Class of 2007 Master's Project Abstracts
Lisa K. Chanoff
U.S. Jewish Museums: Building Bridges, Crossing Boundaries U.S. Jewish museums are expanding beyond their traditional boundaries, and striving to build bridges of understanding, with their exhibitions and programs. This project analyzes and describes the current stage in the evolution of Jewish Museums in the United States. Within the context of the current transformation in Jewish museums, this project examines how Jewish history, politics, and group identity have impacted the growth and evolution of U.S. Jewish museums. It also examines current issues in Jewish museums today through case studies of selected individual institutions, with a focus on their exhibitions and programs. Through this analysis I provide a framework for Jewish museums to consider how their exhibitions and programs can best meet their vision and the needs of their communities. Valerie Corvin
How to Best Maximize Teacher Usage of Online Art Museum Curriculum Materials Many art museum educators are creating curriculum Web sites to provide teachers with easier access to lesson plan materials for their classroom teaching. This master's project is a cross comparison of current practices in the art museum field for creating, testing and evaluating online curriculum materials (grades 6-12). The study highlights the findings from a case study conducted with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art curriculum website, ArtThink with 12 San Francisco Bay Area teachers, and reports on what 14 sampled art museums across the U.S. utilize in writing and testing their curriculum resource web pages with educators. The study recommends best practices for creating useful art museum online lesson plans that empower teachers to integrate visual arts education into their classroom teaching. Jennifer Crane New Media Art Matters: Artist Perspectives on Preservation in Museums With technology increasing in usage and intricacy at the exponential rate that it is, and with artists staying on the cutting edge and utilizing that technology in their work, museums will very soon be faced with many of these types of work coming into their permanent collections as well as for exhibitions. This is why art museum collections managers, conservators, and artists should be collaborating at this point in time. The intention of this project is to initiate this necessary process of informing and supporting collections professionals about New Media art. This will ensure that artwork of this nature is preserved for museum visitors in the future. Douglas L. DeFors
New Perspectives on Inter-Museum Transfer of Deacessioned Objects as an Alternative to Disposal by Sale In 1925 the American Association of Museums published its first “Code of Ethics” for museums, and described a preference for disposal of deaccessioned objects by transfer (or exchange) to other like institutions. Today’s professional associations continue to advocate this method of perpetuating collections use for education within the public domain. Some museums successfully practice transfer disposal today, while others feel increasing pressure to generate earned income through deaccession sales. My research suggests that collection professionals are continuing to question the balance of public trust obligations, with those of meeting museum mission goals. This project determined that transfer was indeed viable for today’s museums, and makes the case that transfer disposal of deaccessioned objects deserves to be utilized by all types of museums with greater frequency than currently occurs. By performing inter-museum transfer as an alternative to sale, museums uphold the values of public service inherent in their mission. Courtney Forester
Stop, Collaborate and Listen: The Role of Museums in Public Education Attitudes surrounding how public school audiences can and should be engaged by museums is leading to new initiatives for schoolchildren. As museums strive to expand their educational role in the community, professionals are obliged to reevaluate their goals for educating schoolchildren. This project synthesizes the perspectives of theorists, leaders and educators in American museums and public education to explore how museums can best serve and influence public schools. It explores the relationships between these institutions, their methods, and their professionals, elucidating issues for today's museum leaders to consider as they shape educational policies and programs for public school audiences. Sara L. Frantz
Preserving Art and the Environment through Sustainable Museum Buildings This project analyzes the intersection between two highly specialized fields, sustainable building practices and the environmental controls crucial to art conservation maintained in art museum buildings. Art museums cite these highly specialized light and atmospheric controls as an impediment to sustainable building. These environmental controls include constant and consistent temperature and humidity control as well as protection from ultraviolet light in order to prevent damage to artwork. My goal is to bring these fields more closely together so that art museums can build sustainable facilities that cause less harm to the environment while simultaneously meeting art conservation needs. Maria Cristina Gonzales-Moreno
Restless Spirits: Museums and the California Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act Dilemma The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), was signed into federal law by then-president George W. Bush in 1990. NAGPRA is a law that states federally recognized tribes can file a claim for repatriation from federally funded museums, agencies and institutions. California NAGPRA (also known as Cal-NAGPRA), approved by then-Governor Gray Davis in 2001, resembles NAGPRA with one critical difference, the law allows non-recognized tribes in California to file claims for repatriation. Upon implementation of Cal-NAGPRA, state funded museums in California will be asked to adhere to new guidelines in dealing with the repatriation claims of non-recognized tribes. This law is especially important because California has the largest number of non-recognized tribes in the United States. Minsung Chloe Kang
New Opportunities: The Marketing Potential of Art Museums' Rental Galleries This project focuses on how art rental and sales galleries affiliated with art museums can be better utilized and developed in order to advance the mission of their parent museums from a marketing perspective. The purpose of this project is to identify tangible and intangible benefits of art rental and sales galleries and to explore the ways in which they can better serve the mission as an integral part of museum operations. The main subject of my project is the Artists Gallery, which is an affiliated art rental and sales gallery at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). By analyzing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the current practices of SFMOMA Artists Gallery through visitor surveys and cross-comparative studies with three other established art rental and sales galleries in the United States, this master's project delivers a SFMOMA Artists Gallery visitor report as a final product which I believe will serve as an indispensable source for directing future marketing of SFMOMA and its Artists Gallery. Rachael Moreno
Put Your Gloves On! Managing Volunteers in Museum Collections The purpose of this project is to outline the elements of a successful and realistic volunteer program for museum collections departments, including how to effectively screen, train, supervise and retain unpaid volunteers in small to mid-sized museums. It also includes ways to establish and maintain a professional working relationship between museum staff and the volunteers. In addition to program recommendations, I also provide examples of projects that volunteers enjoy doing and can partake in easily with training and adequate supervision. With these program suggestions, collections managers will be able to better utilize their volunteers appropriately for collections care. Cassandra L. Richman
Hearing the Artist’s Voice: A Proposal for the Creation of a Collaborative Online Archive of Primary Source Artist Information The purpose of this project is to stimulate concrete action toward the creation of a comprehensive collaborative full text online archive of California’s primary source artist information (PSAI) as a model for other similar archives around the country. Herein, PSAI is defined as any type of artist-generated information including video or film images of artists speaking or working, audio or transcripts of artist interviews, lectures, debates, panels or symposia, rare photographs of artists, and documents written by artists such as diaries, personal letters and grant proposals. The goal of this effort is to facilitate continued use of PSAI in today’s rapidly changing multi-media and technological world by preserving that which is presently stored on unstable and/or underutilized media, organizing it in combination with newly-created information and making the results accessible to the widest audience possible through use of the Internet. Michelle Marie Stokke
Would You Leave Them Behind? Disaster Preparedness For Live Animals in Museum Collections This purpose of this master project is to bring attention to the large number of museums in the United States that do not have emergency plans. The focus is specifically on institutions that are not zoos, but still contain living animals in their collections, permanent, temporary or teaching. Emergency preparedness in museums is very important, but not well financed or given appropriate priority in the museum profession. Furthermore, the welfare of animals in museum collections during an emergency disaster is an aspect of emergency planning that most museums have not paid the proper attention to. My goal is to assure that all museums that have live animals are aware of the requirements and obligations that they have to those sentient creatures. I also provide information about how animals react in emergency disaster situations, so institutions know what to expect, and how to be prepared to protect the staff, visitors, general public and the animals. This master’s project addresses emergency planning and the many challenges it poses for museums. Questions addressed include: 1) how does a museum plan to save its living collection without putting staff, volunteers or the public at risk; 2) are there resources an institution can turn to for assistance, advice and aid; 3) what are the benefits to the museum for having an emergency preparedness plan in place that accounts for animals in the collection as well as staff and other people connected or affected by the institution; 4) what legal requirements are imposed by the federal and state governments for saving animals and planning animal evacuations alongside human evacuation? Ultimately, this project posits that emergency plans and preparedness can be improved for the benefit of staff, visitors and animals in the collection.
U.S. Jewish Museums: Building Bridges, Crossing Boundaries U.S. Jewish museums are expanding beyond their traditional boundaries, and striving to build bridges of understanding, with their exhibitions and programs. This project analyzes and describes the current stage in the evolution of Jewish Museums in the United States. Within the context of the current transformation in Jewish museums, this project examines how Jewish history, politics, and group identity have impacted the growth and evolution of U.S. Jewish museums. It also examines current issues in Jewish museums today through case studies of selected individual institutions, with a focus on their exhibitions and programs. Through this analysis I provide a framework for Jewish museums to consider how their exhibitions and programs can best meet their vision and the needs of their communities. Valerie Corvin
How to Best Maximize Teacher Usage of Online Art Museum Curriculum Materials Many art museum educators are creating curriculum Web sites to provide teachers with easier access to lesson plan materials for their classroom teaching. This master's project is a cross comparison of current practices in the art museum field for creating, testing and evaluating online curriculum materials (grades 6-12). The study highlights the findings from a case study conducted with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art curriculum website, ArtThink with 12 San Francisco Bay Area teachers, and reports on what 14 sampled art museums across the U.S. utilize in writing and testing their curriculum resource web pages with educators. The study recommends best practices for creating useful art museum online lesson plans that empower teachers to integrate visual arts education into their classroom teaching. Jennifer Crane New Media Art Matters: Artist Perspectives on Preservation in Museums With technology increasing in usage and intricacy at the exponential rate that it is, and with artists staying on the cutting edge and utilizing that technology in their work, museums will very soon be faced with many of these types of work coming into their permanent collections as well as for exhibitions. This is why art museum collections managers, conservators, and artists should be collaborating at this point in time. The intention of this project is to initiate this necessary process of informing and supporting collections professionals about New Media art. This will ensure that artwork of this nature is preserved for museum visitors in the future. Douglas L. DeFors
New Perspectives on Inter-Museum Transfer of Deacessioned Objects as an Alternative to Disposal by Sale In 1925 the American Association of Museums published its first “Code of Ethics” for museums, and described a preference for disposal of deaccessioned objects by transfer (or exchange) to other like institutions. Today’s professional associations continue to advocate this method of perpetuating collections use for education within the public domain. Some museums successfully practice transfer disposal today, while others feel increasing pressure to generate earned income through deaccession sales. My research suggests that collection professionals are continuing to question the balance of public trust obligations, with those of meeting museum mission goals. This project determined that transfer was indeed viable for today’s museums, and makes the case that transfer disposal of deaccessioned objects deserves to be utilized by all types of museums with greater frequency than currently occurs. By performing inter-museum transfer as an alternative to sale, museums uphold the values of public service inherent in their mission. Courtney Forester
Stop, Collaborate and Listen: The Role of Museums in Public Education Attitudes surrounding how public school audiences can and should be engaged by museums is leading to new initiatives for schoolchildren. As museums strive to expand their educational role in the community, professionals are obliged to reevaluate their goals for educating schoolchildren. This project synthesizes the perspectives of theorists, leaders and educators in American museums and public education to explore how museums can best serve and influence public schools. It explores the relationships between these institutions, their methods, and their professionals, elucidating issues for today's museum leaders to consider as they shape educational policies and programs for public school audiences. Sara L. Frantz
Preserving Art and the Environment through Sustainable Museum Buildings This project analyzes the intersection between two highly specialized fields, sustainable building practices and the environmental controls crucial to art conservation maintained in art museum buildings. Art museums cite these highly specialized light and atmospheric controls as an impediment to sustainable building. These environmental controls include constant and consistent temperature and humidity control as well as protection from ultraviolet light in order to prevent damage to artwork. My goal is to bring these fields more closely together so that art museums can build sustainable facilities that cause less harm to the environment while simultaneously meeting art conservation needs. Maria Cristina Gonzales-Moreno
Restless Spirits: Museums and the California Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act Dilemma The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), was signed into federal law by then-president George W. Bush in 1990. NAGPRA is a law that states federally recognized tribes can file a claim for repatriation from federally funded museums, agencies and institutions. California NAGPRA (also known as Cal-NAGPRA), approved by then-Governor Gray Davis in 2001, resembles NAGPRA with one critical difference, the law allows non-recognized tribes in California to file claims for repatriation. Upon implementation of Cal-NAGPRA, state funded museums in California will be asked to adhere to new guidelines in dealing with the repatriation claims of non-recognized tribes. This law is especially important because California has the largest number of non-recognized tribes in the United States. Minsung Chloe Kang
New Opportunities: The Marketing Potential of Art Museums' Rental Galleries This project focuses on how art rental and sales galleries affiliated with art museums can be better utilized and developed in order to advance the mission of their parent museums from a marketing perspective. The purpose of this project is to identify tangible and intangible benefits of art rental and sales galleries and to explore the ways in which they can better serve the mission as an integral part of museum operations. The main subject of my project is the Artists Gallery, which is an affiliated art rental and sales gallery at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). By analyzing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the current practices of SFMOMA Artists Gallery through visitor surveys and cross-comparative studies with three other established art rental and sales galleries in the United States, this master's project delivers a SFMOMA Artists Gallery visitor report as a final product which I believe will serve as an indispensable source for directing future marketing of SFMOMA and its Artists Gallery. Rachael Moreno
Put Your Gloves On! Managing Volunteers in Museum Collections The purpose of this project is to outline the elements of a successful and realistic volunteer program for museum collections departments, including how to effectively screen, train, supervise and retain unpaid volunteers in small to mid-sized museums. It also includes ways to establish and maintain a professional working relationship between museum staff and the volunteers. In addition to program recommendations, I also provide examples of projects that volunteers enjoy doing and can partake in easily with training and adequate supervision. With these program suggestions, collections managers will be able to better utilize their volunteers appropriately for collections care. Cassandra L. Richman
Hearing the Artist’s Voice: A Proposal for the Creation of a Collaborative Online Archive of Primary Source Artist Information The purpose of this project is to stimulate concrete action toward the creation of a comprehensive collaborative full text online archive of California’s primary source artist information (PSAI) as a model for other similar archives around the country. Herein, PSAI is defined as any type of artist-generated information including video or film images of artists speaking or working, audio or transcripts of artist interviews, lectures, debates, panels or symposia, rare photographs of artists, and documents written by artists such as diaries, personal letters and grant proposals. The goal of this effort is to facilitate continued use of PSAI in today’s rapidly changing multi-media and technological world by preserving that which is presently stored on unstable and/or underutilized media, organizing it in combination with newly-created information and making the results accessible to the widest audience possible through use of the Internet. Michelle Marie Stokke
Would You Leave Them Behind? Disaster Preparedness For Live Animals in Museum Collections This purpose of this master project is to bring attention to the large number of museums in the United States that do not have emergency plans. The focus is specifically on institutions that are not zoos, but still contain living animals in their collections, permanent, temporary or teaching. Emergency preparedness in museums is very important, but not well financed or given appropriate priority in the museum profession. Furthermore, the welfare of animals in museum collections during an emergency disaster is an aspect of emergency planning that most museums have not paid the proper attention to. My goal is to assure that all museums that have live animals are aware of the requirements and obligations that they have to those sentient creatures. I also provide information about how animals react in emergency disaster situations, so institutions know what to expect, and how to be prepared to protect the staff, visitors, general public and the animals. This master’s project addresses emergency planning and the many challenges it poses for museums. Questions addressed include: 1) how does a museum plan to save its living collection without putting staff, volunteers or the public at risk; 2) are there resources an institution can turn to for assistance, advice and aid; 3) what are the benefits to the museum for having an emergency preparedness plan in place that accounts for animals in the collection as well as staff and other people connected or affected by the institution; 4) what legal requirements are imposed by the federal and state governments for saving animals and planning animal evacuations alongside human evacuation? Ultimately, this project posits that emergency plans and preparedness can be improved for the benefit of staff, visitors and animals in the collection.