In Fall Quarter 2019, the University of Washington Museology Graduate Program was pleased to offer our Community Engagement course for the second time, taught by Dr. Meena Selvakumar. Meena has a long history with community engagement. “The very first project that I led and for which I received a federal grant was to develop a community engagement model for our local science museum,” Meena said. “While I have gained expertise in other areas of museum work, community engagement is one…
Category: Course Highlight
Mounting “Stories in Every Stitch” at Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
I have in my wallet a rectangle of wallpaper, perhaps two inches by four inches. Everyone on the team for this year’s Directed Fieldwork in Exhibit Installation course got one, handed to us by our instructor after a weekend of work installing Stories in Every Stitch at the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. As he divvied up these scraps of wallpaper, he explained their meaning: “I want you to hold onto these, and whenever you think something’s going to…
Power Tools and Powerful Words: A Student Perspective on Exhibition Development
All of the last minute, nervous energy fueled tweaks were completed. The signage was adjusted to perfection, the interactive elements were tested and found to be working seamlessly, and the glass of the display cases was as polished as it ever would be. It was opening night of “If You Have Any Regard for Me Left: Writing Home from the Klondike Gold Rush,” an exhibit that was the result of a long-standing partnership between the UW Museology program and the…
Reflection on the Seminar in Exhibitions Course
–Valerie Roberts, Class of 2019 Exhibits are what first got me excited about working in museums. The animatronic dinosaurs, the dioramas depicting ancient worlds, and the rich history displayed through images and text I experienced as a child that first introduced me to my love of learning and museums. There is something about transforming a space to transport a visitor into a completely different world and to help them learn new and interesting information. This was why I was so…
Course Highlight: MUS 594
By Seth Margolis, Museology Affiliate Instructor Over the last 20 or so years, I’ve had the opportunity to wear many hats as part of the Museology Graduate Program. I have been a student, an instructor, a thesis advisor, a session panelist, a guest speaker, and (now) even a blogger. One role I have not had has been a perplexed observer. Let me explain what I mean. I lead the Museum Education course, which is run like a museum program. It…
Law and Ethics of Ownership in Who Owns Humanity? Course
What appeared to be a small class of about a dozen Anthropology and Museology students has far exceeded what I expected of any organizational development course. In what class might you study The Ghost of the Tsunami and Fake News in one sitting? And how do either of these things apply to our lives? In Who Owns Humanity we are given these material as tools for understanding how changing norms and practices in society raise new and complex distinctions between…
Preservation of Collections II (Course Highlight)
How do you keep outdoor metal statues from corroding in Seattle, known for its rain? What if the flooring in your exhibit or storage spaces is off-gassing and damaging your collections? Nicholas Dorman and Geneva Griswold, conservators from the Seattle Art Museum, teach Preservation of Collections II, a hands-on opportunity to build preventive care skill and to better understand the conservation profession. Each day is a combination of lecture and lab—for example, delving into ethics of collection care, designing a…
Museums & Technology: First Steps Forward
It’s the hottest of hot-button topics in the museum field. Some professionals have long been involved in its evolution, while others are only just trying to comprehend how technology can be integrated into their museums and museum practice. This Fall Quarter, Museology offered a new course that introduced students to this growing field – MUS.588 Museums & Technology: What’s Now, What’s Next. The goal was to provide students with broad insights on topics such as technology’s influences on audience experience, learning…
(Dis)Connected: A Student-Curated Exhibit at the Kirkland Arts Center
During the orientation day my first year of graduate school, I listened eagerly as each Museology instructor explained the exciting courses and opportunities our program had to offer. What stood out most was when Wilson O’Donnell explained the Emerging Curator Initiative (ECI), where Museology students develop exhibit concepts, and one student is selected to curate a show at the Kirkland Arts Center. As I read the description for ECI, I thought about how great it would be to have an…
Museology Students at Museum of Flight’s First Thursday
On March 2, Museology students facilitated hands-on activities at the Museum of Flight as part of the final project for the Seminar in Museum Education course. In the class, students explored learning theory, program development and implementation, and educational programming for various audiences such as families, teens, and early learners. Throughout the quarter, students researched, planned, and evaluated a variety of informal learning programs, with plenty of practical experience to lay the foundation for working as a museum educator. The…