My Thesis Topic

As per my second post, I have moved my thesis project idea from the realm of social justice to that of climate change. I want to critically engage with the following questions: are museums recognizing the effects of climate change and taking action in regards to their own institution's climate control systems? Are museums and other cultural institutions within the Rochester area making strides to engage and educate their public about the realities of climate change? Are museums entirely devoted to climate change, such as NYC's The Climate Museum project, able to engage in meaningful discussion with the public on the topic of climate change, environmentalism, and on the topic of actually making changes within one's daily routine in response to climate shifts/pollution?

In other words, I want to be able to critically and qualitatively analyze whether visitors outside of New York City (residents of other large New York cities such as Rochester) have heard of the The Climate Museum or engaged with topics concerning climate change through local institutions' exhibitions, objects, or community outreach programming. How do local Rochesterian museum professionals attempt to engage the public with discussion involving climate change? Does the public find these engagements successful and do these museum professionals find their methods of engaging with said public successful? Are local Rochesterian museums making infrastructure, HVAC, or climate control changes in response to major shifts in temperature, pollution, and weather-related phenomenon (i.e. harsher winters, dryer and hotter summers, wilder fluctuating humidity levels)?

In order to do this I will be reading critical articles and literature from museum professionals dealing with the topic of climate change, infrastructure professionals discussing best practices for climate control and building preservation, and the effect that shifting climates have upon museum objects (humidity, mold, etc.). I will also be interviewing local Rochesterian museum professionals, RIT faculty, and RIT students in regards to how they have engaged with the topic of climate change in a professional sense or through museum visits.