I know the semester is over, but I found this latest item about the Getty interesting, if not wholly predictable in my book…
In class we were talking about museums stepping up and
providing education outside the classroom. Though I think this is a great idea, I still see some problems. I’m
from Waco and the museums closest to me are the Mayborn, the Texas Sports Hall of
Fame, Dr. Pepper Museum, and the Texas Rangers Museum. All of these museums are
focused on Central Texas and Texas History. For people like me who are interested in
British History the local Waco museums would not be much help. How can museum
education programs (not on a college level) adapt to cover more than local History?
Christine Hicks
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/19/us-italy-art-idUSBRE83I14920120419
I admire the initiative that he is taking to help his museum, but this is ridiculous. There has to be a better way to protest other than destroying your art. He has to be destroying a lot of connections with others along with the collection. If a museum’s purpose to to showcase the collection and educate the public, then how was this a smart move. This is worse than looting in my opinion.
Greetings from Milwaukee. In light of our recent conversations about the Horton text, I thought you might find this upcoming discussion of interest: Civil War Battlefields – Imagining Possibilities after 150 Years.
Also, check out the link to the newly released study: The Imperiled Promise: The State of History in the National Park Service.
We were rushed at the end of the class so we did not get to discuss in any depth my article that I offered as an optional reading. I did, however, want to pull out a couple of points for potential discussion. I’m sorry I cannot point to specific page numbers. I have the wrong document here at home. But one of the problems I wanted to discuss is the museum visitor, in particular their level of engagement with exhibits and their political and historical knowledge which is increasingly shaped by online discussions: “Public historians are confronted by a literate, politically savvy visitor base and often public historians find it is easier to shrink from the challenge of addressing such a public than it is to confront the ambiguity of history.”
How are to deal with this “politically savvy visitor base”? Are there points of engagement where we can create a discussion?
Second, I would like to return to a quote that Steven and Amy each highlighted: “Confederate sympathizers will vote with their feet, so to speak, and refuse to visit museums they feel dishonor their heritage. Moreover, inclusion does not guarantee an increase in African American attendance. ” If we risk losing visitors either for our sins of commission or omission, are we in a situation where we’re “damned if we do, damned if we don’t.” What should the small museum do when faced with such a dilemma?
Finally, I want to pose for discussion the two recommendations I made at the end of this chapter:
“First, public historians need to redefine what makes a ‘Civil War site.’ Whether museum, national park, or historic house, what narrative does that particular site tell?”
AND
“Secondly, public historians need to develop thoughtful, creative partnerships. The success of the partnership between the National Park Service and the Organization of American Historians is a prominent example. However, museum professionals need to look beyond their comfort zone and find other, perhaps non-traditional partners.”
This chapter is now five years old. Are there other steps that public historians/museum professionals/archivists should consider as we move further into the Sesquicentennial and as we as a profession continue to confront this debate.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Okay, so the title isn’t exactly applicable. However, I came across a pretty interesting article about the bankruptcy of a potential museum in Virginia. Basically, the US National Slavery museum had tried to get funding initially to build their building and start collecting objects. Unfortunately, they went bankrupt before construction could officially begin (I think). So, this brings up a pretty interesting ethical issue!
Obviously it’s ethical for us to take care of our museums so we don’t go bankrupt. What happens if we don’t run our museum financially saavy? Do we lose all the objects because we spent too much too soon? That might be a question for Dr. Holcomb, but it adds a new level of responsibility and humility for me.
Howdy Friends,
Mary Ellen found this wonderful article that ties together NAGPRA and Johnny Depp. You may be wondering to yourself, self, “How can these two be connected?” Here’s the answer…Johnny Depp recently received some antiquities from the Navajo Tribe for his recent role as Tonto in the up and coming cinematic adventure Lone Ranger.
I am not opposed to JD receiving some “gifts” from the local Navajo chieftans, but as a young museum professional, I am concerned about his capability to take care of these fine artifacts. These gifts also make me question NAGPRA and its effectiveness. If movie stars and the like are in charge of the care and preservation of antiquities, unless they are Indiana Jones, quite frankly, I am disturbed. Read the article for yourself.
“‘Faux Real’ Exhibit Displays Forger’s Famous Faked Works” – Exhibit of famous forger’s works opened April Fool’s Day at the University of Cincinnati
“Mayor Wades into Uproar Over Museum Tower’s Glare” – Mayor’s comments on an earlier story about complaints from the Nasher Sculpture Center that glare from Museum Tower is harming the collections. Please note: images are from the Dallas Morning News.
Civil War Museum Gives Severed Arm a Good Look
The Washington Post Story – http://ht.ly/aeYj4