Museum Studies Commons^™

Authentically African : Arts And The Transnational Politics Of Congolese Culture, Sarah Van Beurden

Ohio University Press Open Access Books

Together, the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Tervuren, Belgium, and the Institut des Musées Nationaux du Zaire (IMNZ) in the Congo have defined and marketed Congolese art and culture. In Authentically African, Sarah Van Beurden traces the relationship between the possession, definition, and display of art and the construction of cultural authenticity and political legitimacy from the late colonial until the postcolonial era. Her study of the interconnected histories of these two institutions is the first history of an art museum in Africa, and the only work of its kind in English.
Drawing on Flemish-language sources other scholars have …

Review Of Woven Luxuries: Indian, Persian, Turkish Velvets From The Indictor Collection, Carol Bier

Textile Research Works

LUXURIANT AND extravagant are words that come to mind to describe the sheen of brightly coloured velvets on display in this small but stellar exhibition at San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum, on view to 1 November. The exhibition presents an exceptional private collection of exquisitely designed velvets woven in lands of the Mughal, Safavid, and Ottoman empires during the 15th through 17th centuries. Robust blossoms, sinuous vines, and stylised flowers are among the many designs that characterise Mughal, Safavid and Ottoman textiles, including sumptuous velvets with raised pile and metallic threads that shimmer in changing light. Together the products of …

Commodification Of Cemeteries: Burial Grounds As Multi-Disciplinary Spaces, Siobhan Doyle

Conference Papers

My paper investigates how many cemeteries have overturned their original function and negative association as sites of death and mourning to be transformed into multi-disciplinary spaces which provide visitors with a meaningful experience. There are many burial spaces that are popular tourist sites- Stonehenge (UK), Taj Mahal (India), etc. However, these may not stand out directly to tourists as resting places of the dead because burials have not taken place at these sites for hundreds of years. Tourists may associate the above sites with their visual and iconic features rather than their original purpose as burial grounds. Working cemeteries such …

An Invitation To Rethinking Early Childhood Learning Spaces : Museums As Young Learners' Classrooms, Charissa Ruth

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Many museums are now offering more opportunities and incorporating services to encourage families with young children to explore and enjoy museums. One of these opportunities is the creation of preschools located in or as part of museums. The author focuses on two institutions to provide a picture of how the museum preschool experience has been shaped to fit the institution.

"Through The Ages: Images That Communicate" : A Medieval Art Museum Curriculum, Flannery Santos

Graduate Student Independent Studies

The museum curriculum proposed here utilizes the Princeton University Museum of Art's collection of medieval art to explore the ways in which images communicate. The curriculum is designed to help middle school students explore the concept that art represents the values and ideas of a culture.

Divas, Buffalo Gay Men's Chorus

Programs

Good evening, and welcome to the BGMC Spring concert "Divas!" Tonight the BGMC will perform the music of many beloved Divas who have made significant impact and contributions to the LGBTQ community through their music.

The Final Week!, Melanie L. Fernandes

Blogging the Library

I can’t believe that this upcoming week will be my last as a Fortenbaugh intern! While I am sad that this semester is coming to a close, I am also very aware of all I have left to complete. Abby and I have made great progress with our display. The creative process has been really rewarding for both of us, and I know that I personally have really enjoyed doing this as a partner project. We worked together to decide which fabric backdrop to use and we’re having a lot of fun moving the objects around to see where they …

Last Post, Abby M. Rolland

Blogging the Library

I cannot believe this is my last week working in Special Collections and there are less than three weeks until graduation. My time up here has gone by so fast and I’m sad it’s coming to an end! I’ve made a lot of progress and learned a lot as well. [excerpt]

At The Meadows - Spring 2015, Southern Methodist University

Member Magazine

No abstract provided.

The Body In The Museum, Jamie Larkin

Art Faculty Articles and Research

A book review of Helen Rees Leahy's Museum Bodies: The Politics and Practices of Visiting and Viewing.

Sharing Historic Costume Collections Online, Arden Kirkland, Kathi Martin, Marlise Schoeny, Kiki Smith, Gayle Strege

School of Information Studies - Faculty Scholarship

The recent increase in online costume history resources has provided scholars of dress with fresh sources of information for inspiring and validating their research. The best digital archives consider the needs of their users in creating systems that make it easy for more users to access the greatest amount of relevant information. Users of online costume history resources have specific needs that should be addressed, both for internal users (organizing and entering information) and external users (finding information). This paper follows a panel presentation at the 2014 Symposium of the Costume Society of America, on the subject of digital initiatives …

Singer's Handbook, Fifth Edition, Buffalo Gay Men's Chorus

Handbooks

The fifth edition of the Buffalo Gay Men's Chorus Singer's Handbook.

Collaborating With Chicago Urban Communities: The Unforeseen Challenges Of Better Museum Practices, Dionisia Ann Mathios

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on better museum practices, social justice museums, and the unforeseen challenges that museums encounter when collaborating and consulting with communities. More specifically, this project looks at the National Public Housing Museum (NPHM) and the exhibit Report to the Public: An Untold Story of the Conservative Vice Lords (CVL), which was co-created with the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum. Both Chicago institutions worked with public housing residents and the former CVL, a 1960s gang, to give voice to two often unheard communities. Through an anthropological and museum studies perspective, this thesis summarizes the history of museum practice as well …

Internationalization: Utilizing The University Museum, Adrienne Turnbull-Reilly

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A review of the literature on the nature of international education in the United States reveals that although most international students want to engage socially and academically with their peers, many encounter cultural, linguistic, and institutional obstacles. Using this information to guide interview questions and format workshops, the author explored the question of how university museums can contribute to a more holistic and enriching educational experience for international students on American campuses, using the University of Denver as a case study. Findings from workshops and interviews conducted by the author reveal similar obstacles (cultural, linguistic, and institutional) when engaging students …

Review Of Eric Broug, Islamic Geometric Design, Carol Bier

Textile Research Works

From the eleventh century C.E., Islamic geometric patterns have continued to evolve in complexity, contributing a distinct aspect of Islamic art and architecture that covers a broad geographic range and temporal spectrum. The underlying principles of these patterns are brilliantly explained in narrative and visual formats by Eric Broug, a Dutch design professional, self-trained and with an M.A. in the history of Islamic architecture from SOAS in London. Offering both an analytical and practical understanding of the construction of Islamic geometric patterns, this book is an unusual hybrid of scholarship and art, combining the qualities of a coffeetable bibelot and …

Geometry: Drawing From The Islamic Tradition, Carol Bier

Textile Research Works

Getting students involved in careful observation and analysis and encouraging their exploration of cultural forms of expression is an excellent means of introducing mathematical ideas. Geometric patterns abound in Islamic art and architecture. Exhibiting great ingenuity over the centuries, Muslim artists and craftsmen created beautiful patterns to adorn architectural monuments and exquisite objects. The Alhambra in Spain and the Taj Mahal in India offer the most famous examples of extraordinary patterns using brick and glazed tile, or carved and inlaid marble. Other examples of patterns are made using metal, wood, and fiber. Students may gain conceptual and theoretical understanding of …

Merry And Bright, Buffalo Gay Men's Chorus

Programs

Good evening, and welcome to the Buffalo Gay Men's Chorus annual holiday concer, "Merry & Bright." We are honored that you have chosen to spend the next couple hours with us as we entertain, enlighten, and celebrate the wonderful season that is upon us. We realize you have many options when choosing holiday entertainment and are delighted that you have chosen to spend your evening with the BGMC.

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 …