Education Commons^™

A Case Study In Museum Change: Power, Authority And Community Connected Exhibitions, Marilyn Cathy Solvay, Ph.D.

Educational Studies Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This dissertation is a study of museum change and examines the power of objects along with the authority of traditional exhibitions and the development of community-connected exhibitions. Community-connected exhibitions are explored to provide insight into reshaping the museum organization into a multicultural institution.

Method: A case study of a community-connected exhibition, "Becoming Americans: The Shapiro Story: 1898-1928," was conducted at Strawberry Banke, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, an outdoor history museum. Interviews were held with 25+ project participants: museum staff project team members, Shapiro family members, community members at large, and representatives from other community cultural institutions. This qualitative research project …

The Museum Paradox : The Co-Existence Of Narrative Structure And Audience Advocacy, Barbara Cohen-Stratyner

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This paper is concerned with narrative structures and adult learning in history and art museums that were established between 1870 and 1930, although the discussions of structure and exhibition development can be useful for any cultural institution that displays artifacts. Within the large field of study on cultural institutions and their role in adult cognitive change, the focus is placed on narrative exhibition structures that allow the museums to present information and artifacts to an adult audience without the intervention of live staff members or docents.