#8 . Accession & Deaccession

A museum normally has a collecting policy for new acquisitions, so only objects in certain categories and of a certain quality are accepted into the collection. 

The process by which an object is formally included in the collection is called accessioning and each object is given a unique accession number.  

Video link:

1900 wax Mange Mite accession :: 2:12

Published on Oct 2, 2015

Amanda Streeter Trum, Museum Curator of Collections, shows us this circa 1900 wax replica of a mange mite produced in Paris and later given to Dr. William Butler, Montana State Veterinary Surgeon, by a parasitologist practicing in France. Enjoy this model of a mange mite, Psoroptes communis, (Accession Number 2012.43.04) in the 32nd video of the Hidden History Highlighted series.

When a museum gets rid of an object, they must do so in the appropriate manner.  Each museum would have its own policy of deaccessioning objects. 

Deaccession is the removal of an object from a museum's permanent collection. Recognizing there is a need for a universal standard many museums are trying to synthesize previous museum practices so that we can towards a universal standard.


TEXTS:
As Museums Try To Make Ends Meet, 'Deaccession' Is The Art World's Dirty Word 

Data Base Example: Important Museum Accessions in 1950

Art & the Law :: Museums with Walls - Public Regulation of Deaccessioning and Disposal

Handbook for Museums :: David Dean & Gary Edson

Registration Methods for the Small Museums :: Daniel B. Reibel

Day in the Life of a Historical Textile Collections Curator

Collection the New: a historical introduction

#7 . Do museums still matter?

Take thorough notes on the Tedtalk video and submit in our semester repository

Do Museums Still Matter? 
Ted talk video link

Published on Feb 21, 2012

Increasingly, our world is filled with tablets, smart phones and lap tops. We move at a pace that would have been unimaginable only a few decades ago. Steven Conn's book "Do Museums Still Need Objects."  

video length 53:55

Steven Conn . Columbus Ohio -- author of "Do Museums Still Need Objects" and "What are Museums For"

Glenn D. Lowry - Museum of Modern Art, NYC

Caitlin Kelly - Freelance Journalist for The New York Times

Janet Carding - Director & CEO of The Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto

Jaye Robinson - Member of the Toronto City Council

with

video notes

What are museums?

• Humans have an impulse to collect
• We like the idea of the authentic artifact or art work
• Cabinets of Curiosity and Wunderkammers
• Living History museums have been around since the 19th century
• These are excellent example of participatory museums where visitors young and old can have a hands-on experience

Steven Conn

• Museums arose in during the Renaissance period as places of wonder.
• Started to be built during the Enlightenment period of the 17th and 18th centuries
• They were public places that were projects of nationalism
• During the 19th and 20th century the building of museums throughout North America thrived and became  The Golden Age of Museum Building
• 19th c. becomes a period for interest in strong educational practices and the museum was a way to explore nationalism, science, art, and other ideas to the public
• Late 20th century and 21st century, our new museums are striving to be different are not a place any longer of 'dead things'

Glenn D. Lowry

• Museums start with an idea around something, then shape that idea with objects, followed by shaping the collection with the space
• Many museums have an array of architectural jewels and thus become a 'museum' or at least an artifact in their own right

Janet Carding

• A museum is a place where community goes to learn about something and is then engaged in that intellectual experience

Jaye Robinson

• Threats from government funding cuts are worrisome to smaller museums that need that funding to survive
• What needs to be done is cross-marketing strategies with other tourist ideas in the region
• Work together as effective stewards of the area's regional attractions
• Make museums more viable by introducing them early in educational curriculum (4th or 5th grade)
• Social media involvement is important 
• Virtual tours introduce the museum to potential new visitors and thus drive visitors to the physical space

The Value of Museums

• Museums are "economic engines" for the area they are situated in
• Unfortunately, when looking at how funding is granted from the government, they look at the head count through the door and the $ institution brings in -- we need to re-think this 
• Museums are a social, dynamic place
• People want more involvement in the educational institutions
• People want a personalized experience and interactive museums are becoming more and more like this
• Cell phones have really changed the way in which we interact with museums and our personalized visit
• Museums are also a place to engage in conversations with others there and afterwards and engagement between objects and people

Museums are the crucible that forge relationships between strangers.  G.D. Lowry

The draw of the museum is a social experience to then have a personal experience within. S. Conn

• Some museums have lost their momentum and importance in the culture they are situated in, thus not effective

We have no mechanisms in place to end a particular museum or institution. 

G. D. Lowry

Virtual Tours

• Enhance the experience or take away from it?
• Virtual tours often amplify an idea about the collection, the museum, etc. 
• It's a double edged sword
• It offers the opportunity for all the collection to be accessible 
• The real and the virtual should be seamless for access to be experienced well 

ended at 38:10

#6 . A day in the life of museum managers

VIDEOs: 

Opening up the Museum: Nina Simon @ TED x Santa Cruz
14:00

The Participatory Museum by Nina Simon 09.28.2010
1:22:10


A Day in the Life of a Museum Collections Manager


Assignment: Select one of the above videos, take thorough notes and complete a two-page essay on the information obtained.

#3a. Off-the-Beaten Track R E P O R T S U R V E Y sheet

Complete 15 by the end of the term, one per week.  

Additional Museum / Gallery Venue reports for all actual site visits.

1. VENUE:

name

address

website

2. CONCEPT OF THE COLLECTION:

Does the museum/gallery host both temporary and permanent exhibitions?

Include 2 previous names of exhibitions and dates.

Include a JPG or illustration of one of your favorite artifacts / objects from the collection.

3. MISSION of the MUSEUM / Gallery / Collection:

Date of inaugural opening

4. MUSEUM STAFF - who and #:

Director (s)

Curator (s)

Registrar (s)

Preparators

Designers / Planners

Docents

Paid ? 

Unpaid? 

Salary amounts if available

Is the venue Federally funded?

Is the venue Privately funded?

5. FLOOR PLANS:

include jpgs of 1 to 3

and/or illustrate

6. DESIGN & EXHIBITION PLANNING:

Does the exterior of the architectural plan say something about the collection?

What does the interior design planning express?

What does the flow of the interior foot print of the museum express psychologically?

7. ARTIFACTS & OBJECTS:

Note one artifact / object of interest to you

Download a jpg or illustrate

8. FUNDING:

Is there an admission fee

Is there a museum shop to acquire funding?

9. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION pertinent to the Museum / gallery / collection

GO TO the following for virtual venues: 

> Americas strangest museums

> https://www.yahoo.com/style/51-weird-museums-across-the-u-s-one-for-every-110046510552.html

> http://www.elledecor.com/life-culture/travel/g2751/worlds-weirdest-museums/

> http://time.com/101851/weirdest-museums-in-the-world/

GRADING:

Students will compile a number of Museum Surveys in their journals that will be a collection of 15 (1 per week minimum) of North American museum and/or collection entries that are “off the beaten path” of what might be considered a typical museum or gallery.  Students will also complete the same assignment for any of our site visits.

Museum / gallery venue entries will account for 10% of student’s final grade and will be submitted within their semester project, Class museum Repository.