Museum Studies at Tufts University

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Category: Events (Page 8 of 24)

Event: Museum Conversations: Curating Data/Challenging History

April 8, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Left: Fred Wilson Photo by Andrew Walker; Right: Laura Kurgan

Fred Wilson, artist and Laura Kurgan, Associate Professor of Architecture, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, and Director of the Center for Spatial Research and of the Visual Studies curriculum, Columbia University

In Harvard’s annual seminar on innovative curatorial practice, Laura Kurgan of Columbia University and artist Fred Wilson will, from different perspectives, reflect on their work to reimagine how museum exhibits present information, often by juxtaposing the unexpected to create new insights. Their short presentations will be followed by a moderated discussion.

Date: Monday, April 11, 2016, 6:30pm

Location: Northwest Building, B-103, 52 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA

Co-sponsored by the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture and the Harvard Art Museums as part of the Harvard Museums’ Seminar on Innovative Curatorial Practice

Free event parking is available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage

Free Course on Preventive Conservation through The Foundation for the American Institute for Conservation

April 4, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Preventive Conservation

June 18 – July 1, 2016
Staatsburgh State Historic Site, Staatsburgh, NY
Instructors: Genevieve Bieniosek, John Childs, Catherine Coueignoux, Cathy Mackenzie, Kirsten Schoonmaker

Description: The 2016 Preventive Conservation Workshop is a 14 day course for pre-program conservation students, focusing on historic housekeeping.  The workshop will take place at Staatsburgh State Historic Site, overlooking the Hudson River in New York State.  Eight participants will be selected for the program, which will take place June 18 – July 1, 2016.  The program is presented by the Foundation for the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works.

Registration: There is no registration fee and the participants will receive a travel stipend. Housing and meals are provided to successful applicants.  Please submit a detailed letter of interest and a resume to courses@conservation-us.org.  Application materials must be received by April 8, 2016.

About the Workshop: The workshop will use the perspective of a housekeeper working in a historic house to introduce preventative conservation principles. The housekeeper is the primary person interacting with the entire collection on a daily basis, and so he/she will have to assess the environment and recognize the effects on the historic artifacts.  The participants will learn in-depth methods of caring for all collections in a historic house, and also gain insight into artifact conservation and the conditions that cause deterioration.

There will be five instructors representing collection specialties.  The group will tackle the “deep” cleaning of a room in the historic interior, including moving furniture, rolling and vacuuming a carpet and cleaning the decorative arts objects.  Hands-on activities will be complimented by lectures and site visits to other historic properties.  Students will be expected to contribute to a blog post and document the tasks performed.

About the Site: Staatsburgh State Historic Site, located about half-way between New York City and Albany, is the elegant country home of Ogden Mills and his wife Ruth Livingston Mills. Sitting atop a grassy hill overlooking the Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains, their house is a fine example of a great estate built by America’s financial and industrial leaders during the Gilded Age (1876 – 1917).  Major remodeling in 1895-96 transformed the house from a 25-room Greek Revival style home into a Beaux-Arts mansion of 65 rooms and 14 bathrooms. More information about the site can be found at http://parks.ny.gov/historic-sites/25/details.aspx.

Questions?
Contact: Sarah Saetren
FAIC Education Assistant
202-661-8071
courses@conservation-us.org

The Art of Schmoozing Workshop Review

April 1, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Last week, a number of current and former Museum Studies students took part in a workshop put on by the Museum Studies Department and led by Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko, President and CEO of the Abbe Museum. “The Art of Schmoozing” discussed networking beyond trying to get a job or making a conference more bearable. Networking helps you talk to potential (and current) donors, volunteers, and community members. Knowing how to speak intelligently and politely is important both professionally and personally (picture sitting at a dinner party and not knowing how to talk to the people around you).

Museum Studies Alum Jennifer Clifford practicing her networking with Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko. (Photo Courtesy of Cynthia Robinson)

Museum Studies Alum Jennifer Clifford (middle) practicing her networking with Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko (right). (Photo Courtesy of Cynthia Robinson)

While many of us panic at the sight of a crowded conference happy hour, and the prospect of talking to billionaires (should we be so lucky) can evoke anxiety, there are several small tricks that can help ease the nerves. Cinnamon imparted some of her own first-hand experiences with some of the following tips:

  • Always introduce someone new to the whole group. It seems straightforward, but often someone joins a group conversation in the middle of a conversation. Rarely do people stop in the middle to say, “Oh by the way, this is my friend Colleen…” before continuing on. It’s awkward to halt the conversation, but it’s also awkward to be chatting with an unknown, unnamed stranger.
  • To get out of a conversation, either make something up (“Oh you’ll have to excuse me, I need to check on the caterer”) or be straightforward but put the onus on you (“I’m sure there are lots of people you’d like to talk to tonight. I’m sorry for monopolizing your time. It was great to meet you. Thank you!”)
  • To break into a group conversation, you can watch body language and wait for an opening (as long as you’re not lurking!), or you can interrupt very briefly and say, “I’m so sorry for interrupting, I just wanted to introduce myself and tell you that I loved your talk at NEMA. Would it be alright if I follow up with you later? I have some questions I’d like to ask you.” With any luck, you’ll get that person’s card and you can email them later.

Cinnamon’s presentation was frank and funny, and included tips on knowing how to work with people with different personality types (check out DiSC if you’re interested). Afterwards, participants were able to practice their new skills over wine and snacks.

Keep your eye out here and in the Museum Studies newsletter for further fun workshops!

FREE Event: Museum Conversations: Curating Data/Challenging History

March 23, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Museum Conversations: Curating Data/Challenging History

Date:

Monday, April 11, 2016, 6:30pm

Location:

Northwest Building, B-103, 52 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA
Free event parking is available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage.

Left: Fred Wilson Photo by Andrew Walker; Right: Laura Kurgan

Fred Wilson, artist and Laura Kurgan, Associate Professor of Architecture, Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation, and Director of the Center for Spatial Research and of the Visual Studies curriculum, Columbia University

In this year’s seminar on innovative curatorial practice, Laura Kurgan of Columbia University and artist Fred Wilson will, from different perspectives, reflect on their work to reimagine how museum exhibits present information, often by juxtaposing the unexpected to create new insights. Their short presentations will be followed by a moderated discussion.

Public Lecture. Free and open to the public.

Co-sponsored by the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture and the Harvard Art Museums as part of the Harvard Museums’ Seminar on Innovative Curatorial Practice

Event: Visitor Studies Association Conference

March 21, 2016 / / 0 Comments

REGISTER NOW FOR THE VISITOR STUDIES ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE

July 19-23, Hyatt Regency Boston

With 14 in-depth workshops ranging from introductory statistics to data visualization and reporting, over 45 presentations of papers, roundtables, and think tanks, and keynote speakers from across the fields of data visualization and data science, the 2016 VSA conference will not disappoint! Check out the conference schedule of events and the workshops offered.

In addition to a robust schedule of sessions, workshops, and keynote speakers, The Data Revolution will offer space for both the discussion of innovative uses of data, presentation of new findings and methods, as well as opportunities to reflect on the purpose and utility of current data collection, analysis, and visualization techniques and the ethical and practical issues around collecting and sharing data on audiences.

Register NOW at the cheapest rate. The early bird registration pricing is available for two months, but don’t delay, as workshops have limited space available.

Worried about Boston housing being too expensive? VSA is offering a forum for all attendees to find a roommate.

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