SPACES The newsletter of the University of Michigan Museum Studies Program
No.1, 2005
Announcing the New Program in Museum Studies at Michigan We are very pleased to publish this inaugural issue of our Newsletter. It offers us an opportunity to share news of the University of Michigan’s new Museum Studies Program, which recently completed a highly successful first year. Many of the students in our first cohort who started the program in Fall 2003 have completed the requirements of the Program, capping their academic studies with field internships in art museums, archives, history museums, zoos, and private consulting firms across the country. And a second cohort of students, with academic backgrounds ranging from architecture, visual art, and psychology to anthropology, information, and biology, is now engaged in the Program’s core curriculum that considers the history and theory of museums. In addition, a year-long colloquium is underway that is exploring the constellation of issues surrounding the topic of repatriation. This set of public lectures is bringing academics and museum professionals together to discuss issues of shared concern. Museum Studies has returned to Michigan, with a mandate to create a vital intellectual environment for engaging the multitude of issues that confront the museum profession. How has all of this happened and what is the new program like? Some of you may be aware that roughly 15 years ago, after having thrived for over 30 years, U-M’s former Museum Practice Program based in the U-M Museum of Art ceased accepting students. In 1998, the newly appointed Museum of Art Director James Steward was charged with conducting a feasibility study to determine whether the museum practice curriculum should be resuscitated at the University of Michigan, and if so, what configuration it should take. Two years later, a report was submitted to the Provost recommending that a new Museum Studies Program (MSP) be created that reflected U-M’s interdisciplinary orientation. The MSP was established in 2001 and accepted its first cohort of students in Fall 2003. No longer situated within the Museum of Art, the new Museum Studies Program is an autonomous unit residing in the Rackham School of Graduate Studies. The program currently offers a graduate certificate that complements a masters degree or doctorate in disciplines across the university. Though theory and history are at its core, the Program has been configured to offer students opportunities to put the theory to practice. In effect, the graduate certificate program has been developed as a program in applied theory. (continued next page) MSP03 students at the Toledo Museum of Art.
The new Museum Studies Program seeks to train students in the theoretical and practical implications of working with and from “objects” and in the places in which they reside. Students in our program engage in a critical examination of the
ideas and practices that have shaped museums in a required two-semester proseminar. This is complemented with cognate courses that deal with museum-related issues and with first-hand experience gained from working in local university museums as well as national and international museums. The MSP is explicitly cross disciplinary and cross cultural in orientation and seeks to prepare students for careers in museums, arboreta, zoos, botanical gardens, heritage sites, science centers, archives, and the entertainment industry. The Museum Studies Program is currently occupying temporary offices in the recently refurbished Haven Hall. The Center for Afroamerican and African Studies has generously provided the MSP with office and classroom space. We were very pleased to recently announce that plans are being finalized for the Program to be housed in the new wing of the University of Michigan Museum of Art. Michigan’s Museum Studies Program is playing a significant role in the life of the museum community. One of the primary goals of the new MSP is to create a forum for scholars and practitioners, a space for dialogue between theory and practice. To this end, we have been pursuing a number of initiatives. Our students have been embracing practice-based opportunities beyond traditional internships, volunteering their time and expertise to collaborate on exhibitions both on and off campus, to assist in the establishment of community museums and to evaluate exhibitions. Our lecture series draw attendees from outside the university, the Museum Studies Forum supports interinstitutional collaboration and discussion among museums in the state, and our recent international symposium on historic sites of conscience museums and our current colloquium dealing with the repatriation of cultural property have helped advance agendas for museums around the world.
Newsletter Editor Bradley L. Taylor Newsletter Design Chris VanWyck Engine Creative Staff Director Raymond Silverman Associate Director Bradley L. Taylor Unit Administrator Peggy Morgan Museum Studies Program University of Michigan 4700 Haven Hall 505 South State Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1045 Office phone: 734-936-6678 Fax: 734-786-0064 www.umich.edu/~ummsp ummsp@umich.edu Regents of the University of Michigan David A. Brandon, Ann Arbor
The new Museum Studies Program has gotten off to a great start. We are currently admitting roughly twelve graduate students into the certificate program each year. We also are examining the viability of establishing an undergraduate curriculum. It is our vision that alongside teaching, we will become a center for cutting-edge research focused on the museum and related institutions.
Laurence B. Deitch, Bingham Farms
We hope that this first issue of SPACES offers a sense of why we’re so excited about the MSP. We urge you to follow our growth in the coming year on our website (http:// www.umich.edu/~ummsp) or by asking to be placed on an e-mail list where we can keep you up to date on our public programs. If you should have any questions about the program, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.
S. Martin Taylor, Grosse Pointe Farms
Olivia P. Maynard, Goodrich Rebecca McGowan, Ann Arbor Andrea Fischer Newman, Ann Arbor Andrew C. Richner, Grosse Pointe Park Katherine E. White, Ann Arbor Mary Sue Coleman, ex officio
About Our Logo Ray Silverman Director, Museum Studies Program
The MSP mark is derived from an ideogram created by the Akan peoples of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. The name of the design, nkyinkyin, may be translated “twistings” and embodies ideas of change, resilience, adaptability, and creativity.
Art Historian and Curator Assumes Directorship of the New MSP Museum Studies Program Director Ray Silverman was born with museums in his soul and an ability to share that enthusiasm in some highly effective ways. Soon after completing his Ph.D., Silverman taught his first museum studies classes at the University of California, Santa Cruz in the mid-1980s and he hasn't looked back since. In 1988 Silverman joined the faculty of Michigan State University where he was a member of the Department of Art and Art History and had curatorial responsibilities for the African collections in both the Kresge Art Museum and the MSU Museum.
Trained as an art historian at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Washington (Seattle), Silverman is a specialist in the visual cultures of Africa, interested in the transfer of technologies and ideologies between the peoples of the Middle East and Africa. From 1979 to the late 1980s, he conducted research in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire and since the early 1990s, he has been working in Ethiopia. Silverman’s primary interest in museums has been in their potential as educational institutions. He states that they “are a marvelous forum for sharing the experiences and insights I have acquired living and working in Africa, a part of the world which is grossly misrepresented and misunderstood by people in the US and Europe.” In addition to the books and articles he has authored, he has shared the fruits of his research through various exhibitions that he has curated. During the 13 years he spent at MSU, he organized four exhibitions, several of which were accompanied by publications as well as web-based resources. He also developed two virtual exhibitions dedicated to the work of two artists with whom he has worked, Richard Hunt and Zerihun Yetmgeta. He is currently working on a major traveling exhibition dealing with the life and work of the Ethiopian artist, Qes Adamu Tesfaw, that will open at the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History in March 2005.
While Ray Silverman comes to Museum Studies as a practitioner, he is also very interested in historical and theoretical issues associated with museums. Indeed, he believes “that there must be a constant dialogue between theory and practice—historical insights and critical thinking must inform current museum practice.” He has recently begun a project in comparative museology that considers the challenges of museum development in Africa—creating and sustaining institutions that are relevant to African communities. And Silverman's talents as a researcher have naturally made him a committed and gifted teacher. Since his first experience working in a museum as an undergraduate at UCLA, Silverman has appreciated the tremendous potential museums possess as institutions for learning. One of his professional goals has been to integrate the insights acquired in his research with students in his teaching and with museum audiences in the exhibitions he curates. Silverman acknowledges that he has been very fortunate to be able to combine university teaching and museum work throughout his career. "And the situation now at Michigan is quite remarkable. To have the opportunity to work with the best and brightest graduate students, makes the Museum Studies Program a tremendous place to be."
Ray Silverman, Museum Studies Program Director.
Silverman recently began his third year in Ann Arbor, having joined the U-M faculty in 2002 as Director of the new Museum Studies Program. He also holds a joint appointment as a Professor in the Department of History of Art and the Center for Afroamerican and African Studies, where he teaches courses on African visual culture. Silverman has found building the Museum Studies Program at U-M an exceptionally rewarding experience. "Since I arrived here at Michigan, I have been astounded at the number of dynamic people on this campus, dedicated to helping our new program become a success. During my first year on campus I met with no less than 75 members of the faculty who in one way or another are involved with museums!" Ray Silverman has enjoyed and no doubt will continue to enjoy interacting with these colleagues and the marvelous mix of graduate students who are pursuing their certificates in the new program.
Colleagues/Friends Gather to Honor Charles Sawyer The start of a new Fall term at the University of Michigan was heralded with a reception in honor of Charles Sawyer, Director Emeritus of the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA) and the founding director of the Museum Practice Program. Over 50 individuals gathered at the Museum of Art on September 12 to celebrate Sawyer’s distinguished career at the University and to hear Museum Studies Program Director Ray Silverman announce plans to name the new administrative home for the Program the Charles Sawyer Center for Museum Studies. Sawyer, now 98, was praised by Silverman for his “countless contributions to museum studies here at the University. A good number of today’s museum leaders began their training with Charlie Sawyer.” Current UMMA Director James Steward and former UMMA Director and former Director of the Museum Practice
Program, Bret Waller, echoed Silverman’s sentiments in comments to Sawyer’s professional colleagues and friends. The gathering was further enriched by the presence of alumni—including the Museum Practice Program’s first graduate, former Cincinnati Museum of Art Director, Millard Rogers—from each decade of the program’s history as well as students currently enrolled in the new Program. The Sawyer Center will be located in the lower level of the planned 57,000 square foot addition to the University of Michigan Museum of Art. Since its re-launch in 2002, the Museum Studies Program has occupied temporary space in Haven Hall. In addition to providing an administrative home to the program, the Sawyer Center will provide a dedicated place to meet for seminars and to gather informally. The Center will also allow students to be in daily contact with the
Architect’s rendering of the proposed administrative offices of the Museum Studies Program that will be located in the new wing of the U-M Museum of Art.
UMMA’s collections, exhibitions, and professional staff. “We are thrilled that the Sawyer Center for Museum Studies will have its home in a building that was associated with Charlie throughout his career at Michigan,” Silverman offered. “Charlie’s nurturing spirit and keen interest in museum dynamics are now bound to be with us as we work to train the next generation of leaders.” The Museum Studies Program plans to raise $150,000 for the Sawyer Center as well as an additional $100,000 to seed an endowment that will support student internships and public programs. A board of alumni and friends has been created to lead this effort. For more information about how you can support the Sawyer Center, please contact Museum Studies Program Director Ray Silverman at silveray@umich.edu.
CSCMS Campaign Committee Members Raymond A. Silverman, Co-Chair Director, Museum Studies Program Professor, History of Art and Professor, Afroamerican and African Studies Steven K. Hamp, Co-Chair President, The Henry Ford MMP 1978 Jacquelynn Baas Independent Scholar, Former Director, UC Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive PhD 1982 Roger M. Berkowitz, Former Director, Toledo Museum of Art MMP 1970, PhD 1977 Timothy J. Chester, Director, Public Museum of Grand Rapids AM 1979 James Steward, Ray Silverman and Bret Waller with Charles Sawyer at the reception at which plans were announced for the new Charles Sawyer Center for Museum Studies.
Kevin E. Consey, Director, UC Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive MMP 1977 Anna Greenstone, Detroit Historical Museums and Detroit Science Center Volunteer AM 1984 Marjorie L. Harth, Director Emeritus, Pomona College Museum of Art MMP 1968, PhD 1985 Stephen Allen Markel, Curator and Department Head, South and Southeast Asian Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art PhD 1989 Deborah D. D. Norberg, Deputy Director, San Jose Museum of Art MMP 1974 Martha P. Tedeschi, Curator, Prints and Drawings, Art Institute of Chicago AM 1982
Evan Maurer, Former Director, University of Michigan Museum of Art, 1980-88; Director, Minneapolis Institute of Art James C. Steward, Director, University of Michigan Museum of Art, 1998-present Bret Waller, Former Director, University of Michigan Museum of Art, 1973-79; Former Director, Indianapolis Museum of Art
Steve Hamp, President of The Henry Ford and alumnus of the U-M Museum Practice Program (1978), meeting with MSP04 students at the Henry Ford Museum.
MSP Leadership Forges Partnerships with State/Regional Museums Acting on a commitment to broaden the scope of museum studies at Michigan, MSP Director Ray Silverman and Associate Director Brad Taylor have spent much of the past year securing commitments from a diverse group of regional museums outside the university to become actively engaged in the life of the new Museum Studies Program. Initially, much of this engagement will come in the form of opportunities for internship experiences, a vital component of the certificate program. In addition to internship opportunities, however, many of our museum partners have become actively involved in the Museum Studies Forum, in our public programs, and as sponsors for student driven exhibitions. In the Fall of 2003, the New Detroit Science Center (NDSC) hosted a
collaboration between MSP students and graduate students in neuroscience to showcase student research at Michigan as part of an exhibit entitled, “The Brain: The World Inside Your Head,” providing MSP students with first-hand experience in developing an exhibition for viewing in a large public science center. Following on the success of this experience, a similar partnership was forged last summer; this time a number of our students, graduate students in genetics and members of the U-M Exhibit Museum staff worked together to create exhibits that complement another exhibition at the NDSC, “Genome: The Secret of How Life Works.” We plan to pursue additional projects with our museum partners in the coming year. Above and beyond our partnerships with the university’s own fine museums,
we are proud to have established working relationships with the following regional institutions: • Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum • Arab American National Museum • Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History • COSI Toledo • Cranbrook Art Museum • Cranbrook Institute of Science • Detroit Historical Museum • Detroit Institute of Arts • Detroit Zoological Institute • Flint Institute of Arts • Fredrik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park • The Henry Ford • New Detroit Science Center • Public Museum of Grand Rapids • Toledo Museum of Art • Toledo Zoo
Historic Sites of Conscience Museums Theme of International MSP Symposium On March 19, 2004 a program entitled “Activating the Past: An International Symposium on Historic Sites of Conscience Museums” was held at the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies on the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor campus. The symposium was sponsored by the Museum Studies Program and the University of Michigan’s Arts of Citizenship Program in conjunction with the International Coalition of Historic Site Museums of Conscience, with additional financial support provided by the Office of the President, the Office of the Provost, the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies, the Institute for the Humanities, and the International Institute. The event drew over 160 registered participants to campus for this all-day symposium. Members of the university community and members of the professional museum community from across the nation convened to hear presentations by Coalition members on how the teaching of history in museums can be used to foster social change in the modern world. Presentations were made by • • • • • •
Valmont Layne (Director, District Six Museum, Cape Town, South Africa) Rev. Deacon Edgar W. Hopper (St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church, NYC) Liz Sevcenko (VP Interpretation, Lower East Side Tenement Museum, NYC) Eileen Kurahashi (VP, Japanese American National Museum, Los Angeles) Tatiana Koursina (Gulag Museum at Perm 36, Russia), and Kristin Hass (Assistant Professor, Department of American Culture, U-M)
A key component of both the morning and afternoon sessions was time devoted to breakout discussions where tables of 8-10 participants were led by Coalition presenters to discuss specific issues addressing civic engagement and museums.
Inglis House, and a breakfast Saturday, March 20, at the Humanities Institute all furthered important dialogue between Coalition members, university faculty, museum studies students, academics and museum professionals, many of whom had flown in to Ann Arbor for the event. The breakfast at the Osterman Common Room at the Humanities Institute was especially successful and was attended by approximately 30 individuals. The weekend concluded with a visit by Coalition members and University faculty to the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit. The Ann Arbor contingency spent several hours with Director Christy Coleman and her professional staff discussing shared areas of interest and common concerns. A report documenting this important symposium is available on the MSP website (http://www.umich.edu/ ~ummsp/events/hsc_report.htm).
Social interaction between symposium registrants and Coalition members further facilitated discussions about museums and civic engagement that had arisen at the symposium. A public reception in the Rackham Assembly Hall, a private dinner at
MSP03 students, Leilani Dawson and Louna Khirfan, meet with “Activating the Past” participant Valmont Layne (Director of the District Six Museum, Cape Town, South Africa).
Participants and members of the audience at “Activating the Past” symposium.
Curator of Education at the U-M Museum of Art, Ruth Slavin, meets with MSP04 students.
MSP Students Explore Interests in Winter Practica at Campus Museums Eleven MSP students participated in practica with campus-based museums as part of their program requirements during the Winter of 2004. These experiences illustrate perfectly the breadth of interest evident in Michigan’s new museum studies students. • Leilah Lyons worked with the education department at the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum to research and develop options for the museum to adapt its current
educational programs to new research emerging from the field of instructional technology, including the possibility of developing online/real time experiences for children. Leilah continues to work with museum staff on this and other ventures based on the success of her internship. • At the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, Stacy Davidson performed a condition assessment on a set of 23 books known as the Napoleonic volumes or the Description de l’Egypte prior to their formal accession by the museum. Stacy’s supervisor says that she has discussed a potential publication with Stacy based on her work with these volumes.
• Also at the Kelsey, Louna Khirfan created archival organization and documentation of materials relating to U-M excavations at the medieval Islamic site of Qasr al-Hayr in Syria. • Catherine Lyon worked with a Kelsey curator on preliminary plans for an exhibition on Roman domestic interiors at the Toledo Museum of Art. Cat prepared a booklet of images of paintings and mosaics recovered from a site in Rome, identifying which items came from which room in the house, which will be useful in further development of the exhibition. • Despina Margomenou completed a unique experience in museum development, compiling information on granting agencies that might be
Proseminar Speakers Offer Varied Perspectives on the Museum Our first year’s proseminar sequence in museum history and theory was enriched through the participation of over 15 guest speakers from departments throughout the university and museum professionals from across the country. Students met Tuesday evenings for three hours Fall and Winter terms in an intimate seminar setting to listen to scholars and practitioners speak about their areas of expertise and to engage these individuals in discussions about a variety of topics involving the museum world. The topics covered ranged from botanical gardens and zoos to evaluation and assessment, from museum architecture and psychology to visual perception and museum ethics. Students often had more than a single opportunity to learn from the proseminar speakers: the proseminar speakers would often combine their class appearance with a public lecture or would host students on a tour of their museum. The ability to provide MSP students with access to such opportunities is one of the hallmarks of the new program. Our success here is due in large part to the following individuals, who so generously shared their knowledge and their passion for museums with the proseminar classes:
• Vanessa Agnew (U-M Assistant Professor, Germanic Languages and Literature) • Joseph Connor (Principal, The Collaboratory for Community Support) • Suzanne Davis (Conservator, U-M Kelsey Museum of Archaeology) • Daryl Fischer (Principal, Musynergy) • Bob Grese (U-M Associate Professor, School of Natural Resources and Environment; Director, U-M Nichols Arboretum and Matthaei Botanical Gardens) • Steven Hamp (President, The Henry Ford)
approached to provide support for the Kelsey Museum’s new wing. Despina worked closely with the Kelsey’s Associate Director who called Despina’s time at the Kelsey “a great experience from my perspective!” • At the Matthaei Botanical Gardens, David Choberka produced an annotated bibliography on various aspects of the relationship of German culture to landscape and gardening following a systematic assessment of the Gardens’ programmatic efforts with regard to “people, plants, and cultures.” • Renee Miller and Nicole Sielken engaged in experiences centered on the Evolution in Action collaboration between the Exhibit Museum of
• Mitch Magdich (Curator of Education, Toledo Zoo) • Scott Mallwitz (Director, Experience Design, The Henry Ford) • David Michener (U-M Assistant Professor, School of Natural Resources and Environment; Assistant Research Scientist, Department of Biology; Assistant Curator, Matthaei Botanical Gardens) • Scott Paris (U-M Professor, Psychology and Education) • Susan Siegfried (U-M Professor, History of Art and Women’s Studies) • Carla Sinopoli (U-M Professor, Anthropology; Curator, U-M Museum of Anthropology)
• James Steward (U-M Professor, History of Art and Museum Studies; Director, U-M Museum of Art) • Helen Wechsler (Director, International and Ethics Programs, American Association of Museums, Washington, D.C.) • Lisa Young (Assistant Research Scientist, U-M Anthropology Museum; U-M Lecturer, Department of Anthropology)
Natural History and the U-M Museum of Zoology. The work was evaluative in nature, with Renee and Nicole concentrating on interviewing participants and conducting visitor surveys about the science content of the exhibition.
• At the University of Michigan Museum of Art, Leilani Dawson worked with the curator of modern and contemporary art to create label texts for a special exhibit on turned wood art. The project provided Leilani with a sense of one aspect of exhibit preparation and helped develop her skills at interpreting contemporary works
• Meghan Glass processed a collection of modern Philippine pottery for accession into the permanent collection at the University of Michigan Museum of Anthropology. Meg’s special interest in the nature of museum cataloging resulted in her cataloging over half the collection after her physical review and inventory of the collection had been completed.
• Katie Johnson worked with the Museum of Art’s registration staff to process a new gift to the museum’s textile collection and to organize several cabinets where portions of the museum’s textile holdings were stored. This was an important experience for Katie, whose past work has largely centered on educational programming.
Museum Studies Forum Established to Link University and Professional Communities Last year, Museum Studies Director Ray Silverman announced the creation of the Museum Studies Forum, an innovative series of ongoing public events designed to foster a dialogue both among professionals working in museums in our region and between those individuals and the university. While opportunities for exchange exist at the highest levels in museums, it is far less common for other professional staff to meet with their peers at local institutions to discuss items of shared interest or to be kept aware of developments happening in the local museum community. Regional museum directors have supported this new program enthusiastically and have promoted its merits within their organizations. As a result, over 50 local curators, registrars, education staff, development officers, etc. have joined the Forum in the program’s first year. Many of these individuals attended the Historic Sites of Conscience Symposium where they spent the day talking to other professionals and interacting with university faculty from a variety of departments. A highlight of the past year’s Forum activities was a public presentation given by Steven Hamp, Museum Practice Program alum and President of The Henry Ford, and Patricia Mooradian, COO of The Henry Ford, titled “Our Brand of History: Transforming from a Museum to an Attraction.” Hamp and Mooradian filled the Osterman Common at the Institute for the Humanities on a cold February evening to discuss both the process and the outcomes of The Henry Ford’s recent branding project—from early visitor research, through their collaboration with consultants to define their brand, and on to the rollout with staff, press, and visitors. Their talk was a perfect example of the contribution that the Museum Studies Forum stands to offer—engaging local professionals, university students, and faculty in a discussion of timely topics certain to engage and enrich current museum practice. Hamp’s talk was followed in September 2004 with an equally successful presentation by Graham Beal, Director of the Detroit Institute of Arts, whose presentation “What’s the Big Idea? Permanent Collections for the Non-Specialist Visitor” attracted nearly 100 attendees to the Assembly Hall at the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies. Beal spoke to academics, students, and the public alike about his museum’s ambitious three year plan to re-install their permanent collections into galleries based on themes or “big ideas” rather than more traditional organizing principles. Beal placed the re-organization within the greater context of the evolution of the DIA as an institution and engaged in a spirited discussion with the audience afterwards. Winter 2005 brings the next installment of the Museum Studies Forum to campus with the arrival of Ron Kagan, Director of the Detroit Zoological Institute, who will talk about the recent decision to divest the zoo of its elephants, a matter that has brought the national spotlight to Kagan and the zoo. Please join us at 7:30 p.m., February 17, in the Hall of Evolution, Second Floor, U-M Exhibit Museum of Natural History, for this event. All Museum Studies Forum presentations are free and open to the public. For additional information on the Museum Studies Forum or any of our public events, consult the MSP website (http://www.umich.edu/~ummsp/events.htm) or ask to be put on our events e-mail list by contacting Peggy Morgan at mmmorgan@umich.edu.
MSP04 students meeting with Amy Harris, Director of the U-M Exhibit Museum.
Disciplinary Breadth Abounds in This Year’s Class of MSP Students The roster of students who have joined the Program for 2004/05 provides additional testimony to the tremendous growth of interest in museums across a variety of disciplines. The MSP is fortunate not only to attract students of exceptional caliber but students whose experiences and interests will contribute to exciting discussions in the proseminar classes and support the intellectual growth of the museum studies field. Expect to hear more about these students in future editions of this newsletter. • • • • • • • • • • • •
Michael Andre, German Studies Lisa Cakmak, Classical Art and Archaeology Shannon Davis, Biology Deirdre Hennebury, Architecture Lydia Herring, Classical Art and Archaeology Ipek Kaynar, Architecture & Urban Design Erica Lehrer, Anthropology Diana Mankowski, History Guillermo Salas-Carreno, Anthropology Kathryn Marks Stine, Information Medha Tare, Psychology Jennifer Zee, Art
Summer Internships Capture the Enthusiasm of MSP Students Among the activities undertaken by six Museum Studies Program students who conducted their field internships in the summer of 2004 were exhibit evaluation, assisting in the reinstallation of permanent collections in a major museum, cataloging performance art, processing photographs for a local history museum, and developing interpretive panels for a nationally renowned zoo. Museum Studies Program students seek out their own internship opportunities and negotiate programs at institutions that best suit their scholarly interests and professional goals. A two-tiered practical engagement experience (a part-time stint at one of U-M’s campus museums, followed by a longer full-time experience at a regional museum, or an institution located elsewhere in the country or abroad) is an essential component of museum studies at Michigan. It offers our students an opportunity to apply critical thinking—the immersion in theory and museum history—in a variety of professional settings. Summer 2004 field internships demonstrated the breadth of interests evidenced by students in our program. • • • • • •
David Choberka, Detroit Institute of Arts Leilani Dawson, Franklin Furnace Archives, New York City Meghan Glass, Valentine Richmond History Center, Richmond, Virginia Catherine Lyon, Detroit Institute of Arts Renee Miller, Randi Korn & Associates, Alexandria, Virginia Nicole Sielken, Brookfield Zoo, Brookfield, Illinois
[As this issue of the newsletter goes to press, three of these students had secured offers for full-time positions at their host institutions as a result of their internship contributions!]
MSP Sponsors 2004/05 Colloquium on Repatriation Following on the success of the Winter 2004 International Symposium on Historic Sites of Conscience Museums, the Museum Studies Program has organized a colloquium for 2004/05 on the subject of repatriation and museums. A series of three lectures will be offered in both Fall and Winter terms with speakers drawn from within the university, from the community of museum professionals, and from the ranks of international scholars. True to our commitment to broaden the purview of museum studies, the topics address repatriation as it concerns natural science collections, art museums, archaeology museums, the law, and research in the life sciences. The first lecture in the colloquium, “Ownership, Appropriation, and Restitution: The Effect of War on the Cultural Heritage of Iraq as a Case Study,” was delivered by Prof. Patty Gerstenblith of DePaul University; Prof. Anthony Snodgrass, Chairman of the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles, presented to a huge audience on the topic of “The Parthenon Divided;” and recently a lively dialogue with the audience followed a presentation by U-M Professor of Anthropology and Curator at the Museum of Anthropology, John O’Shea, titled “Sacred Visions and Competing Voices: Who Speaks for Native Peoples When Repatriation Claims Are Made?” Three additional talks have been scheduled to round out the colloquium this year:
1/13/05
Ethics and the Display of Human Embryo Specimens Lynn Morgan, Professor of Anthropology, Mt. Holyoke College 7:30 p.m., Rackham Amphitheater, Fourth Floor, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies
4/7/05
Enabling Hawaiian Hula Performance: Tradition and the Repatriation of Cultural Patrimony Amy Stillman, Associate Professor of American Culture and Director, Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies, University of Michigan 7:30 p.m., Osterman Common, Institute for the Humanities, Room 0520 Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies
4/14/05
The Struggle over Indigenous Knowledge: Museums, Ethnobotany, and the Repatriation of Plant Heritage Michael F. Brown, Lambert Professor of Anthropology, Williams College 7:30 p.m., Rackham Assembly Hall
How to Keep Up-to-Date about MSP Events Become a part of the excitement. For additional information on any of the Museum Studies Program’s public events, consult the MSP website (www.umich.edu/~ummsp/ events.htm) or ask to be put on our events e-mail list by contacting Peggy Morgan at mmmorgan@umich.edu.
MSP Students Featured as Speakers at State Conference Two MSP students—Despina Margomenou and Renee Miller—were featured speakers in the first-ever panel highlighting student research at this year’s combined Michigan Museums Association and Association of Midwest Museums annual meetings in Grand Rapids (October 20-22). The U-M MSP collaborated with the Museum Studies Program at Michigan State University and the Public History Program at Western Michigan University to assure an ongoing forum for student research at the state association’s annual meetings. MSP Associate Director Brad Taylor insists that this is “just the beginning of
what we intend to do collaboratively to engender intellectual and professional opportunities for museum studies students across the state.” Future conferences may well see poster sessions for students, exhibition design competitions, opportunities for students to meet with professional mentors, and research awards. In the end, Michigan’s MSP hopes to establish a national model for fostering research and professional development through state and national associations that will lead to the early recognition and support of the best of our state’s new museum professionals.
MSP03 students,Renee Miller (second from right) and Despina Margomenou (far right) presented papers at the MMA/AMM Meeting in October 2004. They were joined by MSU student Elizabeth Monroe Driscoll (second from left) and Jennifer Gaydos (far left) from WMU.
MSP Public Lectures Explore a Host of Ideas The 2003/04 academic year saw the successful launch of the Museum Studies Program’s public lecture series, a periodic complement to large public programs like the International Symposium on Historic Sites of Conscience and the Museum Studies Forum. The public lecture series is a smaller scale series of lectures offered on a variety of topics that are likely to engage university students, faculty, and the general public alike. The lectures are held in intimate settings at different locations throughout the university and always include an informal exchange between the presenter and audience at the end of the formal presentation. We’re especially pleased to have collaborated with other university departments and programs in sponsoring some of these fascinating talks. The 2003/04 series featured the following guest speakers:
MSP04 students on a tour of the Arctic exhibit at the Detroit Zoo.
• Ana P. Labrador, Associate Professor of Art Studies and Curator, Jorge B. Vargas Museum, University of the Philippines (Quezon City), “The Museum as an Open House: The National Museum of the Philippines as a Site of American Colonial Legacy and History” • Helen Wechsler, Director, International and Ethics Programs, American Association of Museums, “Nazi Era Assets and U.S. Museums: Figuring Out the Right Thing to Do” • Teresa Goforth, Director, Michigan Museums Association, “Professional Organizations, Michigan Museums, and Money Woes” Two lectures will be offered this year in our public lecture series: • Dan Mato, Professor Emeritus of Art History, University of Calgary, “Interesting Objects, Fabulous Stories: Reflections on Collecting African Art,” January 20, 2005, 7:30 p.m., Osterman Common, Institute for the Humanities, Room 0540, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies • Elaine Heumann Gurian, “Singing and Dancing at Night: Spirituality in Museums, Its Opportunities and Limits, March 17, 2005, 7:30 p.m., Eldersveld Room, 5670 Haven Hall For additional information on the public lecture series or any of our public events, consult the MSP website (http://www.umich.edu/~ummsp/events.htm) or ask to be put on our events e-mail list by contacting Peggy Morgan at mmmorgan@umich.edu.
Museum Practice Alum Returns as MSP Associate Director
Bradley Taylor, Museum Studies Program Associate Director.
When Museum Practice Program alum Brad Taylor got his degree in 1980, he never would have imagined that his future held a return to Michigan to play a leadership role in the launch of a new program in Museum Studies. “I’m as excited now as I was when I first entered the Museum Practice Program,” Taylor recently said. “The potential for this new program is absolutely incredible. The first cohort of students has been amazing, the breadth of the program
News of Alums Deborah Deacon Odette entered the Museum Practice Program, as it was then known, in 1977. She completed her internship at The Cloisters in New York City, and completed her thesis under the direction of curator Dr. Jane Hayward. The subject of her thesis was a 13th century French stained glass border which was acquired by The Cloisters in that year. Odette then joined the New York Public Library as keeper of the art collection at the Schomburg Center, a division of the research libraries. Odette oversaw the cataloguing of the collection, the publication of its first catalogue, and its move into its new exhibition space on Lenox Avenue. Odette returned to Michigan and attended Wayne State University Law School. She now practices in the area of real estate, performing closings and underwriting commercial transactions. Since becoming an attorney Odette has served on the Founders Junior Council board at the Detroit Institute of Arts, and has also been involved with Preservation Wayne and several other community arts organizations. We’re eager to provide news of both MSP and Museum Practice Program alums in future editions of our newsletter. If you have news to share, contact Associate Director Brad Taylor at bltaylor@umich.edu.
now reflects perfectly the diversity of the museum field, and our hard work establishing the new program has been buoyed immeasurably by the good wishes and support we’ve had throughout the university and the professional museum community here in Michigan. This is a wonderful time to be at the University.” Taylor joined the Museum Studies Program in July 2004 following an extensive career in scholarly publishing and the completion of a Ph.D. degree at Michigan’s School of Information, where his doctoral research on viewer response to museum artifacts was recognized with several national awards. “I worked in museums early in my career but, in the end, I’ve found it even more rewarding to center my research around
them. My main activities have focused on the effects of technology on the museum experience. With such sweeping changes in the offing, I feel compelled to document the quintessence of the onsite visit. If we can’t articulate why that matters, how can we expect others to ensure that some aspect of that survives in the virtual world?” Taylor coordinates the Program’s practical engagement experience and organizes its public events. His MSP work is complemented with a faculty appointment in Communication Studies where he teaches classes in technology and a “wildly popular” undergraduate course in visual literacy. To this list he’ll add teaching the second semester of this year’s museum studies proseminar.
Because Taylor also serves as the new program’s historical link to the old Museum Practice Program, he’s keenly aware of the debt owed to those who came before. “Clearly the notion of revisiting Museum Studies at Michigan would never have been as successful had the work of Dr. Sawyer and people like Bret Waller and Marjorie Harth not established such a compelling precedent for us earlier. I suspect the question was less whether we should try this again than it was how could we do this even better than it had been done before. I’m convinced that wonderful things are in store for the program this time around— and I’m delighted to be a part of it all.”
Partnerships in Practice Amy Harris, Director, University of Michigan Exhibit Museum of Natural History I have been deeply impressed by the sure and steady development of the new Museum Studies Program at the University of Michigan. The program has only just completed its first year of student enrollment, but has already established itself as an exciting and vital intellectual nexus for diverse constituencies across campus as well as in the museum community—regionally, nationally, and internationally. The interdisciplinary nature of the program is one of its great strengths, attracting outstanding students and establishing links and partnerships with a remarkable array of organizations and individuals. I look forward to the continued growth of this program, which has already brought so many benefits to our campus. James Steward, Director, University of Michigan Museum of Art The Museum Studies Program fills an essential niche nationally, in providing a broadly interdisciplinary program that merges the theoretical and the practical—a need that museum colleagues around the country have increasingly articulated in recent years. Whether for future museum professionals or individuals aiming for other careers, such as in the academy or the entertainment sector, the Program is preparing a corpus of people sophisticated in working with, and appreciating, the unique aspects of objects in our culture. I’m delighted to see Michigan taking a leadership role in this area.
Museum Studies Program University of Michigan 4700 Haven Hall 505 South State Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1045
Teresa Goforth, Director, Michigan Museums Association In its short history, the University of Michigan Museum Studies Program has provided programming of unsurpassed quality, available to the entire museum community in Michigan. They provide opportunities to think about museums in the contexts of community, world culture, and education. It is very exciting to watch this program grow and add new dimensions to museum studies in Michigan. Steven Hamp, President, The Henry Ford The stature of the nation’s museums as places of learning, reflection, and dialogue is rising. No other institutional sector is charged with gathering, preserving, presenting, and making relevant the full array of our cultural heritage. The skills required to operate our nation’s cultural institutions are rising as well. The Museum Studies Program at the University of Michigan is responding to the challenge of preparing tomorrow’s leaders in a dynamic fashion. Built on a great museum training tradition at U of M, the Museum Studies Program brings together a very diverse and exciting group of students, institutions, and real-world challenges to create one of the best seedbeds for the field in America.