Museum Professionals Research Articles

Resources for Museum Writing

ABSTRACT This annotated bibliography presents resources on writing for museums sorted into six categories, including writing for clarity, writing for the senses, writing for story, writing with respect to polyvocality, writing (specifically) for museums, and writing for the journey The goal is to encourage museum professionals to gather more confidence and skills in their writing.

Exploring the Potential of Artificial Intelligence and Computing Technologies in Art Museums

The research intends to explore how Artificial Intelligence (AI) and computing technology can be used to create a more immersive and enjoyable experience within the context of a museum visit. Specifically, the study aims to identify ways in which AI and computing technologies can be leveraged to enrich the visitor’s experience, including by providing interactive content, automated personalization, and real-time access to relevant information. Additionally, the research will assess the potential for AI and computing technology to support improved data analytics and utilization of resources within museums, such as enhanced curation, digital preservation, and increased engagement with audiences. The study employed a qualitative methodology, utilizing interviews with museum professionals and surveys of museum visitors to collect data on visitor experiences. An analysis of the data was conducted to identify current and potential uses of AI and computing technology in art museums. The findings reveal that AI and computing technology are currently being used to facilitate access to collections, tour guidance, and educational activities while emerging technologies show promise for providing even more immersive and personalized visitor experiences. The results of this study suggest that AI and computing technology can play an important role in enhancing the visitor’s museum experience. The research provides recommendations for art museums to leverage AI and computing technology to optimize visitor engagement and foster more meaningful connections with works of art.

Новое определение понятия «музей»: опыт обсуждения в рабочей группе ИКОМ России

The article examines the process of work of the professional museum community on the definition of the concept of «museum». The background of the appearance of the new definition is shown, the international context of the preparation and implementation of the stages of its development is considered. The methodology that determined the sequence of actions of the members of the ICOM of Russia working group to develop a definition of the concept of «museum» is presented in detail. The transparency of the procedure is confirmed by the materials of a survey conducted in a professional museum environment. The questionnaire included 5 questions reflecting the main functions, goals and objectives of the museum. The analysis of the responses demonstrated a high level of consolidation of the museum community, which identified the basic characteristics of the museum, allowing to preserve the boundaries of the museum as the most important social institution. Based on the responses transmitted from the National Committees, the variants of the definition of the museum concept proposed for voting at the XXVI ICOM General Conference in Prague (August 20–28, 2022) have been compiled. The current definition of the museum has been selected from them.

Penser et nommer l’inclusion : un horizon pour questionner les pratiques professionnelles dans le champ muséal

As a national observatory and think tank on museums and heritage, the Office for Museum Cooperation and Information (OCIM) has for forty years conducted national, territorial and thematic surveys on the development of museums, heritage, and scientific, technical and industrial culture (PCSTI). It is dedicated to understanding how institutional and professional practices evolve and what are the new and emerging trends in the field, and to supporting museum professionals and institutions in developing their projects and missions. This article presents the first results of the surveys “Approches sociales et inclusives des musées et des lieux de culture scientifique” (Social and inclusive approaches to museums and scientific cultural spaces) (2020, n =74) and “Chiffres clés des acteurs du PCSTI” (Key statistics in the field of PCSTI) (2021, data 2020 – n = 196), both intended to show how public engagement is an integral part of professional practices in mediation in the field of PCSTI in France. The two surveys reveal different ways in which inclusion and participation are embodied in the museum context, with their strengths and limitations. The article reflects on the place of ideas such as inclusion in the design of public engagement programs and strategies and how in recent years the vocabulary has evolved from using expressions like “facing the publics” or “for the publics” to the more inclusive “with the publics.” Who do we include under the umbrella expression “with the publics”? What methods can be used –whether new or not– to encourage public participation and inclusion in museums? How do these methods impact on professional mediation practices, exhibition design, management, and more generally museum thinking? Participatory museum, inclusive museum, citizen museum, museum as forum: what are the possible developments? This article provides insight on the relationship between the museum and the public, their roles and levels of engagement; whether the hope of “being inclusive” or “more inclusive” not as a turnkey project but very much as the spark that ignites a gradual shift with lasting impacts.

Encoding object-oriented democracy in Swedish museums: implementing method of the thing in exhibition-making

ABSTRACT As museums face conflicting demands on maintaining and caring for their collections, opening for visitor engagement, and being more inclusive in their practice, new approaches are needed to museum work. This article introduces a democratic and inclusive approach focusing on the relational properties of the artefact – the Method of the Thing (Tigenes Metode). We use interviews with different museum professionals in Sweden. The method allows knowledge to emerge from the convergence of different actors within and outside the museum who negotiate their expertise, (professional) roles and technical infrastructure of the museum by foregrounding the object rather than the curators’ story. We use the encoding/decoding model to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the method where centring the object allows for a process of democratisation and polyvocality to take shape, thus allowing divergent narratives to emerge.

‘Contact zones’ of heritage diplomacy: transformations of museums in the (post)pandemic reality

ABSTRACT Tracing transformations in the museum agency under the pressure of the pandemic crisis in 2020, the article conceptualizes museums as dynamic ‘contact zones’ of heritage diplomacy. It explores two foundational components of a contact zone, such as building a social space for a cross-cultural encounter, negotiation and debate as well as offering a platform to address transnational concerns on the heritage decolonization agenda. Drawing on desk research, document analysis and semi-structured interviews with museum professionals, it analyses the case studies of the livestreaming bilateral museum diplomacy and metaverse live heritage pandemic diplomacy, followed by a discussion on the processes of museums decolonization that started to unfold in response to the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement. The research argues that the impact of the digitalization pressures did not only affect the ways, forms, and structures of cross-cultural communications in museums, but also moved them a bit forward in their decolonization processes.

Exploring the Process of Educational Visits to the Primary schools as an Educational and Cultural Experience. A study based on Empirically Grounded Theory, in parallel with the Perspective of Cultural Communication

The educational visit, regardless of its multiple valuable functions and concepts, is a process of institutionalized education that takes place in places of cultural reference, according to the instructions given in the respective school curricula. It starts at school and ends at school, with an intermediate phase at the Museum. It is, therefore, typically an educational and cultural experience. However, it includes a series of activities that take place in different spaces of identity and philosophy, actions of people from two different scientific and professional fields, interactions of people who approach the process with different means and of course have different goals, needs and motivations. To the pluralism of this peculiar framework of the educational visit are added the qualitative parameters of the condition related to the person who participates and gives a special imprint to the process with his uniqueness, depending on his role. The comparative analysis of three studies on primary school students, teachers and museum professionals sought to provide an explanation from three different groups of subjects actively participating in an educational visit on the identity of the heritage-focused museum experience. The aim was to highlight the points of identification and differentiation in order to improve the effectiveness of the institution with an emphasis on the goals of cultural communication. In other words, how the educational visits as an institutionalized pillar of cultural heritage communication contribute to the formation of awareness attitudes, and the conscious participation of those involved in the whole process.

The Sauceboat, From Specimen to Relic

This project is a response to the curatorial crisis that focuses on expanding the museum collection’s scale yet neglects the archaeological collection’s life after it has arrived at the museum. Building upon the thesis and method of “object biography,” it focuses on a silver sauceboat in the collection of the Phillips Museum of Art at Franklin and Marshall College. The paper’s trajectory follows two main avenues of investigation that study items and their related historical and cultural crises. This article first conducts provenance research on the sauceboat and further explores the potential of object biography as a narrative in curating “bulk” collections at museums. This article argues that a close examination of an artifact’s lifetime story/provenance aids art historians and museum professionals in using material objects to present the “past.” It concludes with a proposal to display the sauceboat within a contextual museum setting and an exploration of the value of practicing object biographies to contextualize the use of images/visuals/material objects to reinterpret cultural artifacts.

Grounded in Place: Dialogues between First Nations Artists from Australia, Taiwan, and Aotearoa

This paper introduces “Grounded in Place: Dialogues between First Nations Artists from Australia, Taiwan and, Aotearoa,” a special issue of Pacific Arts. It provides background information about the October 2021 online symposium of the same name, which brought together nineteen First Nations artists, filmmakers, and curators, along with non-Indigenous scholars and museum professionals, from Australia, Taiwan, Aotearoa New Zealand, and the Philippines. The symposium explored the relationships that First Nations creative practitioners in the Indo-Pacific region have to the land and sea. Each symposium speaker discussed their creative practice in relation to their panel’s theme: history and sovereignty, land and community, site and materials, or place and space. The journal issue comprises written and visual essays, an interview, poetry, and reflective pieces from symposium participants. The contributions are based on the participants’ presentations and have been expanded. While acknowledging the different political, social, and environmental contexts of each contributor, as well as their highly distinctive perspectives and creative approaches, some common themes have emerged in this volume, which the guest editors outline in this introduction. These centre on First Nations Peoples’ complex relationships with land and water as sites of appropriation and struggles for sovereignty, as sources of learning and creative production, and as places of ancestral being and continuous belonging, community, and culture. The introduction provides a brief overview of each contributor’s essay, as well as background on the collaboration between the institutions that convened the symposium: Queensland University of Technology, Taiwan’s National Museum of Prehistory, and Aotearoa’s Govett-Brewster Art Gallery | Len Lye Centre. It also fleshes out some of the similarities between the countries’ histories, particularly the ongoing effects of colonisation upon their respective First Nations Peoples.

Useful Objects: Museums, Science, & Literature in Nineteenth-Century America

Useful Objects: Museums, Science, & Literature in Nineteenth-Century America

Tomorrow’s History in the Museum. Collecting Testimonies of Current Events for the House of European History

Abstract Contemporary collecting relies on the expertise of museum professionals. They identify, acquire, and safeguard current objects and testimonies that can illustrate and challenge history writing in the future. This paper presents the contemporary collecting endeavours of the House of European History—a museum that opened its doors in Brussels in 2017, as an academically independent project of the European Parliament. It contributes to the current discussion on best practices in collecting materials relevant to present-day society and documenting history in the making. In particular, it stresses the importance for a history museum to document significant aspects of the present and focuses on two recent collecting actions of the House, which were undertaken to document the COVID-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine.

Islam Sebagai Agama Anti-muzium: Suatu Analisa

The establishment of the International Association of Museums (ICOM) shows a global commitment to promoting and preserving cultural heritage, especially in the modern age. ICOM provides a unique professional network of museums and museum professionals from countries around the world as members. The museum serves as an exhibition place of national treasures and an educational institution. However, there are responses from the Salafi Jihadists, an orthodox Islamic group, who oppose the establishment of museum institutions. Some Muslims believe this narrative represents the true teachings of Islam. Anti-museum means strongly opposing the museum as an institution with its three (3) functions; preserving, studying and exhibiting tangible and intangible historical heritage. Thus, the objective of this study is to apply the wasatiyyah approach by analysing the arguments of the anti-museum based on the philosophy of iconoclasm and Salafi jihad ideologies. It also aims to reject the arguments of an anti-museum approach using the qualitative method and case study design. This study employs a qualitative approach through library research to collect primary and secondary data related to the museum institutions. The analysis of this study uses the content analysis method. This study found that Islam does not reject museums as an institution and does not practice anti-museum sentiments.

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OF PUBLIC CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS – THE EXAMPLE OF MUSEOLOGY. OBSERVATIONS, REFLECTIONS AND PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS – SUMMARY OF THE FOCUS GROUP STAGE

The term ‘social responsibility of museums’ implies various associations, most frequently referring to the sphere of management and the activities of commercial entities in accordance with the ISO 26000 standard. In this article, we report on some of the tasks performed in connection with a project based on a sociological perspective and addressing the social responsibility of public cultural institutions such as museums. As this concept is relatively new, we decided to check how it is understood in the social world of Polish museum professionals. The research was therefore carried out using elements of the grounded theory methodology, i.e., the concepts (categories) were not defined at the outset, but defined and characterised in the course of the research according to the understanding of the respondents. Using a triangulation of methods, an analysis of found data, individual interviews in Polish museums (IDI) and focus group interviews (FGI) in Polish and international groups were conducted. A particularly interesting strand of the Project was museum education and its growing importance. This article focuses on the conducted focus group interviews (FGI). A specific commentary on the findings is provided by the reflections given during a guest lecture by Dr Bernadette Lynch organised as part of the Project.

Ethics in Museum Fundraising: Evidence from the Czech Republic

Museums constantly face challenges from the ever-changing political, economic, technological, and social environment. One such challenge is to thrive despite the difficult economic climate and decreased public funding. This difficulty pressures museums to develop stronger engagement with the corporate sector. Consequently, such tendencies have sparked discussion as to the ethics of the corporations’ involvement and with whom museums should cooperate. Ethics has become a focal point of museum funding. This paper investigates, based on the data from questionnaires and interviews with museum professionals, this emerging topic and explores the role of ethics among museums using the Czech museum sector sample.

Communities of Practice within the hybrid cultural institution

Hybrid cultural institutions have emerged in the last decades. LAM (libraries, archives and museums) convergences are a particularly complex hybrid, as they combine different jurisdictions, professions and ideas on how to collect, preserve and communicate cultural heritage. This article explores the LAM convergence of BMA-Maltfabrikken in a former malting house in the Danish town of Ebeltoft. The article presents the findings of a research project into the impact that the process of LAM convergence had on the employees’ disciplinary development. The authors point to three key factors that may engender a sustainable LAM convergence process: LAM convergence as a process of professional development for museum professionals; LAM convergence as sustained by a series of Communities of Practice; and increased awareness of professional identity as a matter of flexible leadership and a loosely coupled organization.

“I FELT LIKE ALL THESE OBJECTS WERE IN MY OWN HOUSE…”: LEARNING THROUGH SENSES IN THE MUSEUM

The benefits of multisensory learning are recognized both in the field of formal education, informal and non-formal learning environments and activities. In the case of museums and museum pedagogy learning through the senses is a key element. Furthermore, the idea of a multisensory museum is steadily gaining ground within museums and among museum professionals with the ultimate aim to enrich all visitors’ museum experiences. The present paper focuses on touch in the museum. It aims to investigate primary school students’ perceptions of touch in museums as well as their experience with regard to the use of permanent display cases with touchable authentic objects during an educational program in an archaeological museum in Greece. The data were obtained via: a. evaluation questionnaires filled in by the primary school students after the visit to the museum, b. semi-structured interviews by the teachers, and c. participant observation and field notes. The results revealed how the students understand and perceive the prohibition of touch in the museum in relation to aspects of cultural heritage and exhibits’ protection. Furthermore, issues related to the appropriate approach of permanently accessible exhibition display cases and facilitations in the museum space were observed. Students’ views about their own experience confirmed the significance of touch and multisensory activities as well as the value of the combination of sensory activities, object-based learning, play and other creative and experiential methods and activities that can lead to meaningful and memorable museum experiences.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0574/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Lifelong Anti-Oppression Learning for Museum Professionals

ABSTRACT Formal museology education makes up a very small, if any, proportion of a museum professional's working life. It is not possible for that limited an experience to fully equip someone for a life of anti-oppression work. More than formal pedagogy, museums need lifelong anti-oppression learners in the field. This article presents two frameworks from the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience (ICSC) to help readers become better lifelong learners. It matches these theoretical frameworks with interviews from ICSC members around the world about their experience as lifelong learners.

Social Class in UK Museums: Mark Taylor Interviews Michelle McGrath

ABSTRACT What is the experience of working-class museum professionals in the UK, and what is the Museum as Muck network doing about it? This is a conversation between Michelle McGrath, founder of Museum as Muck, and Mark Taylor, who researches inequalities across cultural and creative industries in the UK. The interview introduces Museum as Muck, which is a network for working-class museum workers, explaining their activism and work. It also discusses broader themes that explain the relative lack of working-class museum workers, including working for free, nepotism, and how entry-level roles are advertised, and moves on to discuss the mechanisms through which class inequality persists even once working-class people have entered the sector. It concludes with a discussion of how current museum professionals and museum educators can influence practice to make museums a more welcoming and supportive environment for working-class people, both in the UK and internationally.

The Ethics of Care: The Importance of Having an Education Collections Manager in the Era of Museum Decolonization

ABSTRACT Caring for many objects is one of the more challenging aspects of the museum profession. In museums that collect cultural belongings, utilizing best care practices ensures that objects of cultural heritage can be studied and appreciated by the peoples whose cultures they represent. Thus, providing collections care is necessary to support learning and to further the efforts of decolonization. However, in many museum education departments, a specialized collections management role does not exist to care for teaching collections. This case study examines why it is essential for education departments to have a dedicated collections manager, particularly in the era of museum decolonization. The case study details how the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture in Seattle, Washington, applied decolonial efforts to collection management as our team preserves a cultural belonging from the Lummi Nation in our teaching collection.

“Missionary lizards” – Palaeontological exhibits and the creationist agenda

The use of fossils, and especially dinosaurs, in the exhibits of creationist museums, and their use in the programming efforts of these and similar outlets has become increasingly common. Museum professionals, including scientists, curators and educators should be aware of the appropriation and misuse of palaeontological specimens and data for use in the promotion of a narrow theological and political agenda, that of biblical inerrancy and young earth creationism. By its very nature, this effort attempts to undermine the scientific and educational underpinnings of modern society as part of a larger culture war. The growth of museum-style exhibitry and programming by the creationist community for partisan purposes risks damaging the credibility of natural history and science museums in the eyes of the general public, as the line between data-driven presentation and advocacy becomes blurred.