CURCOM UPDATE Greetings from your Chairperson

CURCOM
UPDATE
Greetings from your Chairperson
Greetings! The annual meeting is just around the corner
and CurCom is pleased to be active in many areas. Very
interesting sessions sponsored and co-sponsored by
CurCom are in the program (details in this issue of
Update). Please look at the advance program for virtual
sessions if you cannot attend in person. The Excellence in
Exhibition Label Writing marketplace will be on view and
once again, we have a representative on the committee
for Excellence in Exhibitions. As we publish the
newsletter, two CurCom fellowships and one Global
Curator from Australia are being selected.
At the January meeting of the Standing Professional
Committees, AAM shared its first strategic plan that was
developed by the AAM Board and staff (also in this issue
of Update). It is available on the AAM website. The
progress report by the staff to the Board for the first 100
days is scheduled for March. Each of the four sections of
the plan is being coordinated by an AAM staff member to
ensure that the big ideas are implemented. Museum
advocacy was another subject brought to our attention. It
is a great way for everyone to be involved. Please review
the AAM Advocacy and Legislation page of their website
to find out about the current issues.
Inside
Collections? In a
Children’s Museum?
5
Introducing the
Darwin Centre
7
CurCom at the
Annual Meeting
11
AAM Strategic Plan
2010-2015
14
Congressional support for museum funding is still a
matter of concern. AAM needs everyone’s input,
regardless how much or little experience you feel you
have, to contact your Senators and Representatives.
We hope to see you in Los Angeles!
Ellen Endslow
CurCom Chairperson
March 2010
CURATORS’ STANDING
PROFESSIONAL COMMITTEE OF AAM
Chair
Ellen Endslow (2012)
Chester County Historical Society
[email protected]
Vice Chair
James Burns (2012)
Tempe Historical Museum
[email protected]
Immediate Past Chair
Linda Eppich
Preservation Society of Newport
County
[email protected] or
[email protected]
Secretary
Marshall Duell
Old Courthouse Museum
[email protected]
Treasurer
Rebecca Carruthers (2012)
California State Parks
[email protected]
Board Members-at-large
John Mayer (2010)
Maine Historical Society
[email protected]
John Russick (2010)
Chicago History Museum
[email protected]
Margaretta S. Frederick (2010)
Delaware Art Museum
[email protected]
Regional Representatives
AMM Curators
(Midwest Curators)
Dr Rex Garniewicz
Indiana State Museum &
Historic Site
[email protected]
Angela Goebel-Bain
Illinois State Museum
[email protected]
MAAM Curators (MidAtlantic Curators)
Brian Peterson
James A. Michener Art Museum
[email protected]
Nicole Belolan
Winterthur Museum
[email protected]
[email protected]
MPMA Curators
(Mountain-Plains
Curators)
Elisa Phelps
Colorado Historical Society
[email protected]
NEMA Curators (New
England Curators)
David Kennedy
Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage
Center
[email protected]
Sheri M. Leahan
[email protected]
SEMC Curators
(South-eastern
Curators)
Andrew Grilz
[email protected]
Stephanie Gaub
Orange County Regional History Ctr
[email protected]
Christy Carl
Alabama State Capitol
[email protected]
Project Directors
2009-11 Exhibition
Coordinator
(NAME representative)
Rita Hoffstadt
Franklin Institute
[email protected]
2010 Exhibition
Competition Judge
Redmond Barnett (see other listing)
WMA Curators
(Western Curators)
Redmond J. Barnett
Washington State Historical Society
[email protected]
Marshall Duell (see other listing)
2010 Fellowship Chair
Andrew Grilz (see other listing)
2010 Nominating
Committee Chair
Rob DeHart
Museum Consultant
[email protected]
2010 Program Chair
Ron M. Potvin
John Nicholas Brown Center
[email protected]
2010 Ethics Committee
Brian Peterson (see other listing)
Nicole Belolan
Winterthur Museum
Newsletter Editor
Deborah Tout-Smith
Museum Victoria, Australia
[email protected]
Ellen Endslow
Chester County Historical
Louise Fitton
Natural History Museum
Newsletter American
Liaison
Valarie Kinkade
Museum and Collector Resource
[email protected]
Ann Meyerson
New York City
Dean Phelus
AAM
Web Site
Administrator
Allison Cywin
College of Visual and Performing Arts
University of Massachusetts
[email protected]
John Russick
Chicago History Museum
Stacey A.
Please Touch Museum
eBlast Editor
Stephanie Gaub (see other listing)
Membership Committee
Margaretta Frederick (see other
listing)
Global Fellowship
Committee
Valarie Kinkade (see other listing)
Deborah Tout-Smith
(see other listing)
Archivist
Position open
AAM Liaison
Philip Katz
Asst. Director, Research, AAM
[email protected]
CONTRIBUTORS
Thanks to all our contributors and writers for
this issue of Update.
Editing and layout
Deborah Tout-Smith
Printing and
Valarie Kinkade
© AAM 2010
In this pre-Annual Meeting issue we provide an insight
into the wonderful sessions and events organized for
CurCom members, and the many ways everyone can
get involved. Even those who can’t attend can
participate in the virtual AAM conference on May 24-25,
featuring sessions selected by AAM’s Standing
Professional Committee.
This issue also presents AAM’s new Strategic Plan, and
introduces the 2010 Global Curators. Next year, it
might be you getting your tickets and passport in
order!
Future AAM Annual
Meetings
Stacey A. Swigart, Curator of Collections at the Please
Touch Museum, introduces her museum’s collections,
while Louise Fitton, Senior Interpretation Developer at
London’s Natural History Museum, takes us on a
journey through the new Darwin Centre.
Los Angeles, LA
May 23–26 2010
Houston, TX
May 22-25 2011
The deadline for the next issue is June 15. Please
email your contributions through to me as usual. I look
forward to hearing from you!
Minneapolis/St Paul,
MN
early May 2012
Deborah Tout-Smith
Museum Victoria, Australia
[email protected]
Baltimore, MD
mid May 2013
SUBSCRIPTION AND MEMBERSHIP
Update is the periodic newsletter distributed to members of
CurCom. It is also available on-line at http://www.curcom.org
CurCom (Curators’ Committee) is a Standing Professional
Committee (SPC) of the American Association of Museums.
All SPC members must join the AAM. Dues for CurCom ($20.00 /
$10.00 for students) are payable in addition to
AAM dues. Membership is obtained through:
Membership Department
American Association of Museums
1575 Eye St. N.W., Suite 400
Washington, DC 20005
Phone (202) 289 9132; fax (202) 289 6578;
email [email protected]
CurCom Update
Mar 2010
3
Global Curator Fellowships Announced
The international selection committee of
the Global Curator program is pleased to
announce the 2010 Global Curator
fellows.
Lindsey Richardson, from the Sixth
Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, Dallas,
Texas, will be travelling to Melbourne,
Australia in September to attend the
Museums Australia conference. She will
present a paper exploring the Sixth Floor
Museum as a ‘Case Study of the Near
and Distant Future’, including
preparations for the 50th anniversary of
the Kennedy assassination in 2013 and
post-anniversary re-thinking of audience
and civic engagement.
Alison Wishart, from the National
Museum of Australia in Canberra, will be
travelling to LA in May to attend the AAM
Annual Meeting. She will address the
CurCom business luncheon on the
subject of the Eternity gallery at the
National Museum of Australia, and
broader curatorial challenges and
opportunities it encapsulates.
Eternity tells the stories of 50 different
individuals, organized around 10
emotional themes: hope, joy, thrill,
passion, loneliness, fear, mystery,
separation, devotion and chance.
Each Global Curator fellow will receive US
$2200 towards their expenses, as well as
conference registration and social events.
On behalf of CurCom and the Museum
Historians’ National Network of Museums
Australia, which jointly organize the
Global Curator program, we congratulate
the fellows, and look forward to
welcoming them to our respective
countries.
We also thank ICOM Australia for its
support of the Global Curator program.
Remembering Kimberly Louagie (1967-2010)
A brilliant curator and great colleague, Kim Louagie, passed away on January 28 2010
after a two-year battle with cancer. In recent years she created two outstanding history
exhibitions, AKA Houdini, about the life of magician Harry Houdini, and Joseph
McCarthy: A Modern Tragedy, about the career and impact of US Senator Joseph
McCarthy.
As was Kim's gift, she infused these exhibitions with wit, insight, and visitor experiences
that engaged audiences with complex content in meaningful and moving ways. Both
AKA Houdini and Joseph McCarthy: A Modern Tragedy were recognized for excellence by
AASLH and AAM, respectively. Kim’s passing is a tremendous loss for the profession.
CurCom Update
Mar 2010
4
Collections? In a children’s museum?
How can that be?
Stacey A. Swigart, Curator of Collections, Please Touch Museum at Memorial Hall
Please Touch Museum actively collects and
uses objects that reflect and reveal the
history of childlife. The collection objects
become learning tools to engage children’s
minds and imagination as they observe
objects in exhibits. Such careful observation
acts as a springboard for new thoughts and
ideas, and stimulates the use of critical
thinking.
The primary collection of Please Touch
Museum is toys – toys guide play, engender
creativity and cultivate the imagination.
Toys offer children ways to develop their
brain power in strategic and critical thinking
… and toys help children in all the stages of
play: social/emotional, physical, cognitive
and language. Plus, they’re fun! Please
Touch Museum is a child’s first experience
with a museum. With interest in what
children learn at Please Touch, they often
become life-long collectors and museum
visitors.
– Please Touch Museum Collections
Statement
Please Touch Museum was founded in 1976
as the nation’s first children’s museum
dedicated to children seven and under. The
museum started in a small room in the
Academy of Natural Sciences on the
Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia.
PTM soon outgrew the space there and
moved to larger quarters several blocks
away on Cherry Street. Quickly outgrowing
that space, the museum moved once more
to 21st Street, behind the Franklin Institute.
By the mid 1990s – after two small
expansions – the museum was bursting at
the seams. A plan to move to the Delaware
River waterfront did not pan out, so PTM
began the quest for a historic Philadelphia
landmark building in Fairmount Park:
Memorial Hall, built as the Art Gallery for the
1876 Centennial Exhibition (World’s Fair).
Since its founding, the Museum was a
collecting institution. Initially, collection
objects were a little bit of everything. Most
of them were ‘touchable.’ In the early
1980s, the leadership decided to create a
scope of collections and focus on several
collecting initiatives. The primary category
was Historic Childlife and Contemporary
Toys. PTM created a layered system of
objects based on a stoplight: ‘green’ objects
were completely touchable, without
Exterior, Please Touch Museum at Memorial Hall.
Image courtesy Please Touch Museum
(M. Branscom)
CurCom Update
Continued on page 6
Mar 2010
5
Continued from page 5
supervision; ‘yellow’ objects were touchable
with supervision, and ‘red’ objects were not
touchable at all. On paper, the plan worked
well, however in practice … the yellow got
mixed up with the red, red got mixed up
with the green and confusion reigned! Prior
to the move to Memorial Hall, it was decided
to regroup the Collections Department and
create a new plan for the objects.
In 2003 as the quest for Memorial Hall
began in earnest, the Collections
Management Policy was redeveloped, the
scope of collections was redefined and PTMChildlife Collections and Archives became
the main theme with a focus on the
Contemporary Toy Collection. Other
categories include Historic Childlife and
Archives, Art (as related to PTM), Centennial
era, Memorial Hall, and institutional records.
PTM did not want to ignore the history of the
‘new’ building it was moving into.
In planning for the new museum, PTM
created an ‘Experience Team’ made up of
the Exhibits Director, Senior Exhibit
Designer, Education Director, and the
Curator of Collections. The team (nicknamed
the E-Team) met weekly for two years to
work with the contracted exhibit designers
to create the exhibit objectives, educational
opportunities, hands-on activities, and
collections experiences.
For collections, the goal was to incorporate
the objects into the design of the exhibit –
such as an exhibition case in the trunk of
the Toyota Scion in Please Touch Garage, or
tree trunk cases in Rainforest Rhythm. There
are more traditional collections cases as
well, designed to fit into the theme of the
exhibit, but with tempered glass fronts,
glass shelves, and space for objects.
Labeling of objects is for Grown-Ups – they
have ‘traditional’ information such as the
object name, maker, date, materials, basic
description, and acquisition data – but
remain small and relatively unobtrusive next
to the object.
Additionally, objects are used in special
rotating exhibits – themed for events and
programs in the museum in the ‘Etch-aSketch’ case (designed to look like a giant
Etch-a-Sketch!) and other flexible cases. A
‘Play Collection,’ which replaces the
aforementioned green and yellow categories
focuses on objects used in facilitated handson collection activities … allowing for ‘please
touch’ moments with objects.
Behind the scenes, a new collection storage
facility was designed and installed, including
compact storage units to accommodate the
growth of the collection; and shelving for
archival materials and records in a 2600 (+)
sq. ft section of the building. Adjacent to the
storage area is a collections workspace
with tables and shelves for the
collections and research library, supply
cabinets, filing cabinets, a digital photo
studio, and work areas.
Please Touch is a museum of first
experiences: museum, theater, art,
music, history, AND collections! We
hope our ‘training ground’ provides
children with a foundation to grow up
and continue to experience the arts
and history at other institutions and
organizations.
Music related toys and objects on display in the
Etch-a-Sketch case.
Image courtesy Please Touch Museum (T. Kline)
6
Mar 2010
CurCom Update
Introducing the Darwin Centre
Louise Fitton, Senior Interpretation Developer, Natural History Museum
When I joined the Natural History
Museum, London, a little over two years
ago, plans for the Darwin Centre – the
Natural History Museum’s new
£78 million wing – were already
underway. The concepts had been agreed
and worked up in consultation with
Museum scientists and the designers, At
Large, and the process of turning these
concepts into working exhibits was ready
to begin. It was a challenging and
exciting time to join the team, surpassed
only by the excitement of the recent
opening.
The new Darwin Centre represents not
only the addition of a building to the
Museum, but the completion of a much
larger project. Back in 2002, the first
phase of the Darwin Centre opened, a
purpose-built wing to house 22 million
alcohol-preserved zoological specimens,
alongside new laboratories and offices for
the many scientists working on those
collections. The second phase, which
opened its doors to the public on
September 15 2009, provides a similar
service for the vast plant and insect
collections. What makes the new building
particularly special, however, is the
bringing together of our science and the
public offer, which for the first time
allows visitors a glimpse into the inner
workings of the Museum.
The Darwin Centre has three principal
aims:
• to safeguard the collections –
through state-of-the art storage for
20 million plant and insect
specimens;
• to create high-quality research
facilities – delivering high-quality,
relevant, impactful research; and
•
to provide greater public access –
facilitating public views and insight
into this working science facility.
The hundreds of Museum visitors that
now visit every day will notice the
contrast between the new wing and the
original Waterhouse building. Taking the
form of a giant cocoon encased in a glass
box, it’s as ambitious and daring a piece
of architecture as the Waterhouse
building was in its day. C. F. Møller
Architects, from Denmark, were
responsible for its conception, and it
captures perfectly the spirit of the
Museum as both a cutting-edge research
centre and protective storage vessel for
the collection.
A new face to the Museum
Constructed in concrete, and finished in
polished Venetian plaster criss-crossed
by subtle stainless steel strips, the
cocoon is eight storeys high, and home to
over 20 million dried plant and animal
specimens in some 3.3 kilometres of
specially designed cabinets. The top
three floors, as well as containing science
areas, house Cocoon: the part of the
development with which I was involved.
This public gallery explains how the
collections are stored, why they are
relevant, and gives insight into the
scientific research that goes on every day
at the Museum. The five lower floors are
devoted to high-grade storage and work
facilities for the plant and insect
collections.
So what can visitors expect from Cocoon?
Firstly, they will notice an approach
somewhat different from the rest of the
Museum. In this dynamic space we not
Continued on page 8
CurCom Update
Mar 2010
7
Continued from page 7
only present what we know about the
natural world, we talk about how we
know it, looking at the questions
scientists ask, revealing more about how
they approach their research to discover
more about the diversity of life on Earth.
It is an opening up of a hidden world,
showing real scientists doing real
science.
Your journey begins
of the fascinating people responsible for
the birth of the Museum and its early
development.
Next, a large specimen case beautifully
displays a collection of insects and
plants, showing the variety of nature and
the range of the collections, and giving
an insight into the task of classifying and
recording this diversity.
Building your knowledge
You start by taking a glass lift to the top
floor, enjoying scenic views out over the
Wildlife Garden and grounds. It is on the
way up that the full spectacle of the 65metre-long cocoon structure reveals
itself. At the entrance, a beautiful,
specimen-rich nature table welcomes
you, with four touch-screen interactives
embedded within it. Here is an
opportunity to look at examples from the
entomology and botany collections, and
to get to grips with the primary questions
our scientists ask of the collections to
explore Earth’s biodiversity.
From here, you take your first step into
the cocoon. You’re greeted by four
Museum scientists, projected on the wall,
who act as virtual guides throughout the
experience. These four were chosen from
our Entomology and Botany
Departments, not only to talk about how
they came to work at the Museum and
their passion for their subject, but also to
appear on text panels and in many of the
interactives, prompting the visitor to
explore of their work.
Moving on through a rich mix of
interpretation delivery techniques, you
get your first chance to peek into a
collection space: a book-filled room
containing vast volumes of pressed
plants collected over hundreds of years.
These are the collections from which the
entire Museum first grew. As well as
being able to leaf through a virtual
specimen book, you can discover some
8
Mar 2010
As you continue your journey, you
understand more about how the
collections are named and ordered and
move in to the important molecular work
carried out here. Large portrait windows
look straight into our molecular
laboratories. This is one of two viewable
labs – the other is the Sackler
Biodiversity Imaging Laboratory on the
floor below. It is here you get a chance
to see our scientists in action, carrying
out important work on projects such as
understanding and controlling the spread
of malaria by mosquitoes.
Passing by views into science write-up
spaces, you walk into a space dominated
by plant displays, interactives and
specimen-collecting equipment. It is here
you can find out more about our
scientists’ work in the field, by trying to
plan your own trip. Interpretation
developer Tate Greenhalgh, who worked
up the area, explains.
‘Not all our scientific work happens onsite. In this fieldwork area, our scientists
tell how they traverse the globe working
with local organizations, to learn more
about our planet’s biodiversity, from our
own Wildlife Garden to unexplored
rainforests in Panama.’
Throughout the exhibition, you are
encouraged to save and collect
information and items of interest as you
go, by swiping a NaturePlus bar-coded
Continued on page 9
CurCom Update
Continued from page 8
ticket. You can then look at what you’ve
collected online either at home or in the
classroom.
Exiting the cocoon on the fifth floor, lifts
return you to ground level, home to the
Angela Marmont Centre for UK
Biodiversity, where specialist groups can
explore our UK collections and visitors
can use our specimen identification
service. There’s a Climate Change Wall at
the north end, a 12-metre-wall of video
screens that react and change as you
approach it. The changing screens
explore the impact of humans on the
Earth’s climate and how research at the
Museum contributes to global efforts to
understand climate change. A visit to the
hi-tech Attenborough Studio completes
the experience. Here you can dip into the
day’s dynamic programme of discussions
with scientists or watch a short film of
inspiring footage about the wonders of
the natural world.
That may be the end of your visit to the
Darwin Centre, but we hope it is only the
beginning for some visitors. By revealing
what we do behind the scenes, and
giving an opportunity to collect
information through NaturePlus, we want
to ignite a passion for the natural world,
and an understanding of our place on
Earth and our influence in its future.
This article first appeared in Museums & Heritage
magazine issue 9 – http://www.mandhlive.com/
default.asp
Curator Update: Ann Meyerson
As a history exhibition curator/exhibit developer, I will be visiting Cuba in March to
study the country’s history museums and public history program in general. I plan to
analyze the Cuban approach to interpreting history in a museum/artifactual
environment, and undoubtedly contrast it with that in the United States. I will be
publishing my findings.
This project follows upon a recent consultancy at the National Museum of American
Jewish History in Philadelphia. The Museum will be opening a new 25,000 square foot
exhibition in late 2010 which tells the story of the American Jewish experience from
1654 to the present. As curator of this exhibition, I was responsible for refining the
narrative through the selection of artifacts, images, and other primary source materials
during the design development and construction document phases of the process.
Ann Meyerson
9
Mar 2010
CurCom Update
New Publication
Connecting Kids to History with Museum Exhibitions
Ed. D. Lynn McRainey and John Russick
Sure to inspire and motivate museum professionals, this essential new book provides
practical tools for creating meaningful and memorable connections to the past for
children. This vital museum audience possesses many of the same dynamic qualities as
trained historians – such as curiosity and empathy for the human experience – yet
traditional history exhibitions tend to focus on passive looking in the galleries, giving
priority to relaying key messages through written words.
The top museum professionals who contributed to Connecting Kids to History with
Museum Exhibitions clearly respect their target audience of children – their
developmental stages, learning preferences, and ability to contribute to the interpretive
experience. The authors provide new ways of thinking about museum work, including
evaluation, label writing, interactive elements, and exhibition development and design.
This book provides guidance and insight to any museum that recognizes kids as an
important audience and is ready to engage them with meaningful and accessible
exhibition experiences.
Authors include: Phyllis Rabineau, Sharon Shaffer, Elizabeth Reich Rawson, Anne
Grimes Rand, Robert Kiihne, D. Lynn McRainey, Daniel Spock, Jon-Paul C. Dyson,
Benjamin Filene, Leslie Bedford, Andy Anway, Neal Mayer, John Russick, Mary Jane
Taylor, Beth Twiss-Houting, Judy Rand, and Gail Ringel.
Left Coast Press, Inc., 2010
334 pages
34.95 paperback / $89.00 hardback
‘I can’t wait to have this book in the
hands of my students! This amazing
group of authors presents the most
current research and innovative thinking.
The breadth of examples and frameworks
solidly place kids as a core and not
peripheral museum audience. ... They
don’t just advocate, they provide
concrete guidance, models and powerful
examples drawn from theory, research
and practice. This book … is extremely
valuable for exhibit designers, educators,
evaluators, curators, administrators and
any museum professional interested in
how to make the museum more engaging
for kids.’
Further information is available at http://
www.lcoastpress.com/book.php?id=222
‘This invaluable compilation of essays
introduces museum practitioners to
foundational principles of childhood
development; translates how the
inherent skills and interests of children –
from imagination to play – can be applied
to historical exploration; and then
demonstrates the practical application of
this information into exhibition
development. Beyond its focus on kids, I
found the book a great reminder of the
importance of creating exhibits for
PEOPLE, and putting our visitors at the
center of museum experiences.’
– Lori Fogarty, Director, Oakland
Museum of California
– Kris Morrissey, Director, Museology
Graduate Program, University of
Washington
10 Mar 2010
CurCom Update
CurCom Members in Action at the Annual Meeting
Ellen Endslow
There are many ways for CurCom
members to actively participate in AAM’s
changing landscape and the Annual
Meeting in LA, whether or not you can
attend in person.
1. Everyone is URGED to spread the
word about museum advocacy on the
upcoming bill that was passed in the
House. If you can’t make it to
Washington in person, please write
letters. Reinforce this with any local,
state, or regional organizations in
your area in addition to individual
colleagues and community members.
So far the politicians have heard from
some directors and the American
Association of Zookeepers. They need
to hear from museums because
museums will be on the losing end of
this bill also.
2. Please see and share the Strategic
Plan, the first for AAM, if you haven’t
already seen it (in this issue of
Update).
a. The four goals are being
shepherded by four different AAM
staff persons.
b. First 100 Days progress report will
be presented by AAM staff to AAM
Board; ideas for any of the
categories below are willingly
sought and should be sent to
Eileen Goldspiel
[email protected]
i. Creating national standards
advisory council
ii. Begin/develop collaborations
with more regional, state, and
national museum associations
iii. Sustainability – increase
membership
11 Mar 2010
iv. Alignment – align resources
with strategic goals; how do
we align SPCs with AAM and
health of museums?
c. AAM hired a firm to do a
marketing study that will lead to
an AAM operational plan in the
near future
3. MEMBERSHIP GROWTH is something
Ford Bell asked SPCs to work on. This
led to interesting observations.
a. Please share directly with Eileen
why you are a member of AAM
and CurCom
b. Please share what you know about
why others are not
4. ANNUAL MEETING in LA
a. Annual meeting ambassadors –
watch for upcoming info
requesting long time attendees to
help first timers at Annual Meeting
b. Spread the word about the Career
Café
c. If you know anyone who is
familiar with Flash Mob social
networking, contact Elizabeth
Merritt [email protected];
they will be doing something in LA
and are looking for ideas
d. Monday, May 24 and Tuesday,
May 25 there will be Virtual
Conference Schedule for some of
the sessions; AAM will be sending
this information soon
e. Future locations for AAM
meetings: 2011 Houston (May 2225); 2012 Minneapolis (beginning
of May); 2013 Baltimore (middle
of May)
CurCom Update
Sessions and Events Endorsed by CurCom
AAM ANNUAL MEETING, LA, MAY 23-26 2010
As usual, the Curators’ Committee has
done a terrific job preparing for the
Annual Meeting.
CurCom is endorsing no fewer than 34
sessions and events. This endorsement
indicates special interest to CurCom
members, and underlines the value of
the Annual Meeting for curators across
the United States and beyond.
For further information on any of these
sessions, go to http://www.aam-us.org/
am10/events.cfm
SUNDAY MAY 23, 2010
Board Meeting
10:00 AM-1:00 PM
AAM Curators Committee (CurCom)
Board Meeting
Single Session
4:15 PM-5:30 PM
Dissolving Walls: Interpreting Outdoor
Spaces
When the Plot Thickens: Storyline
Testing for Exhibition Designers and
Developers
Business Reception
6:00 PM-8:30 PM
AAM Curators (CurCom) Small Museums
Administrators (SMAC) and Committee
on Museum Professional Training
(COMPT) Joint Reception ($40.00)
MONDAY MAY 24, 2010
Single Session
9:00 AM-10:15 AM
Deaccession: New Perspectives
Single Session
1:15 PM-2:30 PM
On the Road: Ephemeral Exhibits and the
Visitor Experience
Cultivating Communities: Museum
Outreach in Healthcare Settings
Working with Emotionally Sensitive
Collections
Social Tagging and Museum Practice: a
Survey
Tilted Walls: Exhibiting in Architecturally
Challenging Buildings
Single Session
2:15 PM-3:30 PM
Beyond Words: Editing as Exhibition
Development
Design for Participation
Single Session
2:45 PM-4:00 PM
Engagement Party: How a Provocative
Residency Program Impacts a
Contemporary Art Museum Community
How to Demonstrate the Public Value of
museums
Double Session
2:45 PM-5:30 PM
Don’t Just Stand There, Do Something!
Inspiring Citizen Engagement Inside the
Museum
How Can History Museums Be More
Interactive?
Is Your Dry Sprinkler System Under
Attack?
NAGPRA at 20: Assessing the NAGPRA
Experience
Continued on page 13
12 Mar 2010
CurCom Update
Continued from page 12
TUESDAY MAY 25, 2010
Single Session
9:00 AM-10:15 AM
Collaborating with Tribal Communities in
Museum Exhibits
Heavy Lifting 101: Moving Collections at
Small Museums
Know When to Walk Away (Know When
to Run): Changing Museum Jobs
WEDNESDAY MAY 26, 2010
Single Session
9:00 AM-10:15 AM
Art on Campus: Guidelines and Policies
for Internal Loans and Public Art
Collections
Collections Conundrums 2010: Current
Issues
Business Luncheon
12:15 PM-1:45 PM
Inclusive Practice: Examining the Role of
Organizational Dynamics in Serving
Underrepresented Communities
AAM Curators Committee (CurCom)
Business Luncheon ($40.00)
Single Session
2:00 PM-3:15 PM
Single Session
2:00 PM-3:15 PM
Watch those Watts: Sustainable & Green
Practices for Lighting & AV Systems in
Museum Exhibition
Movement and Sound in Museum
Collections: Preserving and Providing
Access to Audiovisual Materials
Single Session
3:45 PM-5:00 PM
The 22nd Annual Excellence in Exhibition
Competition
Art Museum Installation Design: Three
Ways
Double Session
2:00 PM-5:00 PM
Student Exhibitions at Museums:
Engaging Students as Artists, Curators,
and Programmers
A Collection Without Borders: What
Would you Choose?
Single Session
3:45 PM-5:00 PM
Telling the Tough Stuff: the Role of
Museums in Exploring Issues of
Controversy and Complexity
Collecting, Ethics, and Patrimony
Statewide Planning Can Help Preserve
Collections/Plan for Disasters
AAM Virtual Conference May 24-25
The American Association of Museums will be hosting a two-day Virtual Conference of
annual meeting sessions selected by AAM’s Standing Professional Committee Council to
be delivered virtually on Monday, May 24 and Tuesday May 25.
Sessions will cover a range of functional interests to include insight on: editing as
exhibition development; demonstrating the public value of museums; and breaking
down barriers between the physical and virtual museum experience through innovative
technology. The conference is intended to deliver rich educational content to those who
are unable to make the annual meeting or prefer this learning platform.
For registration and other details on this exciting new initiative please visit
www.aam-us.org/am10
13 Mar 2010
CurCom Update
‘The Spark’:
AAM Strategic Plan 2010-2015:
‘Championing the vital role of museums in the 21st century’
Approved by the AAM Board of Directors November 20 2009
Openness. We are committed to
transparency in our operation and
communicate truthfully about our
efforts and activities.
OUR MISSION
The American Association of Museums’
mission is to strengthen museums
through leadership, advocacy,
collaboration and service.
Courage. We strive to do the right
thing by being proactive, valuing
criticism, accepting tension, and taking
risks.
OUR CORE
Beliefs and values that guide our actions:
Inclusiveness. We seek out and
embrace diversity of participation,
thought, and action.
BELIEFS
•
•
Museums strengthen communities.
They educate and inspire, nourish
minds and spirits, and enrich lives.
Creativity. We envision what might
be, encourage innovation, tolerate
ambiguity, and understand that the
risk of failure is inherent in the
creative process.
The museum experience is
characterized by encounters with real
objects and primary learning
experiences, in a positive place,
supported by scholarship and
knowledge.
Excellence. We value the highest
quality in everything we do and how
we do it.
Collaboration is important to
advancing the museum field. The
American Association of Museums is
strengthened through its relationships with people, museums,
communities and other organizations.
OUR FUTURE: VISION STATEMENT
•
Our strength lies in our diversity
among the broad range of people and
museums we represent.
OUR PLAN: GOALS & STRATEGIES
•
The American Association of Museums
supports active participation in the
global community and embraces
international perspectives as central
to its core mission.
•
VALUES
We will champion the vital role of
museums in the 21st century.
GOAL 1. Excellence
Develop clearly defined levels of
excellence accessible to the entire
museum field and recognized by the
public.
Strategies:
Integrity. We value honesty and
ethical behavior in all that we do. We
are accountable and responsible for
our decisions and actions.
14 Mar 2010
•
Create levels of recognition for
museums.
Continued on page 15
CurCom Update
Continued from page 14
•
Examine, update and refine standards
in coordination with other museumaffiliated associations and their
existing standards.
•
Communicate museum standards to
the field and to the general public.
•
Explore ways to expand significantly
participation in standards programs.
•
Foster excellence through
professional training.
GOAL 4. Alignment
Align internal and external resources,
culture, and structures with our strategic
plan, vision, values and beliefs.
Strategies:
•
Examine and adjust the American
Association of Museums’ internal
structure.
•
Examine and adjust the American
Association of Museums’ operational
resources and leverage programs and
initiatives by collaborating with allied
associations and interest groups.
•
Examine and improve the American
Association of Museums’ collaborative
relationships with affiliate groups and
allied partners within the field and
beyond.
•
Create and implement a plan for
including international perspectives
and maximizing international
participation in all that we do.
•
Create and implement a plan for
embracing diversity in all areas of the
American Association of Museums’
work.
•
Ensure that all elements of the
strategic plan in-clude assessment,
evaluation, and accountability.
GOAL 2. Advocacy
Promote the value of museums.
Strategies:
•
•
•
Conduct state and national advocacy
on behalf of museums.
Create and implement a thorough
public cam-paign to communicate the
value of all museums.
Provide guidance to the field to
conduct advocacy at the regional and
local level.
GOAL 3. Sustainability
Build a financially stable and sustainable
association in order to provide the best
possible service and leadership to the
field.
Strategies:
•
Develop and implement a goaloriented strategic membership plan,
including the potential for public and
international memberships.
•
Develop and implement a goaloriented strategic development plan.
•
Develop, deepen, and diversify
business opportunities.
•
Strengthen the American Association
of Museums’ brand.
15 Mar 2010
CurCom Update
Missouri Museums Association
2010 Annual Meeting
Jefferson City, MO
April 15-16 2010
http://www.missourimuseums.org/
The Missouri Museums Association is
co-sponsoring the 52nd annual
meeting of the Missouri Conference
on History with the Missouri State
Archives and the State Historical
Society of Missouri in Jefferson
City.
The Conference will present the
results of research, exchange
information on teaching and
curriculum, consider ways to
promote interest in history and the
welfare of the profession, and
discuss other concerns common to
all historians. All persons interested
or involved in the teaching of
history, historical research,
historical preservation, or any
other professional application of
history are welcome.
Ohio Museums Association
2010 Annual Conference
Newark, OH
April 25-26 2010
http://www.ohiomuseums.org/
conference.html
Sessions on administration,
collections, community outreach,
conservation, development,
education, exhibits, marketing,
membership, museum store, public
relations, visitor services and
volunteers are planned. However,
for 2010 we would like the majority
of our sessions to focus on the
following topics: gearing your
museum towards kids; how to make
your museum appeal to families;
topics for emerging museum
professionals; and steering
‘Evolving Boundaries: Linking
People, Place and Meaning’
Canadian Museums Association
National Conference
St John’s, NL, Canada
May 10-15 2010
http://www.museums.ca/
stjohns2010/en/
The CMA's 63rd national conference
will feature exemplary work in
historic sites, parks, museums and
art galleries that fulfill our
traditional mandate. As a highlight
of the conference, we will be
placing a special focus on
intangible cultural heritage,
providing a forum for discussion of
practical approaches through which
museums can creatively link people
and places in order to inspire
meaning.
‘The Promise and Peril of
Being Modern’
2010 Colorado-Wyoming Association
of Museums (CWAM) Annual
Conference
Laramie, WY
May 13-15 2010
http://
www.cwamit.org/2010_annual_con
ference.html
What does it mean to be a modern
museum? Are museums being asked
to play a different role in modern
society? What characteristics are
essential to being a museum? With
factors as varied as the economy,
changes in technology, and visitor
expectations for their leisure
activities, museums face the
difficult task of striking a balance
between the Promise and Peril of
Being Modern.
2010 Hawai’i Museums
Association (HMA) Annual
Meeting
Ford Island Conference Center, HI
May 21 2010
http://www.hawaiimuseums.org/
HMAinfo_annualconf.htm
Schedule and agenda information
to be announced shortly.
‘Where Ideas Live!’
AAM Annual Meeting
Los Angeles, LA
May 23–27 2010
http://www.aam-us.org/am09/
With each generation, museum
professionals in the United States
seek to redefine the word
‘museum’ and determine anew our
responsibilities to the society we
serve. While we continue to ask the
same questions as our predecessors
― What should the museum be?
How should it best do its work?
Whom should it serve? ― the
answers change, sometimes subtly,
sometimes overtly, with each
generation.
16
Mar 2010 Update
‘Casting a Broader Net:
Building Community through
Collaboration’
Washington Museum Association
2010 Annual Conference
Gig Harbor, WA
June 16-18 2010
http://
www.washingtonstatemuseums.org
/annualconference.html
This year’s Washington Museum
Association Annual Conference will
be hosted by the new Harbor
History Museum, opening 2010.
program will be available shortly.
‘Museums and Restitution’
Centre for Museology and the
Manchester Museum at the
University of Manchester
Manchester, UK
July 8-9 2010
http://
www.arts.manchester.ac.uk/
museology/museumsandrestitution/
Restitution is one of the most
emotive and complex issues facing
the museum world in the 21st
century. Its current high profile
reflects changing global power
relations and the increasingly vocal
criticisms of the historical
concentration of the world's
heritage in the museums of the
West. The 2002 Declaration of the
Importance and Value of Universal
Museums, which was signed by the
directors of 18 of the world's most
prominent museums, pushed the
subject to the forefront of debate
as never before.
The conference examines the issue
of restitution in relation to the
changing role and authority of the
museum, focusing on new ways in
which these institutions are
addressing the subject.
‘I’ve Known Rivers: Presenting
African American Arts, Culture
& History’
Association of African American
Museums Annual Conference
Pittsburgh, PA
August 4-7 2010
http://www.blackmuseums.org/
prodev/conference.htm
‘I've known rivers, ancient as the
world and older than the flow of
human blood in human veins.’
— Langston Hughes, 1921
The Association of African American
Museums Annual Conference will be
hosted by the August Wilson Center
for African American Culture.
Inspired by renowned poet
Langston Hughes, the Conference
will explore efforts by metropolitan
museums and cultural institutions
to preserve and present the ancient
through contemporary African
American history and arts. Whether
large or small, these institutions
have been the catalyst for cultural
and historical preservation
throughout their regions.
‘The Winds of Opportunity’
Oklahoma Museums Association and
American Association for State and
Local History Joint Meeting
Oklahoma City, OK
September 22-25 2010
http://www.okmuseums.org/
annual-conference/
Much as Oklahoma’s infamous
tornadoes and storms generate
both gentle and severe winds
impacting the state, so too have
the winds of opportunity impacted
the nation’s cultural landscape.
Winds, while possibly destructive,
also can usher in new perspectives,
opportunities, and critical self
examination that may lead to
strengthening organizations and the
development of previously
unforeseen goals. The 2010 joint
Annual Meeting of AASLH and the
Oklahoma Museums Association will
consider these ideas against the
backdrop of a changing America.
‘Interesting Times: New Roles
for Collections’
Museums Australia Annual
Conference
Melbourne, Australia
September 28-October 2 2010
http://www.ma2010.com.au/
The 2010 Museums Australia
conference has been moved to
spring, a beautiful time of year in
Melbourne. Hosted by the
University of Melbourne, it will
include both local and international
speakers. The broad-ranging
topics will include collections for
communities; collections for
cultural diplomacy; collections and
commerce; collections in peril
(war, terrorism, financial crisis,
natural disasters); interpreting and
showcasing collections (through
exhibition design, building
architecture, new technologies);
and communicating collections.
‘Ho’okele – To Navigate:
Science Centers as Wayfinders
to New Horizons’
ASTC 2010 Annual Conference and
Exhibit Hall
Honolulu, HI
October 2–5 2010
http://www.astc.org/conference/
index.htm
Ancient Polynesians arrived in
Hawaii in waves of migrations
centuries ago on double-hulled
voyaging canoes, precisely
navigating without instruments over
thousands of miles of open ocean.
This ancient skill of wayfinding,
only now being rediscovered and
revived, is called in Hawaiian
Ho’okele.
foundations, tourism entities, and
city government lead to successful
grant applications which enable the
important work of the museum to
go forward. The list could go on.
The theme for the 2010 Iowa
Museum Association Conference is
‘Celebrating Community
Partnerships.’ The conference
itself is being planned by a
coalition of community leaders
from community organizations
including history, art, education,
and local government. This
diversity has brought a wide range
of ideas and interests to the
planning and will ultimately
strengthen and broaden what the
conference offers its attendees.
The theme of the 2010 ASTC Annual
Conference, ‘Ho’okele –To
Navigate’, looks to new and
exciting horizons through the
wayfinding vision of the ASTC
strategy adopted by the Board of
Directors in October 2008:
‘Proactively address critical
societal issues locally and globally
where science understanding and
public engagement are essential.’
When science centers act as good
navigators for the public, they are
valued by their communities as
essential, and people come aboard.
‘Museums for Social Harmony’
Celebrating Community
Partnerships
2010 Iowa Museum Association
Annual Meeting & Conference
Grinnell, IA
October 17-19 2010
http://www.iowamuseums.org/
aspx/events/eventdetails.aspx?
eid=70
Athens, Greece
December 28-31 2010
http://www.atiner.gr/docs/
History.htm
Community partnerships are an
essential ingredient for successfully
managing today’s museums.
Partnerships between local
educators and museum educators
build curriculum-sensitive
enrichment and outreach programs
for the benefit of students of all
ages. Partnerships between
community main street or chamber
organizations and museums lead to
tourist-attracting designations such
as ‘Cultural and Entertainment
Districts’ or ‘Great American Main
Streets.’ Partnerships with
community volunteers bring
necessary assistance to understaffed museums and rewarding
work for caring volunteers.
Partnerships with community
17
Mar 2010 Update
ICOM General Conference
Shanghai, China
November 7-13 2010
http://icom.museum/
gen_conferences.html
The next ICOM General Meeting is
being planned for 2010 in Shanghai,
China. Do consider attending the
most significant international
museum event on the calendar!
8th Annual International
Conference on History: From
Ancient to Modern
The History Research Unit of the
Athens Institute for Education and
Research (ATINER) will host its 8th
Annual International Conference on
History in downtown Athens,
Greece, within walking distance of
the Acropolis (Parthenon) and other
historical sites of Athens.
Papers (in English) from all areas of
history will be included. Special
sessions will be organized in areas
including: Ancient Greek and
Roman History, Cultural History;
History of Religion; Arts History;
Economic History; Political and
Social History; Sports History
(History of Olympic Games); History
of Sciences, History of Philosophy;
American History, Historiography,
Historic Preservation, and the
Future of Historical Studies.
CurCom Update
c/o Valarie Kinkade
134 Musterfield Road
Concord, MA 01742
March 2010
CURCOM
UPDATE