Museum Community Research Articles

Avant-garde heritage of the regions: Use and development prospects in a museum context (on the example of the museums of Saratov and Smolensk)

In the wake of the growing interest in the history of the Russian avant-garde, leading Russian museums become initiators, organizers and partners of large-scale exhibition projects dedicated to both individual personalities of the avant-garde era and iconic cultural institutions. In this regard, it is also important to understand how the museum community in Russia reacts to the given trend of turning to the heritage of the avant-garde era, and how regional museums are involved in this process. The artistic avant-garde was never limited to capitals, new trends penetrated all cities of the country, one way or another leaving a mark on the appearance of the city, its history and, of course, in museum collections. This is why researchers need to see the fullest possible picture of how regions are using their avant-garde heritage. The article is devoted to the study of the experience of using the avant-garde heritage in Russian regions on the example of the Saratov State Art Museum named after A.N.Radishchev and the Art Gallery of the Smolensk State Museum-Reserve. Based on sources of museum origin, electronic catalogs of museums, texts by regional authors, Internet sources (in particular, the State Catalog of the Museum Fund of the Russian Federation, and the Constructivist Project portal), as well as local news sources the article reviews the avant-garde collections of these museums, considers cultural and educational activity of urban cultural institutions and independent curatorial projects on this topic. An important part of this study is the assessment of the development prospects in the actualization of the avant-garde heritage of the regions, as well as the role of independent cultural institutions of cities in the actualization and use of the avant-garde heritage of these regions.

Theoretical Aspects of the Museum’s Communication Strategy: Conventional and Non-Conventional Communication Channels

Perspective aspects of the development of the domestic theory of museum communication are considered. The object of the research is the interdisciplinary discourse of the general field of communication theories. The subject of the research is the theoretical models applicable for structuring museum communication channels. The authors substantiate the need to focus the communication strategy of a modern museum not only on conventional communication channels, but also on long-term prospects for nonconventional connections. The presented typology of conventional and non-conventional channels in the structure of museum communication makes it possible to determine the basic components of the communication process along two main channels: “Society → Museum → Society”; “Museum → Society → Museum”. The communication strategies of a modern museum, considering the potential of both channels, will be more efficient and will enhance the value of storage objects at the lowest cost.

Educational potential of scientific natural groups of DPM NAS of Ukraine: museum program "Lesson in the Museum"

The uniqueness of the Natural History Museum is that it is perfectly suited for the introduction of interdisciplinary educational innovation. The environment of the museum has a special atmosphere, and natural collections play an important role, as they implement not only scientific but also educational goals. Research on the nature of communication has attracted great interest in pedagogical science in recent years. Museum communication has certain characteristics that distinguish it from all other types of knowledge dissemination. The specificity of the communication activities of natural history museums is associated with the use of natural objects and biological information in this process. A person learns new models of thinking and action if he is in direct contact with natural values and specialists who are able to interpret them. The main target audience on which the research is focused are children of different ages and teachers. The aim of the article is to actualize the pedagogical significance of the museum environment and museum education collections in the context of non-formal education. A few decades ago, the main and inviolable task of museums was to preserve and protect the collection, but today the focus has shifted and now the preservation and protection of collections is considered in inseparable connection with education. We are convinced that the education role of museums should be strengthened and that it should be as important as other aspects of professional museum practice. Educational departments in museums acquire important that reflects the relationship of the museum community with the educational needs of society. We can state that the effective use of the potential of museums in the school educational process is impossible without the mutual partnership of museum and school teachers. A well-formed and completed base of educational scientific collections is the basis of successful museum programs. A museum object is the determining factor that causes delight, surprise and ardor in a child, which forms her new life experience and stimulates the process of comprehension and the formation of value orientations. The resources and pedagogical potential of the museum are fully consistent with the requirements of education and our task is to ensure its implementation.

Мультисенсорная медиация в музейных программах для посетителей с РАС и другими особенностями развития

The development of inclusive activities in Russian museums today presumes an active rethinking of the visitor-interaction, including kids and adults with autism spectrum condition (ASС) and other developmental disabilities. The development of inclusive activities in Russian museums today presumes an active rethinking of the visitor-interaction, including kids and adults with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities. Museums make great efforts to create an open and friendly environment for children and adults with reduced sensory threshold. This text presents the Accessible Museum program experience by The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, which is largely focused on the space, collections and program accessibility. Multisensory approach including sound, smell, touch, movement and other bodily experience belongs to the new challenges of visitor experience development in the Pushkin Museum. The article offers review of the projects using multisensory communication in Russian and international museums over the past ten years, when there has been a significant expansion of inclusive practices.

Museum and Pandemics a Cautionary Tale from History: Impact, Innovations, Learning from Crises

The invisible virus created a terror among the most survived ‘Wise Man’ (human) who survived millions of year and seen uncountable epidemic challenges and now packed in a home with less facility. The question is now where we go from here and does this trauma will leave a permanent epidemic marks on our civilization like happened in history? The world don’t want to visit those dark areas happened in early. But now this Novel COVID-19 created a whole new ball game where the entire world came into the pitch and ultimately the entire community leading to psychiatric illness. The potential of museum personals is now has been challenged to create meaningful experiences for the civilizations to overcome from this pandemic situation which is central to their service as a champion tool to identify the social values of the communities. As agents of trusted institutions the museum personals specifically the museum anthropologists are facing challenges to overcome from these challenges of inclusion and diversity and the difficulty of navigating complex social issues in this isolation situation. The healing process of our societies after the COVID-19 crisis will be long and complex for many museums as places of meeting and learning for societies. Museums have important role to play now to repair and strengthening the social fabric of communities which are affected due to this pandemic. “Governments all over the world have taken necessary measures to stop the virus from spreading, by closing schools and public spaces, and especially Museums. Billions of people have been confined to their homes, and the number keeps growing. During this period many museums and museum personals are finding ways to keep engage the people with the museums and ICOM as representing the international museum community, calls on policy and decisionmakers to urgently allocate relief funds to salvage museums and their professionals, so they can survive the lockdowns and continue their vital public service mission once it is over, for the generations to come out from the situation,” the council announced in an statement on April 2. As Museum Anthropologist we used to study history, archeology and anthropology as Humanity and with this Humanity we study what makes us humans. Anthropology and history like a source has reminded us that humanity has faced lot of similar challenges in past and that this pandemic is really not unprecedented. Though these thing has been a part of culture since millennia and even only a hundred years ago similar challenges has been faced by our ancestors. Museums and Museum anthropologists needs support to make the humanity understand what collections means to you and what the collections may represent to the future anthropologists during such pandemic situations.

Forms of Museum Communication at the MAE — Institute of Ethnography of the USSR Academy of Sciences in the First Half of the 20 th Century

Forms of Museum Communication at the MAE — Institute of Ethnography of the USSR Academy of Sciences in the First Half of the 20 th Century

The impact of digitalization on the development of museum communication

The impact of digitalization on the development of museum communication

Підготовка музеєзнавців-педагогів: розроблення та реалізація інтегративної сертифікатної програми

The aim of the study is to explore the peculiarities of obtaining the qualification of a museum studies expert and educator by higher education seekers within the framework of the integrated certificate program “Museum pedagogy”. The article describes domestic and foreign experience of training specialists for the integrated field of museum pedagogy. The analysis of the scientific literature shows that while defining a museum educator researchers give primary importance either to museum or pedagogical component of their work. Therefore, the authors provide a comprehensive definition for a specialist in the field of museum pedagogy in the paper. It is shown that a museum studies expert and educator is able to combine cultural and pedagogical expertise and skills, develop teaching technologies through museums, design a museum-educational environment, experiment with museum and pedagogical methods and techniques. The content of the two-year certificate programme designed and implemented on the basis of Mariupol State University is comprised of ten three-credit academic disciplines, inter alia,“Museum Studies”, “History of Arts”, “Cultural Studies”, “Preservation of Historical Monuments of Ukraine”, “Practicum on Perception of Contemporary Art”, “Modern Museum Communications”, “Museum Didactics”, “Methodology of Museum Education”, “Art Pedagogy” and “Pedagogical Practicum”. In the focus of the programme are: acquisition of theoretical knowledge in museum studies, familiarisation with museum development in Ukraine and all over the world; enhancing the understanding of cultural and art orientations; development of skills to design and organise the educational process in institutions of general secondary education by means of museum pedagogy, and create a museum-educational environment. The paper gives rationale for the core competencies for a prospective museum studies expert and educator, enumerates the learning outcomes of the integrated certificate programme. The authors provide the requirements for text and visual content of the programme presentation.

Another Image of 'Community' at the South End Museum

This paper considers some of the curatorial devices used in exhibitions at the South End Museum in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth). The South End Museum, which opened on 3 March 2001, is modelled in several respects on the District Six Museum in Cape Town: it, too, is an urban-based, self-defined 'community museum' constituted around the histories of the apartheid Group Areas Act and the implementation of forced removals. Like many post-1994 museums in South Africa, the South End Museum relies on photographs for their displays, whilst also making use of maps, a mural and reenactment. The paper considers the ways in which these different displays touch, recall, reflect and activate one another. Keeping in mind that the notion of 'community' in South Africa bears the burden of being raced by its apartheid and colonial pasts, and abiding by the spectrality that is constitutive of the image, the paper grapples with the haunted space of 'community museums' in the Eastern Cape. While the South End Museum deploys some of the same curatorial devices as the District Six Museum, and deals with related histories of forced removal, South End, it is argued, brings the relation between race, indigeneity and 'ruin' within 'community museums' into fleeting focus.

Museum education and regional identity formation

Museum education is a specific field dedicated to developing and encouraging non-formal education spaces and institutions such as museums. Its principal purpose is to interest visitors in learning experiences to improve their curiosity and engagement in their objects and collections. General globalization trends cause changes in museum communication strategies. The museum is being considered as a cultural institution, which is becoming anthropocentrically oriented multifunctional cultural center in this global context. Main analysis criteria of modern museum communication are proposed and regional museums typical forms of educational activities are exposed in this article. It also demonstrates their potential for the regional identity formation.

Museum education and regional identity formation

Museum education is a specific field dedicated to developing and encouraging non-formal education spaces and institutions such as museums. Its principal purpose is to I terest visitors in learning experiences to improve their curiosity and engagement in their objects and collections. General globalization trends cause changes in museum communication strategies. The museum is being considered as a cultural institution, which is becoming anthropocentrically oriented multifunctional cultural center in this global context. Main analysis criteria of modern museum communication are proposed and regional museums typical forms of educational activities are exposed in this article. It also demonstrates their potential for the regional identity formation.

MUSEUM COMMUNICATION IN THE CONDITIONS OF DIGITALIZATION

The purpose of the article is to investigate the process of qualitative transformation of museum communication at the present stage, which takes place under the influence of digitalization factors. The methodology of the research consists of the application of analytical, system-functional, and culturological methods to identify features of technical and technological influence on changing the ways of museum representation in modern conditions and practical implementation of new forms of museum work mediated by new technological communications. The scientific novelty of the article is expanding and summarizing information on the updating of museums of communication strategies developed in connection with the gradual introduction of digital technologies in museums, and means as well as channels of communication designed to diversify forms of museum activities. Conclusions. As a result of the study, it was found that information and computer technologies occupy an important role within the formation of modern museum space, which can give new representativeness to the museum object and build multifaceted communication with visitors. Museum communication is increasingly mediated by digital technologies and means of communication, which directly affect both the way the museum is represented and the aspects of communicating with visitors, the positioning of museums in terms of the information space. In modern conditions, the visual communication of the museum communication occupies a significant place, which determines both the representation of the museum collection in digital format and the special communication channel that forms the field of museum semantics in the virtual information space. There is no doubt about the role of digital technologies in the process of musealization, which helps to choose the best ways to adapt the necessary objects for museum presentation. Keywords: museum communication, museums, exposition, information space, visual communication, virtual museum space, musealization.

Виртуальные выставки как актуальная форма музейной коммуникации

Развитие музейной коммуникации в условиях внедрения цифровых технологий является необходимым условием музейной деятельности. В формате онлайн стало возможным посетить выставки музеев мира. Вместе с тем в региональных музеях Алтайского края виртуальная выставка как форма музейной коммуникации представлена не в полной мере. На наш взгляд, это обусловлено отсутствием кадров, владеющих цифровыми компетенциями в сфере музейной деятельности. Поскольку данный вопрос остается не изученным, авторами в целях выявления отношения будущих специалистов в музейной сфере к процессам совершенствования форм музейной коммуникации проведено исследование среди обучающихся Алтайского государственного института культуры. В результате выявлено, что будущие музейные специалисты считают виртуальные выставки актуальной формой музейной коммуникации, однако, по их мнению, впечатления несопоставимы с реальным посещением выставки. Сделан вывод о том, что от подготовки новых музейных кадров будет зависеть развитие стратегии любого музея. Результаты исследования могут быть использованы для актуализации образовательных программ профессионального образования, учебных планов по направлению подготовки «Музеология и охрана культурного и природного наследия».

The Museum of European Normality: colonial violence, community museums, and practices of display

ABSTRACT The Museum of European Normality (2008) is an immersive piece of installation art by artists Maria Thereza Alves and Jimmie Durham. The work is composed of maps showing migration patterns across Europe, images from books, magazines, videos, and other forms of documentation. Though presented as a serious study with facts and data, the installation is in fact a caricature of today's museums. In this manner, the work offers visitors a dislocated narrative of a museum experience by inverting the roles of object of display and spectator and by rendering visible uneven power relations implicit in the very act of display, an act that mostly employs the grammar of the coloniser. The immersive installation opens up the question of social justice within methods of display, teaching us that colonial violence may be contained in the very way of exhibiting. Against the backdrop of the framework introduced by this work, this paper provides an analysis of community museums in Latin America. I argue that these spaces have, over the past 50 years, articulated a variety of decolonial methods of display, which respond to the local communities' right to self-determination instead of to inherited colonial vocabularies.

Mapping the research on museums and the public sphere: a scoping review

PurposeIn museum research, museums are held as vital in maintaining the public sphere. This scoping review takes stock of the present status of museum–public sphere research by providing an overview of the existing literature as a point of departure for future research. In short, it maps the research aims, theoretical concepts, research methods and findings within the field and identifies research gaps.Design/methodology/approachA scoping review methodology is used to provide a knowledge synthesis of the museum–public sphere literature. This approach is instrumental for researching multi-disciplinary, fragmented or underdeveloped research fields. Reviews can help identify otherwise easily overlooked gaps in the research literature and are an essential tool.FindingsOverwhelmingly, the published literature consists of case studies, some of which are theoretically ambitious. Still, cases are selected without explicit goals regarding analytical or theoretical generalization, and the studies are not placed within a theory-building framework. Moreover, the museum–public sphere research primarily focuses on museums in the core Anglosphere countries and is conducted by researchers affiliated with institutions in those countries. The museum–community relationship is a common research theme addressing engagement with the public through either visitor participation or community participation.Originality/valueThis is the first published scoping review or systematically conducted review and knowledge synthesis of the museum–public sphere research literature to our knowledge. The article finds and discusses a range of research gaps that need to be addressed theoretically and empirically.

The Swedish textile conservators’ transformation: From the museum curator’s assistant to a profession in its own right

Abstract Over recent years, in Sweden, the vocation of textile conservator has been transformed from that of being regarded simply as a museum curator's assistant to becoming a profession in its own right. The members of the textile conservators association, the Swedish Association for Textile Conservation founded in 1967, played a crucial role in this transformation with the establishment of a university-based vocational education programme in 1985. The transformation is further scrutinized by considering aspects of gender where, for example, gender bias employment strategies favoured men as painting conservators, as well as social class where demarcation of women as curators was evident. This is discussed and compared with the contemporary shift of gender distribution among the employees in the museum sector that historically was largely male dominated. Social class and the effects of a university education on occupational status are considered, and the effects that education had on elderly, experienced colleagues are another important intersectional aspect. Today’s textile conservators have reached a professional status in several aspects with university education being probably the most important contributing factor. The image of the vocation has improved from that of a seamstress who performed repairs on textiles at the direction of her superior, to an academic who, on the basis of their scientific knowledge, independently performs the many tasks included in preservation, as well as conducting research to doctorate level. Despite this, it would seem that the museum community has not yet managed to take full advantage of textile conservators’ competence as researchers.

The Sedimentary Geochemistry and Paleoenvironments Project.

The Sedimentary Geochemistry and Paleoenvironments Project.

Distant but United: A Cooperation Charter between Ecomuseums of Italy and Brazil

In 2020, Brazil and Italy were among the countries most adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The situation highlighted latent structural crises at social and economic levels and prompted widespread concern for the future. Operating in this context, ecomuseums and community museums continued their mission of caring for and interpreting living cultural heritage, empowering communities to sustainably manage heritage and thus contributing to integral local development and the strengthening of a shared social consciousness and identity. Measures aiming at the containment of the pandemic led ecomuseums to explore new methods of public engagement, inspiration and support in a bid to meet local community needs. The Brazilian Association of Ecomuseums and Community Museums (ABREMC) and the Italian Ecomuseums Network (EMI) discussed and approved the cooperation charter ‘Distant but United. The Ecomuseums and Community Museums of Italy and Brazil’ over the course of several meetings, reflecting on the responsibilities of museums in a period of crisis. The charter identifies the 10-year commitments of the signatories for the implementation of an articulated cooperation programme, as well as defining an annual calendar of promoted actions. It lays out agreed themes and strategic lines (Exchanging, Welcoming, Publishing, Training, Inviting, Organising, Communicating, and Monitoring), as well as implementation times and actions to be carried out with the involvement of actors from both sides. The charter stresses the role of ecomuseums and community museums in the promotion of both museum practices and a transition towards the creation of resilient communities, supporting them towards the goal of renewing themselves and facing contemporary crises in effective and sustainable ways. This article presents the main themes and objectives of the charter and proposes a theoretical model for understanding how bolstering communities and their ‘social imaginaries’ is crucial to fostering the integral development of communities and social innovation. It first discusses the changes necessary to overcome contemporary crises by drawing on some important theoretical models; before turning to examine how ecomuseums of Italy and Brazil responded to limitations imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. It next presents a few ecomuseum practices developed during the pandemic, illustrates the methodology and contents of the charter and, finally, presents the main results, limitations and development prospects of the cooperation experience.

The Covid-19 Pandemic and the Inescapable Challenge of the Anthropocene for Museums

Several indicators suggest that the Covid-19 pandemic has raised public awareness around climate and environmental emergencies, and expanded global consciousness around the interdependencies of natural systems and their individual components. These trends add up to a growing awareness of both environmental damage and social injustices, brought to wide global attention by the 2019 Climate Strikes and the ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests of 2020. How can museums take advantage of this new social and activist climate, as we resurface form the severe limitations imposed by pandemic-related health and safety measures? The concept of the Anthropocene stands out as the most powerful, all-inclusive topic that museums can leverage to reshape their relationship with a new form of citizenship during and following the Covid-19 crisis. In this article, and drawing on my work and experiences at the MUSE – Science Museum in Italy, I will offer some discussion around the urgent need, for the entire museum community, to review museum polices and activities in light of the Anthropocene paradigm, a process that museums must undertake thorough a complex process of internal strategic change. One key issue with pervasive consequences over several museum activities is the need to shift our storytelling from the humanity-against-nature narrative (a 20th-century environmentalist view) to a humanities-against-(other)-humanities narrative, which more properly describes the current Anthropocene-era conflict between different values and ethical principles with regard to the ontological status of our planet. Moreover and above all, museums need to become increasingly aware of their political role in society, and be prepared to assert it more than is customary in our practices. If the commitment to the United Nations 2030 Agenda honours the institutional task of museums, the proposal for critical debate on Anthropocene issues stands out as the main challenge for museums who wish to fulfil their social and political roles in a post-Covid-19 world.

Museums and the Pandemic, One Year On

Written as notes from the field, this article explores the overlaps between researcher development and the idea of academic resilience within the museum and heritage studies community. During a climate of uncertainty and rapid change, it argues that alongside the academic literature, positive psychology methods transfer well into the researcher development space. Methods involved informal email conversations with museum and heritage practitioners united by how COVID-19 and border lockdown presented new opportunities to connect, share ideas, and rethink. Presented as short narratives, these findings show how researchers and practitioners in northern Europe, the United Kingdom and Canada share similar concerns to those in the southern hemisphere about climate change, equity, well-being, resilience, and sustainability. These narratives highlight the importance of encouraging critical engagement, finding ways to traverse time zones that build international networks and provide leadership opportunities for researchers at any level.