Museum Studies Commons^™

An Analysis Of Katsinam Figurines In The University's Gendler Collection, Sam Rekstad

Undergraduate Research Symposium (2026- )

After a cultural shift in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Euro-American collectors and ethnologists took a significant interest in sacred indigenous objects such as the Hopi Katsinam figurines, which spurred transformations in the ways the figurines tended to be stylized, as well as in how they were circulated. Such figures were initially created solely for ritual and communal purposes, but in modern and contemporary times, they are often created by makers who identify themselves as artists. In this project, I study the history surrounding the creation and distribution of Katsina figurines and also examine selected Katsina figurines in …

My Internship: Uni Museum, Sydney Blum

INSPIRE Student Research and Engagement Conference

In the process of this internship, I think I have learned a lot of things with conservation, but the biggest thing that this internship changed is my attitude toward objects. I am significantly more comfortable with historical objects now than when I started. I am now comfortable holding and handling objects without being overly cautious and paranoid.

Affiliating Cultural Heritage Through Material Analysis, Lucy Mattinson

Student Research Symposium

The Utah State University Museum of Anthropology’s collection includes seven metal tipped arrows. These arrows have no documentation, notes, or additional archival information. My aim was to use material analyses to link these arrows to where they came from and learn how to preserve them for the future.

Curating A Global Collection Of Grapsoid Crabs For The American Natural History Museum, Nyc, Taylor Pruisman, Amber Finke, Carl Thurman Ph.D.

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Curation is a powerful tool when accessing information about specialized collections. Many researchers that use specimens borrowed from other institutions often find the supporting information insufficient. Over the last two years, a large collection of preserved grapsoid crabs was received from Frank H. Barnwell, Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.The collection of land crabs has undergone an extensive curation process done by University of Northern Iowa undergraduates. The curation process included identifying species, locating pin points, counting of sexes, rehousing and producing new labels. The specimens were sorted by their species, counted by gender, and their collection locations …

Dissent And Disruption: How Artists Redefine Museum Spaces And Audience Engagement, Paige E. Sellars

MAD-RUSH Undergraduate Research Conference

This paper delves into the concept of artistic creation from engagement with museum collections and the intimate connection between museum curation the post-modern and contemporary artist. I discuss the work of Nedko Solakov at the Frans Hals Museum, Jenny Holzer and Donald Judd at the Museum of Applied Art in Vienna, and Fred Wilson at the Baltimore Historical Society. These artists intentionally reengaged with art and museum objects via deliberate installations and clever interventions to broaden the narrative and in some instances, contest the hierarchical dissemination of knowledge provided by the curator and the museum. Museums of the past espoused …

The Rockbridge Group: Masters Along The Maury, Teresa Gunter, Whitney M. Grim, Emma E. Noe, Grace Ragansky, William R. Tharp, Christine L. Moore

Student Scholar Showcase

For the last eight decades Rockbridge County, Virginia has served as an influential center for modern art. Neighbored by the capricious Maury River and nestled against the backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Rockbridge Baths significantly impacted the lives of four distinguished modern artists. Connected by ties of friendship or kin, the Rockbridge Group—Pierre Daura, Jean Hélion, Cy Twombly, and Sally Mann—drew inspiration and support from each other and from the people and places of the Rockbridge area.

In 1928, Catalan modernist Pierre Daura (1896-1976) married Louise Blair, a Virginian studying in Paris. His friend, the French painter Jean Hélion …

Engaging Visitors With Conservation: The Key To Museum Sustainability, Megan Crutcher

Graduate Student Research Symposium

What is museum conservation and why does it matter? Increasingly, museum professionals are having to answer this question not only for themselves, but for the public as well. I argue that conservation’s definition is twofold, encompassing the actual work, as well as public engagement and presentation. First, conservation is the act of preserving and protecting cultural heritage to improve its structural integrity and historical significance. Second, conservation’s ultimate effectiveness lies in its ability to leave the public informed and passionate. Two of the best examples of these programs are the conservation of the Star Spangled Banner at the Smithsonian in …

Not All Art Belongs In The Living Room: The Tale Of Robert Mapplethorpe, Shelby K. Miller

Student Scholar Showcase

Following the death of Robert Mapplethorpe in 1989, a group of scholars put together a retrospective exhibition of his life’s work with the help of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. The subject matter, namely those in Mapplethorpe’s X and Z portfolios that included male nudes and depictions of sadomasochism, caused major controversy across the country. The presentation will cover Helms Amendment of 1990 and the obscenity trial that took place in Cincinnati in 1990 with a specific focus on the lasting impacts that these events have had on the NEA and the art world.

Displays Of Power In English Tudor Painting (1485-1603), Laura Meisner

Student Scholar Showcase

English painting between 1485 and 1603 shaped and was shaped by a myriad of cultural influences. Art historians generally agree that because England did not produce much of its own art until the 18^th century, it had a relatively slight impact on the development of Western art. A cursory history lesson of this time frame likely omits English art apart from the appearance of Hans Holbein the Younger as court painter under Henry VIII and Nicholas Hilliard during Elizabeth I’s reign. However, a study of English paintings throughout the entire Tudor period reflects its importance not only to England’s …