Museum Studies Commons^™

Iain Muirhead, Iain Muirhead

CGU MFA Theses

Artist IAIN MUIRHEAD seeks possibility in a world of massive change. His work cultivates instability and chases an ungrounded experience. Systemic complexity and creative destruction are characteristic. Muirhead uses paint, objects, photography, installation, and video to break apart and reconfigure form and space. Terror often looms. Entropy gives way to emergence.

Passive Radio Frequency Identification (Rfid) And Museum Collections, Owen Kinser

Master's Projects and Capstones

Keeping a collection organized and accounted for is a never-ending struggle for museums of every type. New to museums and the collections management field, Radio Frequency Identification is a growing technology that museums can implement to keep track of the location, status, condition, and movement of their objects. Objects are labeled with RFID “tags” which enable them to communicate custom information to a reader and ultimately a database. This implementation would save time, money, and stress among collections staff members. Using the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, Texas, as my subject museum, I propose implementing a pilot …

The Curious Case Of Floating Fixity (And Its Relationship To Authenticity), Kiersten F. Latham

Proceedings from the Document Academy

This paper is part reflection and part analysis. I use a personal document experience to illustrate the use of the holistic analysis framework of Document Phenomenology (Gorichanaz & Latham, 2016) to explore the notion of floating fixity and its relationship to authenticity.

“All Museums Will Become Department Stores”: The Development And Implications Of Retailing At Museums And Heritage Sites, Jamie Larkin

Art Faculty Articles and Research

Museums and heritage sites have provided merchandise for visitors to purchase since their earliest incarnations as public attractions in the 18th century. Despite this longevity scant academic research has been directed towards such activities. However, retailing – formalised in the emergence of the museum shop – offers insights into a range of issues, from cultural representation and education, to eco- nomic sustainability. This paper outlines the historical development of retailing at museums and heritage sites in the UK, before offering a summary of current issues, illustrated by a case study of contemporary retailing at Whitby Abbey. The paper demonstrates how …

1916 And The Challenges Of Commemorative Exhibitions In Ireland, Siobhan Doyle

Conference papers

Like many countries, Ireland has a chaotic and tumultuous past which results in challenges for national cultural institutions in presenting history to satisfy the education and expectation of both national and transnational audiences. The Easter Rising of 1916- a failed rebellion against British rule- is the pivotal event in the creation of the modern Irish state and is synonymous as a moment in the past which represents Irish history, characterizes Irish culture and amplifies national identity.

With 2016 marking 100years since the Easter Rising, my paper will explore how the recent centenary commemorations of this historic event have been a …

French Women In Art: Reclaiming The Body Through Creation/Les Femmes Artistes Françaises : La Réclamation Du Corps À Travers La Création, Liatris Hethcoat

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

The research I have conducted for my French Major Senior Thesis is a culmination of my passion for and studies of both French language and culture and the history and practice of Visual Arts. I have examined, across the history of art, the representation of women, and concluded that until the 20^th century, these representations have been tools employed by the makers of history and those at the top of the patriarchal system, used to control women’s images and thus women themselves. I survey these representations, which are largely created by men—until the 20^th century. I discuss pre-historical …

Museum 4.0 As The Future Of Steam In Museums, Mark Walhimer

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

Informal STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) activities (programs) and exhibits are common in science centers, children’s museums and natural history museums. As museums change to Museum 4.0 models (1), the STEAM exhibits and programs in museums also change. Museums 4.0 is the transformation of museums from a monolithic fixed location institution to a nimble community driven event driven organization. The Museum 4.0 becomes personalized to the visitor without fixed outcomes and without the physical restrictions of a single fixed location. As museums evolve to a Museum 4.0 model with visitor lead activities, STEAM activities within museums also change …

Egyptian Mummy Ct Scan Analysis And A Comparison Of Midwest Museum Practices For The Grand Rapids Public Museum, M. Kate Peterson

Anthropology Master's Theses

To meet the partial requirements for a Master of Arts degree in Anthropology from Western Michigan University, the following internship was completed between June 2015 and September 2016. A Computed Tomography (CT) scan analysis was conducted on the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s mummy, Nakhte-Bastet-Iru. This analysis was a collaborative effort by myself and medical and museum professionals. Insight into the mummy’s life and culture was uncovered through examination and analysis of paleoradiological views of her remains. Additional research into the practices of other Midwest museums provided valuable knowledge of current trends in the dissemination and exhibition of mummy CT scan …

Mediating Nagpra: Bringing Cultural Consideration Back To The Table, Ashley Bartman Watson

Learning Showcase 2016: A Celebration of Discovery, Transformation and Success

Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)

• Became federal law on November 16, 1990 to correct gross inequalities between the protection of Native and non-Native cultural objects.
• Requires collecting institutions to: create an inventory of any Native American human skeletal remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and items of cultural patrimony in their possession.
• Native American or Hawaiian groups can request repatriation if: they can show that they have true ownership of the cultural object or are a lineal descendant of the human remains in question.

Symposium Program Outline For Crosscurrents: Land, Labor, And The Port. Textile Society Of America’S 15th Biennial Symposium. Savannah, Ga, October 19-23, 2016.

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

Conference program: times, locations, speakers, events.

Wednesday, October 19th 2016, through Sunday, October 23rd 2016.

10 pages

[Tsa Web Pages For] Symposium 2016 -- Crosscurrents: Land, Labor, And The Port Textile Society Of America’S 15th Biennial Symposium

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

The web pages for the 2016 Savannah Symposium (archived in pdf).

The 2016 Textile Society of America Symposium will take place in Savannah, Georgia on the campus of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. To maximize scholarly interchange, the Symposium will consist of multiple, concurrent sessions, plenary and keynote speakers, a poster session and curated exhibitions that will intersect with the scholarly program. In addition to the symposium sessions and exhibitions, there will be a series of dynamic pre- and post-conference workshops and study tours to local and regional art institutions and …

The Intercontinental Reflections Of An Eighteenth-Century Mexican Rebozo, Eleanor A. Laughlin

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

The eighteenth-century Mexican rebozo (scarf) is an excellent example of a garment type that crossed not only ocean currents, but also boundaries of race and class. Initially, the rebozo was associated with indigenous culture in Mexico. Evidence suggests that the rebozo existed during the pre-Columbian period,1 but it has been most commonly remembered as an article of clothing used by the Spaniards to cover the exposed bodies of indigenous women in the church setting. Aspects of the scarf’s decorative elements, such as fringe and dying methods, are thought to have been inspired by Asian styles that arrived in Mexico via …

Vicky Vogue Photo Album 1, The Madeline Davis Lgbtq Archive Of Western New York

Photo Albums and Scrapbooks

The first in a series of photo albums of "Buffalo's Drag Mamma" Vicky Vogue (Danny Winter).

Vicky Vogue Photo Album 2, The Madeline Davis Lgbtq Archive Of Western New York

Photo Albums and Scrapbooks

The second in a series of photo albums of "Buffalo's Drag Mamma" Vicky Vogue (Danny Winter).

Vicky Vogue Photo Album 3, The Madeline Davis Lgbtq Archive Of Western New York

Photo Albums and Scrapbooks

The third in a series of photo albums of "Buffalo's Drag Mamma" Vicky Vogue (Danny Winter).

Tangarra Photo Album, The Madeline Davis Lgbtq Archive Of Western New York

Photo Albums and Scrapbooks

Tangarra (John Minzer) was Buffalo's first female impersonator. Tangarra began performing as a teenager in the late 1920's. This album contains photos of Tengarra from the 1930s to the early 2000s.

An oral history interview with Tangarra can be found here: https://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/lgbtq_interviews/4/

Deaccessioning In Small Museums: A Historical View And Lessons From The Past, Kristin Lapos

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Deaccessioning is a frequent topic of conversation in even small and mid-sized museums in the twenty-first century. With collections costs soaring, budgets dwindling, and space ever more limited, museums must deaccession to survive and prosper. However, deaccessioning and disposal have become hugely controversial, both among museum professionals and with the general public in the past few decades. Scholars like Stephen Weil and Marie Malaro argue that deaccessioning and disposal were non-issues prior to the 1970s. Is this true? If so, how did museum professionals handle deaccessioning and disposal of objects from their collections before this time?

This thesis explores the …

Let's Keep In Touch : Conversations About Access And Tactility., Whitney E. B. Mashburn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Let’s Keep in Touch: Conversations about Tactility, a project collaboratively organized by social practice artist Carmen Papalia and curator Whitney Mashburn, presents conversations between Papalia and artists selected by Mashburn, in regard to tactile access of the chosen artists’ works. The project aims to challenge visual biases in museum engagement, through dialogue with living artists.

Carmen Papalia takes social practice in a new direction as he applies it to the topic of accessibility. Using the tool of conversation, he creates strategic infrastructural activism and prompts exploration of non-visual perception.

In this thesis, Papalia’s work will be examined and discussed …

Northwest Coast Native American Art: The Relationship Between Museums, Native Americans And Artists, Karrie E. Myers

Museum Studies Theses

Museums today have many responsibilities, including protecting and understanding objects in their care. Many also have relationships with groups of people whose items or artworks are housed within their institutions. This paper explores the relationship between museums and Northwest Coast Native Americans and their artists. Participating museums include those in and out of the Northwest Coast region, such as the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia, the Burke Museum, the Royal British Columbia Museum, the American Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian Museum. Museum professionals who conducted research for some of these museums included Franz Boas, …

Reflection & Technology In Theory & Practice: Teen Engagement In Art Museums, Chelsea E. Kelly

Occasional Paper Series

This case study shows how the Milwaukee Art Museum’s after-school teen program fosters student engagement through a hybrid practice grounded in constructivist pedagogy. This article presents the museum’s Satellite High School Program in theory and in practice, including its evaluation methods and its impact on students and the museum. In the spirit of the program itself, which celebrates student voices, participants’ own videos, quotes, and experiences will frame my reflections from an educator’s point of view.