I haven't yet officially decided on a topic for my senior thesis, but I do have one general idea, which I think could result in a rather interesting thesis. Starting in March of this year, I began working with a group of students from RIT's Mechanical Engineering Department, who were in the early stages of a project to research & create a historically accurate wooden common press for the school's
Cary Graphic Arts Collection. The rest of the team had already begun researching to establish a set of parameters, such as physical dimensions, materials, etc, that would facilitate the creation of a printing press that would align with the original wooden common presses used about two hundred years ago. I started helping with the research soon after joining the team, by participating in a road trip to New England, which allowed us to examine multiple authentic presses, and one reconstruction.
During the trip, I helped with on-site research, at locations such as the
Vermont Historical Society and the
Exeter Historical Society, both of which held original wooden presses. I was also asked to take charge of running the project's
Instagram page, where we've been documenting our progress. In that role, I took and posted photos of our research at both of the aforementioned historical societies, in addition to sharing photos of our team's examination of the
Franklin Press at the Museum of Newport History, in Rhode Island, and of our meeting with a historical interpreter at
The Printing Office of Edes & Gill, in Boston, MA, who showed us the circa 1950 reconstruction of a wooden common press. We had a bit of a lull over the summer, but things are picking back up now that the semester has started again.
Exeter Historical Society
Museum of Newport History
Edes & Gill
Vermont Historical Society
Currently, I'm not exactly sure how I would utilize my experiences with this project to create my thesis. It could be related to the process of conducting the research necessary to create a historically accurate press, or perhaps it would be about the ways in which I, as a Museum Studies student, am utilizing my knowledge of the field to assist the engineers not only in the research process, but also in spreading the word about the project, through methods like social media. I would definitely appreciate any insight or thoughts anyone might have about how I could best use my work on this project as a basis for writing an engaging and informative thesis.
First of all I love your images and citations. Its nice to visualize what your speaking about even though I work at the Cary. Some thesis paths I though up could be based on procedural work for future press workers and how to build one, and analysis of how to take care of it becasue not many wood presses exist today, or have a thesis based upon how to incorporate outside perspectives such as the engineers into a museum environment becasue not many engineers I know would take caution in a fragile environment such as the Cary. Hope this helps somehow and goof luck!
ReplyDeleteI concur with comments made by Katie above (nice job!). I would also add that one of the exciting things about your project is demonstrating that you are facilitating STEM learning in the museum. By researching comparables, constructing proof of concept, and making this press you and the team are providing a methodology for STEM in museums (that are not science museums or discovery centers). We can talk further in person. PS:
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that you took this project on! It's come a long way since we first discussed it!