Business Commons^™

The Art Of Controversy: The Role Of Museums Exhibiting Works By Kara Walker, Carmen Lookshire

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

An art museum’s purpose is to collect, preserve, research, and display art. This is also true for works that may be potentially controversial. The introduction of this thesis presents the style and background of artist Kara Walker whose art has, in the past, been considered controversial. To create exhibits, a museum must consider administrative elements such as mission statement, staff, funding, research, design, marketing, and educational programming. These elements are outlined in the Roles in Arts Administration section. Questions were posed to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, and The Walker Art Center regarding their …

Utilizing The Contextual Learning Model At The Plattsburgh State Art Museum, Samantha E. Bellinger

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

Inspired by the work of John Falk and Lynn Dierking, this article examines the characteristics of contextual learning at the Plattsburgh State Museum. It investigates the museum visitors' experiences and process of learning through the lens of the Contextual Learning Model.

The purpose of this thesis is twofold: 1) to suggest a method for understanding the museum visitor experience, 2) and to demonstrate that visitor learning is fundamentally a meaning-making activity that involves a constant negotiation between the stories given by museums and those brought by visitors. As such, it is emphasized that museums can be effective educators if they …

The Changing Institutional Role Of The Art Museum In The United States, Evelyn Ramirez-Schultz

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

This final project examines the changing role of the art museum in the United States in the last half century. The goal is to show how external and internal forces have influenced a sea change in museums resulting in more engaging and accessible institutions. Through an examination of the forces that motivated these changes, the project explores and compares the two major institutions--the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago--in the areas of audience development and outreach ; programming, collections and exhibits and education and outreach. Finally, the study evaluates the future of museums and …

The Application Of The Matching Hypothesis To The Group Theater And The Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Kaela M. Altman

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

Understanding the motivations behind volunteerism is a crucial part of building an arts organization. Engaging volunteers requires a particular management style in order to ensure the enlistment of the appropriate people to engage in activities best suited to their skill set. This approach is called the matching hypothesis, and it is defined as matching volunteers' responsibilities to their interests and motivations. Identifying the appropriate volunteers and matching them to their interests can help maintain engagement in the work required to build an organization. Using this approach, it is hypothesized that volunteers will be more likely to fulfill the tasks and …

Transitions To A New Museum: An Examination Of The Factors That Lead Museums Toward Education As An Institution Priority, Tanya Tobias-Tomis

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

This essay discusses how changes to state and federal funding, increasing competition from non-museum arts organizations and a desire to strengthen, build and diversify audiences encouraged museums to position education as an institutional priority. These factors combined with an intensifying frustration about a lack of professional standards and growing criticism of the field, encouraged museum educators to develop and adopt new, more effective ways of engaging audiences. This essay also explores how and why museums universally adopted Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) to better position themselves to compete for participation and funding. This essay concludes with several suggestions, or a plan, …

Re-Evaluating Happiness: Why The Quality Of Our Lives Depend Upon It, Suzanne Lang Baetz

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

Over two thousand years ago, Aristotle proposed that the ultimate goal of life is happiness because "we choose it for itself and never for any other reason" (Thomson, 1953, p. 73). Today, happiness is still a fundamental concern for people all around the globe. I n an international survey with over 10,000 respondents from 48 nations, Oishi, Diener, & Lucas (2007) found that happiness ranked highest in importance of a group of 1 2 options, including success, intelligence/knowledge, and material wealth.

Nerve Endings: Betty Parsons, Marcia Tucker, And Alanna Heiss, Cyndi Conn

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

When initially presented, new forms of art and installation can incite hostility and derision among art patrons, critics, and general audiences. New paradigms are unsettling and artistic breakthroughs can threaten belief systems people hold dear to their understanding of the art world and how it functions. Some of the most distinguished and iconic artists in modem history have found notoriety and recognition through years, even decades, of slowly evolving acceptance into the cultural mainstream.

An Examination Of How Playfulness Can Be Used To Enhance Corporate Culture And Increase Organizational Effectiveness, Freemon Wade Nixon

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

This inquiry considers the social psychology dimension of organizational behavior by examining how play influences corporate culture. It asserts that by thoughtfully introducing playfulness into the work setting, any entity can experience a transformation that improves overall organizational effectiveness. With a current business climate characterized by economic globalization, sociopolitical upheaval, and intense competition, enterprises must rely on internal human capital to remain viable. Thus, the origins, forms, and functions of play provide a broad and diverse framework that ultimately leads to the description of such organizational play behaviors as celebrations, rituals, and ceremonies. To establish a business context for the …

Ethical Leadership, Mary Jaworski

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

The focus of this study is on the roles and requirements for ethical leadership in business environments in the coming millennium. Many business leaders have conveniently ignored ethical concerns at the expense of the people who work for them, the organization structure, the efficiency of their businesses and the environmental well-being of the planet.

First, the nature of leadership will be examined. This author will attempt to analyze the following questions: 1) What is leadership? 2) How do leaders develop? 3) What are the common characteristics of leaders? 4) How do leaders inspire and motivate others?

Second, the absence of …