Thinking About Museums: Take 2

Given all the dynamics and complex issues at play with museums today, from the museum work "behind-the-scenes" to how museums connect with visitors and the outside world, how has your perception of museums changed now that you've taken this class? What was your favorite part of the course? And finally: what part of museum work most interests you as a potential career path and why? Please respond in at least four sentences with specifics by 5 pm, Monday, December 5, and thanks for all your posts on the Thinking Museums blog this semester!

Ethics and Exhibiting Collections

Having read the Philip Kennicott article criticizing the exhibition of works from the collection of Bill and Camille Cosby, as well as the piece by Charles Desmarais on the strings attached to the SFMOMA's acceptance of the Fisher Collection, SELECT ONE OF THE TWO ARTICLES. Use it to describe in your own words your position on museums exhibiting works from collections where the collector's ethics are in question or where the gift is contingent upon collector curatorial control. Please mention details from either case, citing examples where there appears to have been breaches of ethics according to AAM standards. Respond thoughtfully in at least 4 sentences by 5:00 pm, Monday, November 14, and thanks.

Audience Engagement: Strategies for Relevance and Growth

As we discussed in class, knowing about who visits your museum is vital to the overall relevance and success of your institution. How a museum goes about attracting and getting to know their visitors—and what each museum does with that knowledge—can support growth and stability into the future.

With visitor engagement and empowerment in mind, assess either Nina Simon's TED talk OR Maxwell Anderson's Hirshhorn talk, discussing how your selected museum director views their museum's specific audience. What strategies does he/she implement to learn about their visitors and what are the strengths and weaknesses of the approach? Discuss these questions using specifics in at least four sentences, posting to the blog no later than 5 pm, Monday, November 7. Thanks!