One and The Same

When I had began to think about how I would tie something I really enjoy (The Rochester Public Market) into my thesis, my intial point of connection was diverse visitorship within the local community. While that hasn't changed in the broad sense, my the visitor/ audience that I thought that RPM was a place for mostly disadvantaged or marginalized peoples, and thus my paper would focus on how the RPM cultivated diverse visitorship purely through interacting with the large part of the population that's looked down upon. I had thought it was revolutionary, how much the Rochester apublic Market dedicated to serving those who wouldn't always be able to return the favor. I had seen museums as institutions that had constantly failed in promoting local audience participation and RPM as this champion of public servitude (to be fair, this is only my second semester in this major and I have yet to take a fair amount of the muse classes). Through my classes and research this semester on both Museum and marketplace methodologies on visitorship, I have found a lot of overlap in terms of   structured engagement planning.

Furthermore, I have learned that the market is not just a place for the marginalized or disadvantaged; many well-educated, financially stable, and mentally sound people see the market as a breeding ground for entrepreneurial spirits; which caused my first shift in my lens of focus for my thesis plans. Others go to the market because the informal communal nature of it all reminds the visitor of 'the good old days' or 'true-American values' (real or actualized); thus markets can carry on aura of historical and cultural importantance, promoting popularity, uniqueness. and visitorship. All of those aforementioned things listed are realizations that museums already have or attempt to act/ capitulize on, to varying degrees of success. I'm excited now that I have found the true reach of public market audiences and the overlap between museums and markets, as I feel that before my insight would have come across as one dimensional.

 I feel like museums and marketplaces have similar lists but different priorities when it comes to engaging large and diverse visitorship. Identifying the specific ties an institution has to its self as an organization and the ties it has to the audience as public servants are thoughts that have been on my mind recently as part of the realization of professional similarities between the two. Subsequently identifying which ties are stronger and why/ to what end? What is the successful combination of low barrier/accessibility and structured authority that will result in a diverse audience that conducts themselves in appropriate manners?

Oh how things have changed

From the start, I had a general idea of what the subject of my thesis would be but was unsure how to narrow down the subject to a relevant topic. I first started with digital restoration but that topic ended up being too broad and complicated with technical terms. With a little help from the Eastman Museum, I changed my topic from digital restoration to the topic of a selection of films to be preserved (what has and had not been preserved) along with how this influences the film canon. Revising my literature review before submitting the complete proposal will most likely evolve my topic a bit more and help me come up with a title for my thesis. Meeting with my primary and secondary will further change my topic with the feedback they give me on how to change and expand on information. I hope to get their thoughts on what films to use as case studies as to what is reasonable to study in a short time. Research on my case studies will produce results that are bound to change the direction of my thesis but that won't occur until after January break.

Evolution of my thesis

At the beginning of the year, I had a pretty clear idea of my research question. Although the main premise of my thesis hasn’t changed much, my sources have. I had gathered a lot of research that was mostly relevant, but as I progressed in my research process, I found a whole new set of sources that are directly related to museum schools, their defining characteristics, and their curriculum. My current bibliography looks very different from only a couple weeks ago, but I think it’s for the better.

As for the project side, I had initially envisioned doing a series of observations at a local museum school. But with the input from my classmates and advisors, I have decided to also do classroom observations at a traditional public school, so I can compare the two. The specifics of my project will likely change, as I’m still in hammering out details with both of the schools. But I’ll definitely have a clear outline in the next week or so, and I’m looking forward to finally visiting the classrooms.

Old Questions, New Directions

So far, I have been pleasantly surprised by how much literature has been written about business archives. American Archivist has devoted many entire issues to the topic, which were key in helping me develop my bibliography and lit review. In fact, my only real issue with writing the lit review was parsing out which sources were the most important for me to include.

The biggest problem I’ve run into so far is focusing in on a clear angle for my thesis. My discussions with Dr. Schlombs have been very helpful in this regard. Over Thanksgiving break I will be polishing my lit review and putting my proposal together, as well as continuing to do research. The week after Thanksgiving I will be traveling over to Kodak to interview some people involved with the archive project. In order to develop a collections plan and a list of recommendations for the archive, I first have to get an understanding of what Kodak’s own goals for the project are. If they are able to put forward the resources to build a professional, up-to-standard archive, then I will make recommendations for how they can go about doing that. If they are not able to devote the necessary resources for the project at this time, then I can make recommendations for alternative solutions based on the level of control they wish to retain over their collection. Once I gain a clearer picture of what Kodak wants their archive to be, then I am certain the other pieces of the project will fall into place.

Tying Up Loose Ends...

I am pretty comfortable with the amount of work I've accomplished with my thesis thus far. However, I do have more research to do specifically on the history of Massimo and Lella Vignelli, as well as the Vignelli Center. On Wednesday before Thanksgiving I am going to check out a few more books related to collections management policies and archives to look over during break. Friday, Saturday and Sunday I am housesitting for my mom, so I am planning to set up shop in her apartment and use that time to clean up my literature review, and also to complete the ending of it. I also will be working on completing my thesis proposal during the break, including coming up with a title.

If you give a student a research question, they'll ask for sources and sources and sources...

As the old story goes, if you give a mouse a cookie, he'll ask for milk, and then a straw, and then a napkin, and on and on and on....and this has been what researching for my thesis has been like. A few questions at first have evolved over thirteen weeks into what feels like hundreds, and although I can't answer them all, they have pushed and nudged my thesis into all kinds of different directions.

In the beginning I asked myself, "how do podcasts function in the realm of public history?," and it seemed simple enough. The idea was to figure out what podcasts accomplish, then see if that fits into what public history accomplishes, but I think you can tell where things start getting a little muddy. Public history is something that, through my research, I have come to realize is very malleable and rather undefined. If you break down the term you understand that it quite literally is history, usually applied by historians or academics, made available for the public, but that encompasses so many things! My task then was then not only figuring out the nature of podcasts, but of public history itself.

This has since changed my research from focusing solely on podcasts, their creators, and their applications. It has led me to incorporate ideas on public history; it's history, it's goals, what it is, and what it can be. This is not to say my thesis will now be a manifesto on the nature of public history, but it means that it has gained a more specific angle that I will be approaching the work of podcasts from. This is not so much an evolution of my original question, since it primarily remains the same, but it gives my topic a more defined path to follow. I see it being a lot easier to focus my hundreds of other questions into elements of these two guiding questions: "What are the goals of historically minded podcasts?" and "What are the goals of public history?"

From "Thoughts" to "Defrost": The Evolution of My Thesis Project Thus Far

A lot can change in thirteen weeks, and that has certainly been the case for my thesis project.  When I initially conceived my project, I intended to devise ways to redesign or alter not one, but two, of the Rochester Museum and Science Center’s (RMSC) Native American history exhibits (Native Peoples of the Americas and At the Western Door) to bring them in line not only with the other exhibits at the RMSC, but also with the RMSC’s mission to “[stimulate] broad community interest and understanding of science and technology, and their impact — past, present, and future — on our lives.”  The changes I envisioned were largely thematic and one possible solution I wanted to put forth was the potential deaccessioning of the RMSC’s Native American materials to an institution (or institutions) with a more appropriate mission(s).

However, as I began to discuss my ideas with others and read sources for my literature review, it became apparent that there is a much larger issue to be addressed with regards to Native Peoples of the Americas and exhibits like it, specifically the representation they provide of Native Americans and their diverse cultures.  Most Native American exhibits in smaller, traditional museums like the RMSC are outdated, not just in appearance and modes of presentation, but in the ideas they present about Native American cultures.  Many institutions have exhibits that have not been thoroughly reviewed and updated since the 1950s or even the 1900s, when the belief was that Native Americans-- and their cultures-- were going extinct and needed to be preserved, thus resulting in the “freezing” of Native American cultures.  While this is not necessarily the view espoused by the RMSC’s exhibits, the exhibits still depict solely “frozen” cultures, rather than historical and modern representations together.

Because of these revelations, I have elected to shift my topic to focus on ways that the RMSC can “defrost” Native Peoples of the Americas (the older of the two exhibits, with many more “frozen” depictions of cultures and outdated methods of representation).  My goals moving forwards are to conduct a detailed survey of the current exhibit in order to understand specific areas and design elements that need to be addressed, speak with museum administrators and staff to gain a better understanding of how they might envision the exhibits be redesigned or altered, and take a deeper look into methods of redesign that have been put forth by other museum professionals, historians, and Native American activists.  The end results of this work will most likely take the form of a proposal for the redesign of the Native Peoples of the Americas, to be submitted to collections and exhibitions staff at the RMSC for their consideration as they move forward with redesigning some of the museum’s exhibits over the next 5 years.

Corporate Archives: Preserving the past in a fast-paced environment

Since my last update, the scope of my project has somewhat shifted. The more I was researching corporate archives, the more I became interested in the field in general. Quite a bit of research has been done regarding the unique purpose and function that corporate archives possess, but there is still much to be uncovered. The field is relatively new (the first business archive was established by Firestone in 1949) and corporate archives are still few and far between compared to the number of archives in general in the United States. For my thesis, I would like to chronicle the history and significance of corporate archives, as well as compile a list of best practices established in the field and apply these to the Kodak Archive. This will result in a collecting plan and set of recommendations which will allow Kodak to expand and improve their archive if they choose to do so.  

Through my research, I am learning more about the history of corporate archives, as well as why they are often not seen as a necessity for a company. The business world is very different from the museum/non-profit world, and every facet of a company needs to justify its existence by proving it will help make the company more efficient and more profitable. Because of this, much of the literature about corporate archives has to do with establishing a dialogue between archivists and businesspeople to help companies understand the benefits of preserving their past.

I have selected Dr. Corinna Schlombs as my primary thesis advisor, and her research in the field of technology history has led her to make many connections in corporate and business archives. Through her contacts, I’m hoping to get in touch with the archivist at IBM and possibly visit their corporate archives in Somers, NY (which happens to be very close to my hometown). This would be an excellent opportunity to view one of the largest corporate archives in North America and gain firsthand insight into the functions of the collection on a day-to-day basis. I will also be doing more research into the specific best practices that have been established at successful corporate archives, as well as general preservation recommendations for the specific materials that are housed in the Kodak Archive.

Rochester in World War 1

Since handing in our bibliographies I have done more research into Rochester's efforts in World War 1. From what I have found the original RIT campus, called The Mechanical Institute, trained soldiers and Red Cross members in technical skills that they were able to use in Europe. These included optical repairs that allowed them to replace and repair broken lenses on cameras and binoculars that were necessary for officers and recon pilots to view enemy positions. The University was not the only one helping to contribute to the war effort in Rochester, there were several local companies that went from manufacturing consumer goods to war time equipment. These companies included Kodak, and Bauch and Lomb, just to name a few of the more well known companies in the city Rochester.

There were also several Rochester natives who went off to war, many of which were Mechanics Institute students or alumni. Many of whom would go off to fight in many of the final key battles in the war. However just like in any war there are many who do not return home, there is a plack in the RIT Library of ten names of soldiers who went off to war and never came back. There are even more men from Rochester who died and their names can be found in the Rochester and Monroe County Service Record. The book is full of the names of those who served and died from a variety of different causes. These soldiers will make it into the thesis paper and their actions in war will be remembered by new generations.

I hope to gather more information on what the people of Rochester did during the war so I may learn, and show, people the actions of this city when America went to war.

Artpark: What Makes the Experience Democratic?

The essence of my research has been to what extent Artpark functioned as a democratic experiment within the 1970s. However, defining what makes the Artpark experience "democratic" in the first has become problematic. After all, "democracy" is a word with many philosophical and functional connotations. Is it the way artists were selected to complete a residency that is democratic? Or is it how theoretically any member of the public could access the site-specific art and interact with the artist, effectively breaking down the studio walls? The artistic process itself could potentially be framed as democratic as well, especially if artists had control over where and how they executed their ideas.

These were questions I had in mind when I made my visit to the Burchfield Penney archives for research last Friday. Jennifer, the project archivist for the Artpark Archival Collection, told me that approaching the question from certain angles (such as how Artpark and its artists were funded) would require extremely intensive archival investigation. Therefore, she suggested to focus specifically on how Artpark functioned as a democratic experiment only for the artists involved. A topic of interest would be examining the types of institutions representing these artists before they were selected (were they artist-led?). The documents I looked over on Friday provided a good starting point for this investigation. The Visual Arts Program catalogs provided useful biographical information for the artists who currently have little to no presence online. A study conducted in 1978 by Arts Development Associates also revealed significant information, such as how only 30% of artists came to Artpark through a personal connection. According to the study, this proved that Artpark was "not a closed shop." The documents also provided a consistent account of Artpark's vision for the arts in its early years: to encourage the realization of experimental ideas in the arts and to engage the public in unorthodox ways.

Situating Artpark in a greater historical context has provided some interesting insights as well. Artpark was one of many efforts during the late '60s and 1970s to free art from the traditional gallery space, or, as Brian O'Doherty calls it, the "white cube." Artpark was far from being the only alternative art space in Western New York during the 1970s. Hallwalls, which was founded in 1974 (the same year Artpark's programs began), also dedicated itself to featuring innovative works from young artists at the time. I am also researching federal and state funding for the arts during this time period and how that may have influenced Artpark's operations. 

The Burchfield Penney Art Center, the location of the Artpark Archival Collection

Mi Historia: Focusing in

Since the beginning of my research into Mi Historia I have decided to narrow down my focus for this project to college aged, Puerto Rican Immigrants in the Rochester area. The reasoning behind this is to be able to not only finish this project in a timely manner but also to focus on a large community in the area. I have learned that Rochester has an enormous Puerto Rican population, particularly for its size and about their importance in the city. It is a population with strong roots and advocacy dating back to the first migrant workers that came here. However, I still have a lot to learn about this community in the present and not just in the past. I hope to connect with some of the local activists in the area and have accumulated resources about Puerto Rican immigrants in particular to learn more about their culture and migration to the United States.

Film Preservation: what has and has not been preserved

Since last class, my topic has changed from focusing on digital restoration to a focus on what films have been preserved and what has not, along with how this influences the film canon. 

Throughout my research, I have discovered which archives ended up with the silent films from 1912-1929. The major archives these films are housed include the Library of Congress, Museum of Modern Art, George Eastman House, and UCLA Film & Television Archive. There are a number of films that are lost or incomplete. Many lost films are ones that have decayed over time, have been misplaced, or are in private collections. Much of the focus during the 30’s-50’s was to save the most important films which caused less important films to decay and become lost. There is now a need to create a program to repatriate U.S. feature films from foreign archives due to the fact that many silent films only survive in foreign-release versions. I have also learned the basics of film preservation and how to identify films that do not have titles or unknown dates. 

I still need to gather information on specific case studies of films from the George Eastman Museum and assess their state of preservation. Of the surviving silent films, which ones or have all been digitally restored? Regarding the Library of Congress film registry, I want to do more research as to what is happening with the films not yet on the registry and what happens to the films once they do get put on the registry. Lastly, research into the preservation status of the films that do remain. 

Museum school learning experiences

In past Museum Studies classes, we have briefly talked about the concept of museum schools. The research process for my thesis has brought me to a much deeper understanding about the history of the museum school model, as well as the finer details of the learning experiences this model provides.

I had always just assumed that museum schools have higher rates of student engagement, because of the use of objects and interactive methods in their lesson plans. However, I learned that “engagement” is a difficult value to measure. But my research has introduced me to the idea of metacognition and multiliteracies, which are reoccurring themes in the field of museum schools. When students create their own exhibitions at the end of a unit to show what they’ve learned, they are thinking about how best to present the information to visitors, so they can learn too. Metacognition, or “thinking about thinking,” is a higher-order thinking skill that has been successfully integrated into several museum school curriculums.

Although I’ve also done research about the New York State public schools and the Common Core standards, I still need to learn where museum school strategies could potentially fit into that system. I think once I talk with public school teachers during my observations and interviews, I’ll have a better idea of the limitations and opportunities within the Common Core curriculum.

Defrosting Native Peoples of the Americas

Before I get to the assigned prompt of this post, I feel that it is important to announce that I have slightly shifted the topic of my thesis work.  Again.  I believe this is either the third or fourth time I have done this since I began to work on this project, but as I conduct more research, I keep finding myself forced to further refine and alter my topic.  To review, I had originally intended the focus of my project to be on the ways in which the Rochester Museum and Science Center (RMSC) could alter or redesign its Native Peoples of the Americas exhibit to conform to the museum’s mission and visitor expectations, and ultimately whether or not the exhibit belonged in the museum at all, or if its contents should be deaccessioned and transferred to another, more appropriate institution.  However, it has been pointed out to me that, given the nature and history of the Native American collections held by the RMSC, this exhibit will, at least for the foreseeable future, be a part of the museum, and deaccessioning its contents and the rest of the collection is not a viable option at this time.  Between this revelation and points raised within my sources, I now intend to focus on how the RMSC can “unfreeze” Native Peoples of the Americas and modernize it to make it better match the other exhibits at the RMSC, rather than trying to force it to conform with the mission, present or future, of the institution.

This brings me to my research, which has not so much taught me anything new as it has confirmed my prior knowledge regarding the origins and methods of display of Native Americans in science and natural history museums.  18th, 19th, and early 20th century European and white American ethnocentrism and perceived racial superiority resulted in the placement of Native American remains and artifacts into science and natural history museums so they could be preserved for later study.  However, the anthropologists and scientists who did this were only interested in preserving native cultures at a point of pre-European contact, thus essentially (and in most cases, inaccurately) “freezing” Native American cultures at a given point in time, making it seem as if members of those cultures were not still alive, well, and adapting to a rapidly evolving world.

While the authors of most of my sources rightly call for the “unfreezing” of exhibits on Native Americans and greater inclusion of Native American voices in the exhibition design and redesign process, they offer no practical suggestions for museums and exhibition designers who would like to move forward with defrosting their Native American exhibits.  No mention is made of ways to rewrite wall text, or integrate modern examples of native cultures alongside static presentations of their predecessors.  What this means for my research moving forward is that I will have to devise my own methods for the RMSC to use to unfreeze Native Peoples of the Americas, based on input from museum staff, members of local Native American organizations, and visitors to the exhibit, as well as my own knowledge of exhibition design and visitor engagement techniques.  I would also like to include a possible exhibit layout or some other visual form of proposal for changes to the exhibit, in addition to just a list of recommendations of what to do to the exhibit.