Diverse Experiences
Investigation of Learning Resources on Museum Websites
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Sandy Tang
The purpose of the study is to gain a comprehensive picture of developing learning resources on museum websites for students and school teaching. The research argues that the production of online learning resources is an intricate and dynamic process. For example, it is expected that curators with expertise in collections and subject matters should be team members with those who specialise in digital production. To negotiate different needs, this collaborative working process is complex rather than linear. This study employs Actor-Network Theory (ANT) to unveil the agency of these actors and their evolving interactions, highlighting the role they play in shaping the nature, quality, and effectiveness of online learning resources. Developed primarily by sociologists Bruno Latour and Michel Callon, ANT is a theoretical framework and approach to understanding the dynamics of complex systems and networks. Under the theoretical lens, the research is able to trace the diverse elements that include animate factors (educators, content creators, museum staff, etc.,) and inanimate factors (websites, digital tools, content management systems, etc.,). The two cases which are Kettle Yard of the University of Cambridge, and the Leeds Museum and Gallery in the United Kingdom are chosen to reveal the secrets behind the development of the learning resources.
Exhibiting Empathy: Community-engaged Research and Interactive Exhibits
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Kristin Barry
The American Northwest Indian War is often forgotten in the lengthy discourse of US armed conflict. Its chronological proximity to the American Revolution, combined with the eventual removal of American Indians from their native territories, has refocused attention from the success of the indigenous battle strategies to the timeline of atrocities following. St. Clair’s Defeat at the Battle of the Wabash (1791) and the Battle of Fort Recovery (1794), were two of the largest engagements of the war, and exemplify the settler-Native conflicts and Tribal Nations’ efforts to protect their homelands through these innovative strategies. In an effort to represent these important histories from the perspectives of the associated heritage communities and decolonize the exhibit design process, a project team conducted extensive community-engaged scholarship to develop a representative and empathy-driven national traveling exhibit to present a more nuanced understanding of the Northwest Indian war. Featuring audiovisual, archival, and interactive elements, the exhibit recreates the indigenous inter-nation crescent battle formation to mirror the feeling of enclosure for the settlers, but also introduces visitors to the timeline of atrocities, including broken treaties, discriminatory laws, and eventual removal, that forever separated these tribes from their homelands, ending with a persistence emphasis. While this exhibit is the first step in engaging outside audiences in contested/conflicted heritage, this paper advocates for an inclusive, indigenous community-driven approach to interpreting the Northwest Indian War in US History. Engaging descendent communities in the process from the onset strengthens connections between museums and indigenous stakeholders, benefiting both.
Museums for Museum's Sake: Learnings from an Amateur Museum Questioning Ideas of Traditional White Cube Colonial Endeavours
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Mudita Pasari
Over the past decade as a designer, curator and educational strategist the author has questioned the ideas of the colonial white cube museums. The obsession with preservation, and shirking impermanence, as well as housing (often stolen) cultural artefacts from across the world in looming buildings, have been sore thumbs in our practice. As a descendant of colonial upbringing, the author has founded and curated a museum of natural (and sometimes human-made) artefacts ethically collected from over 10 countries, bringing international experiences to the doorstep of many who cannot afford to travel. Simultaneously learning from and critiquing traditional museum practices, the author allows these artefacts to age and eventually disappear instead of reversing time. Ideas of impermanence, graceful ageing, comfort with viewing the cycle of life and letting go are many aspects of the author's museum practice. Gatherarium Foundation is a museum of micro museums that uses the age-old technique of gathering, never plucking or plundering any environment. All artefacts are displayed in public spaces, allowing for interaction and shared transfer of knowledge in mostly transparent containers, which provide a constantly transforming visual and also a whiff of time. This paper uses Gatherarium as a case study to reflect on the practice of curation, which until recently took the preservation of artefacts as a primary goal– encouraging acceptance of time and change, probing questions of our collective colonial past, making it available for viewing despite knowing the “damage” it may cause, but most importantly knowing never to pluck, plunder and hoard.
Centering Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Experiences in Sound Art Exhibitions View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Lloyd May
This project details the process of generating recommendations for the implementation of specific haptic and captioning technologies in a sound and video art exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum to improve the museum experience for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing patrons. Various haptic technologies were evaluated by D/deaf and Hard-of-Hearing participants through a combination of structured user experience surveying and focus group sessions. Insights gained from this mixed-methods approach were then used to generate recommendations for specific vibro-tactile technologies for each artwork in the exhibition. Additionally, general design insights into designing more accessible sound-art experiences, such as the need for tailored haptic signal design instead of using native audio signals and considerations for caption design and placement, are also provided.
