that, while the ideology of American civil society plays a role in …

Designing Museums For Participation, Collaboration And Social Interaction, Martin Mccarthy

Masters

This thesis documents the design and development of novel interactive experiences that explored concepts aimed to enhance the visitor experience to Cork Butter Museum, Cork, Ireland.

The context to the work is that in recent years, museums and cultural institutions are increasingly motivated to apply creative strategies to engage visitors who come for recreational, social and sometimes educative purposes. Novel museum exhibits designed to cater for such needs often involves the integration of new media technologies in response to rising expectations visitors have with regards to being actively engaged during their visit. This often requires a higher level of participation …

Picture Books As Art : The Presence Of Children's Book Illustrations In Museums And An Analysis Of Children-Visitor Interactions At The Eric Carle Museum Of Picture Book Art, Jennifer Cusworth

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This paper analyzes the presence of children's picture book illustrations in cultural settings, particularly the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Massachusetts and the New York Public Library in New York City, and determines how children interact with these spaces.

What Will You Remember Most? Part Ii : A Comparative Analysis Of Elementary School Student Responses Based On Single-Visit Tours At The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Kelsey Mcmillan

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This thesis analyzes and compares two different types of distribution processes of response cards that are filled out by students at the end of single-visit tours at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, NY.

A Case Study Of "The Shelter Program For Families In Temporary Housing" At The Children's Museum Of Manhattan, Leah Taradash

Graduate Student Independent Studies

The purpose of this study was to examine the benefits of museum outreach programs, specifically the ways in which such programs contribute to the social, physical, and language development of children. Findings revealed how a museum's commitment to reach out to families in underserved populations positively affects the developmental needs of children, which may be lacking in their current living situation.

Language And Museums: Supporting Alaska Native Languages Through Collaborative Networking, Heather J. Mcclain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the ever-increasing risk of language loss and possible extinction of the world's Indigenous languages, museums are quickly becoming active supporters and valuable resources for communities engaged in revitalization initiatives. Although working with language material is inherently difficult for museums because of their traditionally object based nature, it is imperative for museums to focus on the documentation and preservation of language as intangible cultural heritage (ICH) because of the vital connection between language and culture. This thesis examines how museums in Alaska, particularly the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center, Alaska Office, are supporting Alaska Native language and cultural revitalization through collaborative …

Museum Representation : Ethnostatic Representations Of Culture, Brynna Elizabeth Tussey

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Museums act as knowledge production centers for cultural objects. The knowledge produced and distributed frequently portrays the Other as being immobilized in ethnostatic history. Models and modes of representation serve to reinforce these perceptions, rather than aid in the development of new forms of knowledge production. Through the discussion of these models, my research presents new theoretical perspectives for the agencies within the museum, and proposes possible new models for displaying objects from other cultures and the dialogues around said objects.

Representing Race Responsibly: A Case Study Of The Social Responsibility Paradigm In Colorado Museums, Angela Rueda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although museums have moved towards more reflexive practice, misrepresentation continues to be a concern. How then can museums successfully represent racial and ethnic groups that have historically been marginalized or misrepresented? In this thesis I argue that with greater integration of the social responsibility paradigm--which argues that museums can be agents of social change-- museums may be able to improve representation. During the summer of 2013, I conducted field research that explored how the social responsibility paradigm was or was not being enacted at The History Colorado Center and Museo de las Americas. This thesis offers a critical analysis of …

The Pamunkey Indian Museum: Collaboration, Display, And The Creation Of A Tribal Museum, Rachel Elaine Bowen

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.