Class of 2001 Master's Project Abstracts
Jennifer Amiel
Snapshots and the Museum Experience: Memories in a 'Snap' This project assesses the role of family snapshot photography at science centers and the memories that snapshots from these visitors' interactive experience evoke in the days, weeks, and years following the visit. Although snapshots can only capture a visual instant, the memories stimulated by them often evoke recollections of sounds, smells, emotions, and actions from the event, in this case from museum visits. Visitor observations of 75 families at four San Francisco Bay Area science centers and a survey of 334 visitor studies professionals yielded information on how visitors use photography in the museum setting and what kind of memories are made. Conclusions from the study include: visitors prefer to take snapshots of their family members interacting with dynamic exhibits or unusual animals; placement of exhibits can either hinder or aid in visitor photography; photography often stimulates social interaction between visitors, a factor which may be important in stimulating learning at exhibits. The project culminates in an article to disseminate my research findings and recommendations to the field of informal science education. Andrea Booker
Considering Off-Site Storage For U.S. Art Museums In urban art museums throughout the United States, the trend of using off-site facilities for maintaining collections is growing in response to a number of factors: limited space in urban settings; a desire on the museum's behalf to privilege public and educational spaces; and a general boom in the museum field, resulting in growing staff, capital expansions, and prolific collecting practices. Because art museums are charged with the long-term care and preservation of collections, an examination of the issues surrounding off-site facilities is important to the continued stewardship of art objects. In this master's project, I examine the process by which fine art museums in the United States select off-site collections storage facilities. By focusing my research on trends within current accession practices, I outline how museums can more accurately plan for space needs as their art collections expand in both number and scale. Based on an analysis of published literature and interviews conducted with museum professionals and art service companies nation-wide, I offer a set of guidelines and resources for art museums seeking to expand storage to an off-site facility. The goal of this project is to provide information to museum professionals that will assist with the long-term care and preservation of art collections off-site. Elissa Calvillo
After-School Programs for Urban Teens: Fostering Identity and Self-Esteem in Contemporary Art Institutions This project examines after-school programs for urban teenagers in contemporary art institutions in the metropolitan United States. Teenagers are in need of extracurricular activities that promote self-esteem and prepare them for adulthood. Contemporary art institutions are uniquely equipped to fulfill this need with thought provoking and interactive programs. The Background discusses a brief history of contemporary art institutions, their educational tactics, characteristics of urban teens, and the state of contemporary art education for urban teens. Results from surveys sent to eighty educators, three case studies (at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles), and a focus group with program participants at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts are reported in the Findings. Conclusions and Recommendations analyze best practices to encourage educators to create and improve after-school programs for urban teens. The Product is a session proposal for the 2002 California Association of Museums conference. The panel will provide educators with an opportunity to explore the creation, evaluation, and organization of after-school programs for urban teens. Jennifer Cooley
Mutual Rewards: Artist-in-Residence Programs in Art Museums How do art museums involve more living artists and adults in their programming? One way is through the development of artist-in-residence programs. These programs provide opportunities for art museums to involve artists as facilitators and adult as participants. This master's project studies artist-in-residence programs and how they can be effective interactive educational tools for adults, ages 25 to 70, in art museums. However, only certain artist-in-residence programs were studied'those with interactive components, such as hands-on activities. An interactive artist-in-residence program features activities that encourage hands-on participation, involves both the artist and the participant, stimulates active learning, and provides an opportunity for the application of newly acquired information. To better understand interactive artist-in-residence programs for adults a survey was mailed to 150 art museums and eleven interviews were conducted with museum staff members that manage artist-in-residence programs. It was discovered that these artist-in-residence programs are mutually beneficial'for the adult participants and for the museums. Conclusions are drawn about these programs and recommendations are made for art museums wishing to develop programs of their own. The research culminates in an article, written for Art Education, that addresses interactive artist-in-residence programs for adults and their benefits to both art museums and adult participants. Jennifer Dursi
Bridging the Gap: Fostering Non-Biased Parent-Daughter Science Exploration at Children's Museums This master's project investigates the role that science exhibits can play in stimulating non-gender-biased parent-child interaction in children's museums. The purpose of this investigation is to identify and assess the potential that children's museums have in bridging the gap in science achievement among boys and girls. The gender gap in science persists close to 30 years after the passage of Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, which outlawed sex discrimination in federally funded education programs. Becoming most pronounced in high school, the gender gap begins with influences on children at a young age and is measured in achievement levels, participation in programs, and attitudinal levels. Parents may be the single strongest influence on their children's potential. In order to determine the role that science exhibits in children's museums can play in stimulating non-biased parent-daughter interaction, I conducted a literature review about the gender gap and its origin, gender development, parent-child interaction, and children's museum exhibits. In addition, surveys were conducted with both children's museum professionals and parents who visit children's museums. Finally, interviews with five professionals specializing in gender-equity or children's museums provided additional insight on the topic. This research resulted in recommendations for the children's museum field, a session proposal for the 2002 Association of Children's Museums Conference, and a brochure for parents visiting children's museums. Heather Farquhar
Architectural Records: A Key Ingredient to Preserving the Bay Area's Architectural History through Adaptive Use Projects Historic buildings are artifacts that embody many features representative of what our culture deems important. Much of what we know about past cultures has come from written documents or their dwellings. Historic architecture can give us clues as to how people lived, what they did, and what was architecturally and aesthetically pleasing. As we enter the twenty-first century, however, much of our historic and modern architecture is being threatened with demolition to accommodate new structures, or is being irreversibly altered, thus erasing a record of time past. This project looks at how the historic preservation movement and the effects of sprawl are emphasizing the need to adapt historic buildings to new uses and the role architectural records play in it. It identifies why few architectural records exist on older buildings today, how the records are important to adaptive use projects, and what steps architects and preservation organizations, such as architectural heritage societies, need to do to ensure that architectural records exist for future generations. Research consisted of interviews with Bay Area-based architects and preservation organization staff, case studies of three architectural heritage organizations and an investigation into one high-profile adaptive use project. Recommendations for ways to facilitate communication between the fields of architecture and preservation and to provide better collection, care and storage of architectural records are then presented that involve architects, preservationists, city governments, national organizations and the armed forces. Isabel Halm
Remedies for Postmodern Ruins: Social Responsibility in U.S. Collaborations with Cuban Museums To date thousands of U.S. citizens have traveled to Cuba for the sake of discovering Cuban culture, including museum professionals who are interested in initiating collaborations with Cuban museums. The purpose of these projects is to save and build up the rapidly deteriorating collections of Cuba's museums and public monuments. Given the dearth of published information on such collaborations, this master's project comes at an opportune time for U.S. and Cuban museum professionals currently involved in, or contemplating embarking upon, them. It examines the effects, challenges, and opportunities associated with these initiatives. The purpose of this project is to educate the U.S. museum community so they can create socially responsible, feasible, and sustainable projects which maximally assist their Cuban museum professional collaborators and their institutions. Collaborations addressed in this project focus on U.S. initiatives targeting collections care and expansion with museums and public monuments in La Habana, or Havana, Cuba. U.S. sponsorship in this project is defined as the donation of 50 percent or more of material resources or funding, given to an initiative by a U.S. organization or individual. Adrienne McGraw
Acting Locally: Community Museums and Grassroots Environmental Organizations in Partnership The purpose of this project is to encourage small community museums and grassroots environmental organizations in California to work together to develop exhibits that address environmental issues relevant to their regions. Museum exhibits can be used to present information to a wide and diverse audience, thus expanding the reach of environmental organizations and aiding museums in fulfilling their role to present and interpret the stories of their communities. Darkened Waters: Profile of an Oil Spill from the Pratt Museum in Homer, Alaska provides a model exhibition, while a traveling exhibition, Awakening from the California Dream: An Environmental History, illustrates how community museums can address local environmental issues and partner with grassroots environmental organizations. Results from interviews indicate that both museum professionals and environmental activists believe that museums have an important role to play in environmental education and that partnering can be beneficial, although challenges do exist. A survey of small community museums reveals that while few have partnered with environmental organizations, the majority would consider doing so. A website (www.wearenaturalpartners.org) was developed to encourage such partnerships. The history of the modern environmental movement in the U.S., environmental education, and the role of museums in this is also investigated. Anna-Karenina Montiel
Fostering Cultural Traditions and Scholastic Success: Native Youth Programs at Tribal Museums & Cultural Centers Since the 1920s, educational task forces have advised schools serving Native students to incorporate Native culture and language into the curriculum and establish partnerships with the tribal communities. With a commitment to education and cultural preservation, tribal museums and cultural centers are ideal partners, uniquely equipped to serve Native youth culturally and scholastically. This master's project examined Native youth programming at these institutions through a literature review, case studies conducted at three tribal museums and cultural centers in California and Arizona, and twelve interviews with staff at these institutions, a specialist in Native education, and with teachers, principals, and counselors at the local schools. My research gathered information about the issues affecting Native youth, existing youth programs, and methods to better meet their needs. In addition, the history of Native education in the United States, the historical relationship between Native peoples and American museums, and the development of American tribal museums and cultural centers were investigated. The project concludes with recommendations on facilitating better collaborations and services for Native youth, and disseminates them in the form of an article submitted to Native Peoples magazine, which inform readers about the efforts at each institution and ways for other museums to implement similar programs. Nathan N. Richie
Gender and Museum Visitorship: Examining an Understudied Component of Visitor Studies According to Gail Dexter Lord, though women comprise 50 percent of the general population, they represent 60-65 percent of museum visitors. Because Lord's finding is an isolated one, it raises the question, 'what visitor studies research exists about how gender affects art museum attendance, and what programming and exhibits draw men to art museums in greater proportions?' This project assessed what art museums know about how a person's gender can influences one's decision to visit or to stay away from an art museum. First, I examined past regional and national visitor studies that explored the gender variable. I also reviewed nine different national art museums' visitor studies and how they examined their museum's gender distribution. Secondly, I conducted a case study of the Oakland Museum of California Hot Rod and Custom Car exhibit, an exhibit that attracted a high volume of male visitors. Lastly, I conducted two experimental visitor studies that were aimed at assessing men's views about art, museums and leisure time. After synthesizing the data collected, I assessed what museums do and do not know about their audiences' gender distribution and how it affects visitorship. One important finding was that, in some cases, women outnumbered men nearly two to one as art museum visitors. I also found that exhibit content could also influence the museum audience's gender compositions. I devised five simple yet important recommendations that museums can follow to help them assess their own institution's gender balance and what they can do to attract audiences that are gender-balanced. Svea Lin Rodgers
The Social Seen: Expanding Accessibility to Documentary Photographs through Archival Techniques in U.S. Art Museums This master's project focuses on documentary photographs'photographic records that generally focus on social conditions'and investigates how series of these images have affected public opinion, dominated the history of social action, and have endured as testaments to the vision of photographers and social reformers in the twentieth century. Art museums have collected these images for more than eighty years. Through a literature review and interviews with museum professionals and archivists, this project examines the divergent cataloging methods of documentary photographs within museums, libraries and archives. Examining the effectiveness of traditional museum 'item-level' cataloging to bring these images to light, this project determines a need for a method of cataloging that sustains the series, vital for reconstructing context. Archiving, a cataloging method employed by most libraries and archives, manages documentary photographs by the series originally intended by the artist, and thereby maintains the integrity of the artwork, both historically and socially valuable to its audiences. One in-depth case study of the Helen Nestor Collection at the Oakland Museum of California explores some of the benefits and challenges involved in applying archival techniques to serial documentary photography collections in art museums. Recommendations are then presented to encourage art museums to modify current cataloging strategies to include fields for series titles in their databases and to store series of documentary photographs together to foster accessibility. Finally, as there has been very little discussion about the optimal methods of cataloging documentary photographs, this project culminates in a proposed session on expanding public and museum accessibility to documentary photographs for the 2002 Western Museums Association conference. Christina Amanda Smith
Handling Interpretation: Hand-held Computers as Interpretative Tools in United States Art Museums Art museums have long used interpretive tools such as wall labels, museum docents, audio tours, videos and computers to mediate information about art on display. However, the face of museum interpretation is changing. With the popularity of hand-held computers on the rise, more museum professionals are looking to these devices and how they might serve as interpretive tools in art museums. This master's project introduces to art museum professionals the newest generation of interpretive tools, the hand-held computer'a portable digital device that easily fits in one's hand. Despite the growing excitement around their potential, very little is known about how these devices could serve art museum visitors. To find more information about this topic I conducted research into pertinent published and on-line sources; three case studies of art museums across the country; a survey of 125 visitors using a hand-held computers in one art museum; interviews with thirteen art museum professionals and professionals working in the technology field; and finally, a national survey of 169 art museums educators. Through this research I was able to establish a history for the use of hand-held computers in art museums and point up a set of challenges for art museum professionals to consider when taking the step toward implementing the newest form of interpretative tool. Adriane Tafoya
Approach with Caution: Caring for Sacred Native American Objects in Museums Museum professionals have overseen and interpreted Native American collections from various tribal cultures for over 200 years. In addition to the objects on display in museums, there are the items maintained in museum storage, possibly due to lack of exhibition space. It is highly possible that in a given collection in storage there are sacred Native American objects. Sacred objects are necessary elements to revitalize and fortify traditional ways, which are passed down to successive generations. My master's project considers the issues raised by the continued presence of sacred Native American objects in museums and attempts to determine the methods by which museums should optimally communicate the sensitivity and care requirements of these objects to museum personnel. To do this I looked at collections management and object handling practices in mainstream art and natural history museums in the United States that contain Native American collections. I focused on a few medium and large museums because these institutions have a larger pool of museum personnel who work with the collection; a larger staff increases the need for communication and policy implementation. Furthermore, I assessed the special restrictions addressed in policies and guidelines that pertain to sacred Native American objects. My research findings also include the results of interviews with tribal museum and cultural center representatives, and other professionals in the field regarding museum collections management of sacred Native American objects. With this information, I have made an assessment of current collections care methods and make recommendations for a more sensitive and respectful approach toward caring for these objects in museums. Kasia Woroniecka
Legal Risks in International Art Loans World War II ended in Europe in 1945, yet today museums and private collectors are still coping with the legacy of Nazi looting. Because of a growing number of demands for restitution of cultural property, many art museums have affirmed their intent to provide access to provenance research and return art to rightful owners. In 1997 restitution claims by two families resulted in the seizure of two Egon Schiele paintings, Portrait of Wally and Dead City III, on loan to New York Museum of Modern Art from Austria. The case became a source of great concern to the international art world and added another risk to consider when borrowing works from foreign collections. The Egon Schiele case ignited a debate on the scope of protection afforded by the New York Arts and Cultural Affairs Law, which shields objects on loan from detention. In May 2000 New York's governor signed legislation giving prosecutors the authority to seize art involved in ownership disputes. The product that accompanies this project consists of general information for collection managers on a variety of legal issues that can arise in connection with international art loans with emphasis on Immunity from Judicial Seizure Law. At a time when many art museums are involved in litigation over looted artwork, the project should also be of interest to art museum directors, curators, educators and exhibit designers.
Snapshots and the Museum Experience: Memories in a 'Snap' This project assesses the role of family snapshot photography at science centers and the memories that snapshots from these visitors' interactive experience evoke in the days, weeks, and years following the visit. Although snapshots can only capture a visual instant, the memories stimulated by them often evoke recollections of sounds, smells, emotions, and actions from the event, in this case from museum visits. Visitor observations of 75 families at four San Francisco Bay Area science centers and a survey of 334 visitor studies professionals yielded information on how visitors use photography in the museum setting and what kind of memories are made. Conclusions from the study include: visitors prefer to take snapshots of their family members interacting with dynamic exhibits or unusual animals; placement of exhibits can either hinder or aid in visitor photography; photography often stimulates social interaction between visitors, a factor which may be important in stimulating learning at exhibits. The project culminates in an article to disseminate my research findings and recommendations to the field of informal science education. Andrea Booker
Considering Off-Site Storage For U.S. Art Museums In urban art museums throughout the United States, the trend of using off-site facilities for maintaining collections is growing in response to a number of factors: limited space in urban settings; a desire on the museum's behalf to privilege public and educational spaces; and a general boom in the museum field, resulting in growing staff, capital expansions, and prolific collecting practices. Because art museums are charged with the long-term care and preservation of collections, an examination of the issues surrounding off-site facilities is important to the continued stewardship of art objects. In this master's project, I examine the process by which fine art museums in the United States select off-site collections storage facilities. By focusing my research on trends within current accession practices, I outline how museums can more accurately plan for space needs as their art collections expand in both number and scale. Based on an analysis of published literature and interviews conducted with museum professionals and art service companies nation-wide, I offer a set of guidelines and resources for art museums seeking to expand storage to an off-site facility. The goal of this project is to provide information to museum professionals that will assist with the long-term care and preservation of art collections off-site. Elissa Calvillo
After-School Programs for Urban Teens: Fostering Identity and Self-Esteem in Contemporary Art Institutions This project examines after-school programs for urban teenagers in contemporary art institutions in the metropolitan United States. Teenagers are in need of extracurricular activities that promote self-esteem and prepare them for adulthood. Contemporary art institutions are uniquely equipped to fulfill this need with thought provoking and interactive programs. The Background discusses a brief history of contemporary art institutions, their educational tactics, characteristics of urban teens, and the state of contemporary art education for urban teens. Results from surveys sent to eighty educators, three case studies (at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles), and a focus group with program participants at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts are reported in the Findings. Conclusions and Recommendations analyze best practices to encourage educators to create and improve after-school programs for urban teens. The Product is a session proposal for the 2002 California Association of Museums conference. The panel will provide educators with an opportunity to explore the creation, evaluation, and organization of after-school programs for urban teens. Jennifer Cooley
Mutual Rewards: Artist-in-Residence Programs in Art Museums How do art museums involve more living artists and adults in their programming? One way is through the development of artist-in-residence programs. These programs provide opportunities for art museums to involve artists as facilitators and adult as participants. This master's project studies artist-in-residence programs and how they can be effective interactive educational tools for adults, ages 25 to 70, in art museums. However, only certain artist-in-residence programs were studied'those with interactive components, such as hands-on activities. An interactive artist-in-residence program features activities that encourage hands-on participation, involves both the artist and the participant, stimulates active learning, and provides an opportunity for the application of newly acquired information. To better understand interactive artist-in-residence programs for adults a survey was mailed to 150 art museums and eleven interviews were conducted with museum staff members that manage artist-in-residence programs. It was discovered that these artist-in-residence programs are mutually beneficial'for the adult participants and for the museums. Conclusions are drawn about these programs and recommendations are made for art museums wishing to develop programs of their own. The research culminates in an article, written for Art Education, that addresses interactive artist-in-residence programs for adults and their benefits to both art museums and adult participants. Jennifer Dursi
Bridging the Gap: Fostering Non-Biased Parent-Daughter Science Exploration at Children's Museums This master's project investigates the role that science exhibits can play in stimulating non-gender-biased parent-child interaction in children's museums. The purpose of this investigation is to identify and assess the potential that children's museums have in bridging the gap in science achievement among boys and girls. The gender gap in science persists close to 30 years after the passage of Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, which outlawed sex discrimination in federally funded education programs. Becoming most pronounced in high school, the gender gap begins with influences on children at a young age and is measured in achievement levels, participation in programs, and attitudinal levels. Parents may be the single strongest influence on their children's potential. In order to determine the role that science exhibits in children's museums can play in stimulating non-biased parent-daughter interaction, I conducted a literature review about the gender gap and its origin, gender development, parent-child interaction, and children's museum exhibits. In addition, surveys were conducted with both children's museum professionals and parents who visit children's museums. Finally, interviews with five professionals specializing in gender-equity or children's museums provided additional insight on the topic. This research resulted in recommendations for the children's museum field, a session proposal for the 2002 Association of Children's Museums Conference, and a brochure for parents visiting children's museums. Heather Farquhar
Architectural Records: A Key Ingredient to Preserving the Bay Area's Architectural History through Adaptive Use Projects Historic buildings are artifacts that embody many features representative of what our culture deems important. Much of what we know about past cultures has come from written documents or their dwellings. Historic architecture can give us clues as to how people lived, what they did, and what was architecturally and aesthetically pleasing. As we enter the twenty-first century, however, much of our historic and modern architecture is being threatened with demolition to accommodate new structures, or is being irreversibly altered, thus erasing a record of time past. This project looks at how the historic preservation movement and the effects of sprawl are emphasizing the need to adapt historic buildings to new uses and the role architectural records play in it. It identifies why few architectural records exist on older buildings today, how the records are important to adaptive use projects, and what steps architects and preservation organizations, such as architectural heritage societies, need to do to ensure that architectural records exist for future generations. Research consisted of interviews with Bay Area-based architects and preservation organization staff, case studies of three architectural heritage organizations and an investigation into one high-profile adaptive use project. Recommendations for ways to facilitate communication between the fields of architecture and preservation and to provide better collection, care and storage of architectural records are then presented that involve architects, preservationists, city governments, national organizations and the armed forces. Isabel Halm
Remedies for Postmodern Ruins: Social Responsibility in U.S. Collaborations with Cuban Museums To date thousands of U.S. citizens have traveled to Cuba for the sake of discovering Cuban culture, including museum professionals who are interested in initiating collaborations with Cuban museums. The purpose of these projects is to save and build up the rapidly deteriorating collections of Cuba's museums and public monuments. Given the dearth of published information on such collaborations, this master's project comes at an opportune time for U.S. and Cuban museum professionals currently involved in, or contemplating embarking upon, them. It examines the effects, challenges, and opportunities associated with these initiatives. The purpose of this project is to educate the U.S. museum community so they can create socially responsible, feasible, and sustainable projects which maximally assist their Cuban museum professional collaborators and their institutions. Collaborations addressed in this project focus on U.S. initiatives targeting collections care and expansion with museums and public monuments in La Habana, or Havana, Cuba. U.S. sponsorship in this project is defined as the donation of 50 percent or more of material resources or funding, given to an initiative by a U.S. organization or individual. Adrienne McGraw
Acting Locally: Community Museums and Grassroots Environmental Organizations in Partnership The purpose of this project is to encourage small community museums and grassroots environmental organizations in California to work together to develop exhibits that address environmental issues relevant to their regions. Museum exhibits can be used to present information to a wide and diverse audience, thus expanding the reach of environmental organizations and aiding museums in fulfilling their role to present and interpret the stories of their communities. Darkened Waters: Profile of an Oil Spill from the Pratt Museum in Homer, Alaska provides a model exhibition, while a traveling exhibition, Awakening from the California Dream: An Environmental History, illustrates how community museums can address local environmental issues and partner with grassroots environmental organizations. Results from interviews indicate that both museum professionals and environmental activists believe that museums have an important role to play in environmental education and that partnering can be beneficial, although challenges do exist. A survey of small community museums reveals that while few have partnered with environmental organizations, the majority would consider doing so. A website (www.wearenaturalpartners.org) was developed to encourage such partnerships. The history of the modern environmental movement in the U.S., environmental education, and the role of museums in this is also investigated. Anna-Karenina Montiel
Fostering Cultural Traditions and Scholastic Success: Native Youth Programs at Tribal Museums & Cultural Centers Since the 1920s, educational task forces have advised schools serving Native students to incorporate Native culture and language into the curriculum and establish partnerships with the tribal communities. With a commitment to education and cultural preservation, tribal museums and cultural centers are ideal partners, uniquely equipped to serve Native youth culturally and scholastically. This master's project examined Native youth programming at these institutions through a literature review, case studies conducted at three tribal museums and cultural centers in California and Arizona, and twelve interviews with staff at these institutions, a specialist in Native education, and with teachers, principals, and counselors at the local schools. My research gathered information about the issues affecting Native youth, existing youth programs, and methods to better meet their needs. In addition, the history of Native education in the United States, the historical relationship between Native peoples and American museums, and the development of American tribal museums and cultural centers were investigated. The project concludes with recommendations on facilitating better collaborations and services for Native youth, and disseminates them in the form of an article submitted to Native Peoples magazine, which inform readers about the efforts at each institution and ways for other museums to implement similar programs. Nathan N. Richie
Gender and Museum Visitorship: Examining an Understudied Component of Visitor Studies According to Gail Dexter Lord, though women comprise 50 percent of the general population, they represent 60-65 percent of museum visitors. Because Lord's finding is an isolated one, it raises the question, 'what visitor studies research exists about how gender affects art museum attendance, and what programming and exhibits draw men to art museums in greater proportions?' This project assessed what art museums know about how a person's gender can influences one's decision to visit or to stay away from an art museum. First, I examined past regional and national visitor studies that explored the gender variable. I also reviewed nine different national art museums' visitor studies and how they examined their museum's gender distribution. Secondly, I conducted a case study of the Oakland Museum of California Hot Rod and Custom Car exhibit, an exhibit that attracted a high volume of male visitors. Lastly, I conducted two experimental visitor studies that were aimed at assessing men's views about art, museums and leisure time. After synthesizing the data collected, I assessed what museums do and do not know about their audiences' gender distribution and how it affects visitorship. One important finding was that, in some cases, women outnumbered men nearly two to one as art museum visitors. I also found that exhibit content could also influence the museum audience's gender compositions. I devised five simple yet important recommendations that museums can follow to help them assess their own institution's gender balance and what they can do to attract audiences that are gender-balanced. Svea Lin Rodgers
The Social Seen: Expanding Accessibility to Documentary Photographs through Archival Techniques in U.S. Art Museums This master's project focuses on documentary photographs'photographic records that generally focus on social conditions'and investigates how series of these images have affected public opinion, dominated the history of social action, and have endured as testaments to the vision of photographers and social reformers in the twentieth century. Art museums have collected these images for more than eighty years. Through a literature review and interviews with museum professionals and archivists, this project examines the divergent cataloging methods of documentary photographs within museums, libraries and archives. Examining the effectiveness of traditional museum 'item-level' cataloging to bring these images to light, this project determines a need for a method of cataloging that sustains the series, vital for reconstructing context. Archiving, a cataloging method employed by most libraries and archives, manages documentary photographs by the series originally intended by the artist, and thereby maintains the integrity of the artwork, both historically and socially valuable to its audiences. One in-depth case study of the Helen Nestor Collection at the Oakland Museum of California explores some of the benefits and challenges involved in applying archival techniques to serial documentary photography collections in art museums. Recommendations are then presented to encourage art museums to modify current cataloging strategies to include fields for series titles in their databases and to store series of documentary photographs together to foster accessibility. Finally, as there has been very little discussion about the optimal methods of cataloging documentary photographs, this project culminates in a proposed session on expanding public and museum accessibility to documentary photographs for the 2002 Western Museums Association conference. Christina Amanda Smith
Handling Interpretation: Hand-held Computers as Interpretative Tools in United States Art Museums Art museums have long used interpretive tools such as wall labels, museum docents, audio tours, videos and computers to mediate information about art on display. However, the face of museum interpretation is changing. With the popularity of hand-held computers on the rise, more museum professionals are looking to these devices and how they might serve as interpretive tools in art museums. This master's project introduces to art museum professionals the newest generation of interpretive tools, the hand-held computer'a portable digital device that easily fits in one's hand. Despite the growing excitement around their potential, very little is known about how these devices could serve art museum visitors. To find more information about this topic I conducted research into pertinent published and on-line sources; three case studies of art museums across the country; a survey of 125 visitors using a hand-held computers in one art museum; interviews with thirteen art museum professionals and professionals working in the technology field; and finally, a national survey of 169 art museums educators. Through this research I was able to establish a history for the use of hand-held computers in art museums and point up a set of challenges for art museum professionals to consider when taking the step toward implementing the newest form of interpretative tool. Adriane Tafoya
Approach with Caution: Caring for Sacred Native American Objects in Museums Museum professionals have overseen and interpreted Native American collections from various tribal cultures for over 200 years. In addition to the objects on display in museums, there are the items maintained in museum storage, possibly due to lack of exhibition space. It is highly possible that in a given collection in storage there are sacred Native American objects. Sacred objects are necessary elements to revitalize and fortify traditional ways, which are passed down to successive generations. My master's project considers the issues raised by the continued presence of sacred Native American objects in museums and attempts to determine the methods by which museums should optimally communicate the sensitivity and care requirements of these objects to museum personnel. To do this I looked at collections management and object handling practices in mainstream art and natural history museums in the United States that contain Native American collections. I focused on a few medium and large museums because these institutions have a larger pool of museum personnel who work with the collection; a larger staff increases the need for communication and policy implementation. Furthermore, I assessed the special restrictions addressed in policies and guidelines that pertain to sacred Native American objects. My research findings also include the results of interviews with tribal museum and cultural center representatives, and other professionals in the field regarding museum collections management of sacred Native American objects. With this information, I have made an assessment of current collections care methods and make recommendations for a more sensitive and respectful approach toward caring for these objects in museums. Kasia Woroniecka
Legal Risks in International Art Loans World War II ended in Europe in 1945, yet today museums and private collectors are still coping with the legacy of Nazi looting. Because of a growing number of demands for restitution of cultural property, many art museums have affirmed their intent to provide access to provenance research and return art to rightful owners. In 1997 restitution claims by two families resulted in the seizure of two Egon Schiele paintings, Portrait of Wally and Dead City III, on loan to New York Museum of Modern Art from Austria. The case became a source of great concern to the international art world and added another risk to consider when borrowing works from foreign collections. The Egon Schiele case ignited a debate on the scope of protection afforded by the New York Arts and Cultural Affairs Law, which shields objects on loan from detention. In May 2000 New York's governor signed legislation giving prosecutors the authority to seize art involved in ownership disputes. The product that accompanies this project consists of general information for collection managers on a variety of legal issues that can arise in connection with international art loans with emphasis on Immunity from Judicial Seizure Law. At a time when many art museums are involved in litigation over looted artwork, the project should also be of interest to art museum directors, curators, educators and exhibit designers.