Blog Post 7

So my winter break is going to be a bit busy, have some family things to attend to (as I mentioned in class), but I will do my best and accomplish some things. The most obvious one being to implement the critique provided on the 14th, of course, but I also plan on seeing what sort of things can be done with makeshift QR codes. I'm not too sure on how a QR code is created, but given how I intend to do a project based thesis, I consider it of high importance, as that's one avenue of AR that exists, even if it is relatively minor. I won't be busy with my family until the 26th, though, which gives me several days before then to get some things going, even if they are minor in scale.

The Game Plan for Winter Break

My goals for my thesis project over break are numerous but are achievable. First, I plan to make adjustments to make my literature review. I received feedback from my professor and both advisors. Secondly, I want to start writing my actual thesis paper. Since I no longer have classes and work until January, I have plenty of free time to write. I hope to finish the 20-page paper by the end of the break. I know I will have to make several corrections to my paper over the spring semester, so ahead starts on writing will benefit me. I need to find a few more sources, especially Buffalo’s newspapers articles. Also, I plan to meet with both my advisors to look over my revised literature review and look over my first draft of my thesis. Lastly, I want to conduct three surveys at three different Buffalo sports game (preferably Bills, Sabres, and Bandits). If I have extra time, I will start on my building a diorama of my desired museum along with a creation of a ten-year plan.  

So here is the game plan, three days a week will be spent on writing my thesis, correcting my literature review, and doing some more research. I want to find a comfortable coffee shop where I can work for three hours. I want to meet with advisors once a week depending on their availability during the holiday season. More towards the end of my break, I plan to start constructing my diorama. Lots to do but I'm excited to dedicate a good chunk of time to my thesis finally.

Happy Holidays,

Alexandra M. Dwyer

Plans for Winter Break

After submitting my thesis proposal Monday, I started thinking about where my research should be leading me over the winter break. Since changing my focus, I've been delving further into my case studies and trying to figure out where there are gaps in the sources I already had. I know I need to do further research on the Wojnarowicz retrospective held at the Whitney, and develop an argument for or against their methods of representation. I also have to see if I can reach out to the museum and get further information about their programming for the exhibition and the museums reaction to the ACT UP protests.

While I'm home I would like to see if there are any records on the Hide/Seek controversy at the Smithsonian archives to fill in some gaps in the information I've found about the museums response to the controversy and any programming for the exhibition. I also need to determine the scope of the controversy for sh[OUT] and how I want to talk about their failures and successes when designing and implementing their exhibition.

I'm hopeful for a productive winter break and am excited to see where my research takes me! I also can't wait to get back to Maryland to spend sometime with my family and in DC wandering the museums and doing research.

[image of the DC skyline from the third floor of the Hirshhorn Museum on the National Mall]

Winter Plans

I  have a great base for my thesis and have done a lot of the research necessary to actually begin working on my project, which is what my plan is for winter break. Throughout break I will be focusing on trying to actually find sources and do more digging on the Erie Canal so as to begin the creation of the exhibit. I will be taking meticulous notes along the way so that when it comes time to translate my experiences into a thesis paper, I will be able to retrace my steps throughout the process. I hope to have a list of sources for the project done and ready by the end of break so the process of creating the exhibit itself can begin by the time spring semester starts.

I will be able to put most of my focus on working on the actual thesis as I will have no work to do for other classes. While I will be working my normal job still I will have plenty of free time and I should be able to focus the majority of my attention on work for the thesis.

Winter writing plans

Winter seems like a more fitting time than ever to write a Thesis on Heavy Metal!
Over the break I am going to do my best to get my hands on all the books I was unable to find during the semester. I'm going to write out some questions and interview a few friends in Buffalo and in Chicago that I need to get a hold of.
I will be keeping in touch with my secondary adviser to help fix up my literary review and start to form a more well functioning and cohesive outline to get everything up and running. I still have some momentum in me after moving to keep working on my thesis! After about a weeks worth of comatose sleep I'm excited to get back to working on my thesis. Thank you everyone who has helped me and given me great feedback on this all semester. <3

The Black Satans, a parody Black Metal band from Finland

Getting ready for winter break

Instead of wasting my days with Netflix, I hope to be very productive over this winter break!

I have several goals that I hope to accomplish before the end of the break. First, I want to polish off my literature review. I want to add a few more sources that I couldn’t include because I ran out of time, and I’m sure that I will have a lot of feedback to work with after the museum studies faculty review my thesis proposal (yikes!!). Secondly, I would like to schedule a meeting with my thesis advisers so I can make sure I have a good plan of action to complete my thesis and begin a more in-depth outline for the rest of my paper. Hopefully, I can bribe them with coffee so they will meet with me before the semester starts! 

The largest goal I hope to accomplish over break is completing all of the elements of my app. My partner Peter and I already have a timeline in place, and thus far we’ve been meeting all of our goals, so I don’t see this being an issue.

Thankfully, I will be working on campus over the break, so I plan to spend at least an hour on campus doing work after I finish my shift. Once I’m in work-mode it’s easier to keep the ball rolling, so I think that this will end up working really well for me. I get out of work in the early afternoon and could easily be home before 5pm every day even after staying to work on my thesis. I also set personal deadlines for myself and use a daily planner, so that organization should help me keep on track and put me in a good place to start the spring semester. 

It’s hard to believe I’m essentially halfway finished with my thesis. It’s exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time!

Winter Writing

During winter break I am going to dedicate a lot of time to do a deep-dive on research about the history of the Erie Canal and the impacts it had on the Seneca Falls region. I will specifically be researching how it impacted religion, the movement of ideas, the movement of people, economics, and the environment. During this research, I'm also going to start throwing around ideas for a tour/educational program/lecture that I have been invited to present in Spring at the park. I'm planning to spend 10-20 hours a week during the break on my thesis, but the quieter weeks may see a few more hours.

I am also planning to make a few trips to Seneca Falls Women's Rights National Historic Park to get the lay of the land and meet some of the people I could be working with. On January 5th there is an event going on at Seneca Falls called  "The Preamble and the Enlightenment" which is part 2 of a 6 part series examining the Declaration of Sentiments which I plan to attend (and may bring some family too).

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the principal author of the Declaration of Sentiments. Photo from Wikipedia. 

Plans for Winter Break

With finals so close, it's a little hard to think beyond them to Winter Break.  Right now though, I'm planning to get two big things done over break: developing my Visitor Engagement study, and creating a complete Mesh Model of my object.
For the first of these, the study, I'm hoping over break to develop the study, determine what data I will be collecting, and how I will be collecting it.  I have some ideas right now about how I would like this survey to work, but I'm going to devote time over break to deciding what collection method I will use.  For example, will there be a written survey for visitors or just observations by me?  I also want to decide how much data I want to collect. 
For the second part, creating the Mesh Model, I am going to work with modeling software to inspect the scan of my object and fix any errors, so I can have a complete working model when I return in the spring.  I met with the Rochester Museum and Science Center earlier today and selected an object to use for my thesis project (yay!), and I hopefully will be scanning it next week.  This means I will have a month to learn the modeling software, and to work with it to complete my model.
To accomplish both of these goals, I am planning on allocating 2-3 hours every week (tentatively) to work on my thesis.  I think this is a reasonable about of time in which I can complete these tasks, and I'm looking forward to returning in the spring to continue with my project!

One of the methods I'm considering using for my Visitor Engagement study is an online form, such as a Google Form.  Image Source: University of Minnesota 

Blog Post VII: Winter Break Plans

I plan on taking full advantage of the break and first giving myself some time to rest and relax. Allowing myself some time away from my thesis will be beneficial I think because I can then return to it with fresh eyes and ideas. After the holiday, during the second half of the break, I plan on doing some more reading and seeing if I can ascertain whether I need to focus on one language for my case study (Scottish Gaelic, Irish, or Welsh) or if it’s feasible to do all three. If I can figure this out, or at least begin to, over break by looking at some initial resources then I can jump right in during spring semester. And of course I’ll be working on my literature review after receiving feedback from my advisers so that I can get in the revised version for them to sign.

Overall, I’m just really looking forward to going home and seeing my family (and my dog!). It’ll be nice to be able to just focus on thesis without the assignments/projects/tests of other classes. I will be able to allocate more time to my research in this way and also get some new perspectives from my family who will be curious about my thesis.

I can’t believe we’re halfway through our senior year!

Here's a cute picture of my dog to help ease the stress of these last few days of the semester!

Blog post 7: Break

My goals for my project over break are to have my two thesis advisors meet for the first time, to continue researching my topic to make sure that I'm providing as complete of an analysis as possible, to conduct some of the interviews with members of the dance group, and to relax for a few days so I can approach the topic with fresh eyes after the break.

I've already attended two Christmas parties for various groups within the Federation, and I will be attending at least one more in the upcoming weeks. While not during break, I will also be attending the Federation's Gala Ball in late January which will give me the opportunity to possibly interview a few more members of the dance group as well as members of the federation.

In the meantime, my thoughts are turning to going on our New Year's Eve cruise! Have a wonderful break everyone!!

Pulling in to Nassau, Bahamas aboard the Anthem of the Seas 1/2/18

Photo courtesy of Erich Roeszies

Post 6

Oof, what a semester, quite a few changes to put it lightly, and I'm not just talking about this thesis. But that outside stuff is irrelevant for this post, what is relevant is how this here thesis has changed since the beginning of the semester. At the beginning, I was WAY too broad, just decided "VR and AR in museums" and unironically thought something like that was good. Well, I found out real quick that it wasn't good in any capacity, unbelievably broad, and simplistic. So narrow it down to "VR and AR impacting visitor engagement", but still a bit too broad. Ultimately, I settled on Augmented Reality and its impact on visitor engagement. While I still don't want to completely gut VR from the paper, the presence of VR serves far less as my core argument and more as to create a distinction, to establish in my paper what I mean by "augmented reality", as I found that some people get the two a bit muddled. A very small portion of this long thesis, in the grand scheme of things, yet important enough to keep.

Growing Pains

This semester has been a whirlwind. Thesis research was relatively general for the first two months, as I wasn't able to meet someone from the exhibition I wanted to partner with until the beginning of November. After this initial meeting (and meeting with my primary adviser) I realized that a project like the one I was undertaking wasn't really what I would be passionate about. Fortunately it was relatively simple to shift my focus toward the art case studies I had been looking at as part of my literature review, since of the research I had done was still relevant. The only trouble now is getting the research on to the page and developing a strong voice throughout my literature review.

I have been working to find more and more sources that give me further insight in to the topics I have chosen so that I can develop those sections of my literature review. I have been receiving unfathomable support and guidance from my two thesis advisers who are helping me hone my focus and organize my thoughts. I am enjoying finding out more and more about the depth of controversy in each of my case studies and I feel much less overwhelmed than I did with my initial project. It's getting to be crunch time so I'm focusing on really getting the facts in place so I can develop my argument and really put forth a strong thesis proposal. 

My main focus moving forward is developing a stronger understanding of the methodology I should be using to evaluate my case studies and develop the best practices I've been trying to develop in the first place. I am hopeful that this will simply mean looking to the resources I have been reading and looking at the various methodologies implemented in other evaluations of topics related to my case studies. 

 The case studies I intend to focus on now are: Sh[Out]: Contemporary Art and Human Rights (2009), Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture (2010), David Wojnarowicz: History Keeps Me Awake at Night (2018)

Evolving Thesis

After speaking with Denise from Seneca Falls Women's Rights National Historic Park my topic has changed from the confluence of science and history to looking at how the Erie Canal impacted the movement of people and how that led to the movement of ideas and reform in Seneca Falls. I'm going to be researching the topic thoroughly and providing them with my thesis at the end so they may use it to develop an educational program and tour. We will discuss next week the possibility of pairing me with a ranger so I can work with them during my thesis to begin making the program and tour. So while I have moved from science to history, my goal of creating educational programming has remained.

Erie Canal at Seneca Falls. Image from http://www.nycanals.com/Seneca_Falls

We did also discuss the idea of looking at how the Erie Canal impacted the biodiversity of Seneca Falls, and I may incorporate that, but we generally moved away from it to keep the scope of the project within what I can manage. Depending on how things progress, I may choose to look into that as well. I'm considering writing about both the ecology as well as reform history and then just developing a program/tour on one of the topics.

Thesis so far.

This has certainly been a wild ride. I've often been finding myself getting extremely caught up into the inner workings of an early thriving and functioning underground metal scene and breaking down the culture and processes of the genre and how it has evolved that I often forget to explain the simplest of things like differences between sub genres or names of bands. It is a whirlwind of information on a topic that has largely existed through means of oral history and word of mouth. Still it has been a lot of fun to research for sure. I've been an active part of the metal scene since I was a teenager and I'm still learning new things.
I am hoping to add to a subject with little to no prior scholarship. As states previously the genre has largely functioned and thrived on word of mouth and oral tradition so not much has been written down. For a genre that has existed since roughly 1965-1967 it's surprising that not much has been written down, or at least to me it is. I am hoping that this thesis can actually evolve into an actual museum down the line, but until then I still have a lot of work to do!

Blog #6

 My thesis project has not changed drastically, just a few minor adjustments. Originally, I wanted to research the process of creating a new museum. Applying what I learned from my sources to my museum about Buffalo Sports. The museum was going to be solely about the history of Buffalo Sports and famous athletes. I’m still going to continue this idea but enhance it. I became curious about the impact that this museum would make on Buffalo’s community. I found some readings that praise major renovations within the city and how it provided social, economic, and political benefits. I began to think that the creation of my museum could have that same effect. Slowly include the role of sports fans into my museum, such as community collaboration.

As you can see my project isn’t just going to be a museum retelling the sports memories but also how this institution will celebrate the fans, as they help create Buffalo’s community. I still wish to incorporate artifacts from Buffalo’s famous athletes as well as mementos from Buffalo Sports History, but after talking to several members of the community and listening to their suggestions, I would like to add another aspect to my museum. It should be a gathering place. A place for celebrations, both past, and present. For this reason, I would like to incorporate a restaurant and sports bar. 

    This not only allows for young children to learn about the history of their teams while watching them in the present, but it also brings a sense of nostalgia to the older generation of fans. I feel as though the combination of both past(through artifacts) and present(through watching live games), will give Buffalo Sports fans a sense of comfort and overall happiness upon visiting. Based solely off the opinions of other fans since the commencement of my research, it seems as though a multi-purpose museum such as this would be the ideal spot to gather and watch as one, as Buffalo continues its quest for a championship.

The evolution of my thesis

Since the first time I voiced my thesis idea, my project changed significantly. Originally, I thought I wanted to create a sensory-friendly toolbox that one could use in any museum across the country. I had a very large, vague and well-intended idea to provide sensory-friendly games on an app that could enable people to experience a museum without having to go during special hours or on certain days of the week. After a lot of discussion with my adviser and app consultant, I realized that making a large, general app containing only games and music wouldn’t be able to accomplish my end goal, and I may not be able to accomplish it period because of the large scope. Now, I’m focusing on creating an app for one area of one museum, Strong Museum of Play, that not only provides games and music, but also a social narrative, a sensory map, and other helpful information about the museum. I also now plan to go beyond just making the app and hope to conduct focus groups where individuals with autism and their family members can interact with the app and give me feedback so I can make suggestions for further improvements.

While much of my project is set in stone and concrete, my final stage, the focus groups, is where I see the project truly evolving. Based on my research, this app should be successful and helpful for people on the spectrum, but I won’t truly know that until I actually have people interact with it. I hope it won’t, but the app could be a failure. As the project moves forward and evolves, this determination will steer my paper in one of two ways: creating an outline of what a successful app for individuals with autism looks like and evaluating the effectiveness of personal technology in helping increase accessibility, or outlining what didn’t work and provide insight from my personal experience on how apps aimed at making museum experiences accessible can be tailored to best serve the intended audience.

The research never ends...

One thing I’ve learned through working on this project is that the research process truly never ends. Every time I think I’m close to being done, I find a few more things that could be improved with more research and more sources.

So far, I've learned a lot through my research, one of the most important things being the intricacies of autism spectrum disorder. Because of my experience interacting with my little cousin Leo, I thought I had learned a lot about what autism spectrum disorder was. However, I truly had no idea about the finer details. I knew that Leo had trouble with communicating, staying focused on the appropriate tasks, and sitting still for too long, but I didn’t know why he has difficulties with these things. Learning about the difficulties people with autism have with sensory processing gave me a concrete answer as to why Leo, and other people on the autism spectrum, have this issues. Knowing why people with autism react negatively to certain stimuli is the only way I can effectively craft an app that helps individuals cope with these negative, overwhelming feelings. Without this knowledge, my project would fall short and seem incomplete.

I still need to learn more about what museums, in particular, are doing for individuals with autism. Thus far, I’ve found a lot of information about sensory friendly days and pre-visit materials the museum provides for families of individuals with autism, but I haven’t found much on the use of technology within a museum to increase accessibility. I’ve found a lot of information about apps and online programs that help facilitate communication and interaction for individuals with autism, but only one of them can specifically operate within the space of a museum. As I continue researching, I hope to find more sources discussing accessible technology for people on the autism spectrum within the space of a museum.

From Concept to Project

Over the past semester, my thesis project has taken new forms, and developed in ways I didn't expect.  When I first brainstormed my idea it was nothing more than "3D printed reproductions and touch," and I've done a lot of adjusting to that core idea over time.  The first main issue I faced was to determine what exactly it was I wanted to find out.  Are 3D reproductions sufficient stand-ins for a real object?  Do visitors want to touch objects?  Will the fake object enhance their experience?  After a lot of thinking, research, and discussion with my advisers, I settled on exploring the topic of whether or not 3D reproductions fulfill the desire of a visitor to touch museum objects.
I also changed the scope of my project over the course of the semester.  I initially imagined setting up my display case somewhere on campus, but am now working with the Rochester Museum and Science Center to select and scan an object from their collections, and put it on display at their institution.  I think this will provide me with better data, and will give me a wider variety of objects to choose from.
Additionally, my desire to create an accurate facsimile has led me to consider methods other than 3D printing to create the reproduction of my selected object.  My choice of reproduction method will depend largely on what object I chose, which is also the next step for my project.  I'm looking forward to moving forward with my project, and seeing where it continues to develop!

Depending on what object I select, I might end up using something such as a CNC Milling machine to create my facsimile rather than a 3D printer.  This machine removes wood to create an object, whereas a printer adds material to create.  Image source

Blog Post VI: From Conceptualization to Fruition

The main topic of my thesis has remained the same, but throughout the past few weeks, I’ve gained more clarity on how to approach my research project. At the beginning, I knew I wanted to focus on endangered languages in the United Kingdom and Ireland for the case studies of the main body of my thesis. Therefore, I wasn’t quite sure what case studies or examples to discuss in my literature review without being redundant. I decided to just do some general research on language preservation and revitalization as a general subject/area of study. Ultimately, this ended up being a successful strategy because I found some great core readings on the subject which helped shape my lit review. A couple of my sources were written by linguist Leanne Hinton, who mentioned a few workshops here in the U.S. involving Native American tribes and museum institutions, which I discuss in Blog Post V. I had heard of these before in my own personal research during the past year, so I thought it would be great to discuss them as examples of current museums efforts in the U.S. which will set up a nice segway into a discussion comparing and contrasting them to my case studies in the U.K. Furthermore, I’ve been inspired by one of my linguistics classes, Evolving English Language, to include a section about the spread of English and how it affects other languages. Overall, not overthinking or narrowing my initial research and keeping my mind open have really helped my process.

I can see my thesis evolving quite a bit as I uncover how much information there is about Celtic languages (Scottish Gaelic, Irish, Welsh). If there ends up being a lot of information to work with (concerning policy, community programs, museum efforts) I may end up just focusing on one of the languages and delving in deep. If there is not a significant amount of information, I will have to figure out how to best survey language preservation and revitalization efforts. However it ends up, I’m excited to see how cultural institutions can help and hopefully present some novel ideas and methods to both fields (museums/linguistics).

This is a diagram I found after searching in Google "Celtic Languages." The map, from the Brilliant Maps site, is helpful to situate oneself as to where the languages in my case studies are mainly located. It also includes some statistics, although they are not cited.

Blog #6: Reigning it in

     Since I first conceptualized the topic for my thesis I've had to reduce the scope of my research tremendously. Initially, I had hoped to discuss the entire German community in Rochester, which currently consists of eight members of the Federation of German American Societies (FGAS); down from 13 member groups when I first became affiliated with the FGAS in 2002. This loss of groups due to members aging out and not being replaced by younger members is what initially attracted me to the issue to see what could be done to preserve membership in the various groups. After researching the issues faced by one FGAS member group, the Schuhplattler Verein Heidengold (SVH) it became clear that to try to discuss every member group would be too large of a task for my thesis, so I decided to focus solely on the Schuhplattler Verein Heidengold. That in itself has presented more than enough content to complete my thesis.

     I had also conceptualized going in to depth as to the tanzen (dances) and tracht (clothing) that the SVH present as being authentic to the Allgäu region of Germany that they represent. While I still plan on addressing these points, I feel that I will not necessarily need to go in to the detail that I had originally planned on to still get my point across about the means that the SVH go to in order to ensure that their representation is trustworthy.

     I believe that an examination of the entirety of the member groups of the Federation of German American Societies is important to ensure the continuance of German heritage in Rochester and will suggest in my thesis that it be researched for future work.

Progress Report

Hello everyone! As some of you may recall, my thesis questions are: Why build a sports museum in Buffalo, New York? How will a museum add to the city of Buffalo’s revitalization project? I wanted to provide a brief recap of my senior thesis topic and the progression of my research process. I began my research by studying the history of Buffalo, New York. Then I dove into reading materials that reminisced about various sports teams that developed in Buffalo over the years. Lastly, I will look at studies that were conducted on the topic of regional identity through sports. 

    So far I have learned that Buffalo was a mega-industrial city in its prime, due to its natural harbor, the power source of Niagara Falls, and the construction of the Eire Canal. The features previously mentioned turned Buffalo into a major merchant/transportation hub, because of its role in international trade with Canada and connection to the mid-west. Industries flourished under these conditions such as Lackawanna Steel, Larkin Soap company, George N. Pierce’s automobile company, and several flours, cereal, and beer companies throughout the city. While reading a book called The Golden Age of Buffalo Sports, I found out that Jackie Robinson played in Buffalo frequently and people were quite excited to see him play. Also, Buffalo’s baseball team, the Bisons, had two uniquely deaf players. I have just begun to read about the case studies that were conducted on sports fans, stay tuned for updates. 

    What I still need to research on, is the sports teams, the Sabers, the Bandits, Braves, and the FC Buffalo. I want to conduct a survey where Buffalo Sports fans answer questions pertaining to a possible creation of a Buffalo Sports Museum. The survey will be a collection of 5 questions available on both paper and online. I plan on attending the Bills and Sabers tailgate parties that happen before home games. Then I can add this survey to my research paper!  

What I've learned so far

Heavy Metal culture is a lot more expansive than I expected previously. The subculture of Heavy Metal has grown exponentially since its incarnation in the late 1960's. The name "Heavy Metal" and the distinct sound of the music has its origins in the steel and metal working industries in Britain. The development of the scene and the community has also been a rocky and long winded journey in and of itself. There are distinct differences in the European and American metal communities and how they hold festivals and their presentation of Heavy Metal in everyday culture.
What I still need to know is more inner workings in how festivals are held and how that affects the communities and towns around them. I am also looking into correlations on the environments of the cities and towns Heavy Metal originated in. Also putting more research into current scholarship and exhibitions done on the genre and its history.
The research has been a lot of fun to do and I'm having a great time discovering more about the community and music I love so much.

Fig 1. Rob Halford and Ozzy Osbourne, two of the original members of the bands Judas Priest and Black Sabbath. Link to photo origin

What I have learned so far

I have been reading a lot about science education in a broad capacity. Many of the articles discuss the importance of setting for children to learn. In particular, how just being in an out-of-classroom location may help students stay engaged as well as how more specific experiences can broaden how students make connections. I've also learned about how active learning often promotes working in groups. One article was about how nature walks allow for a family to work through an idea together and occasionlly helps different family units come together in a discussion or activity. Other articles looked at how scientists and public educators can come together in collaboration. These discussed at how scientists can ensure the public is getting up to date material as well as how museum professionals can help reframe that information out of scientific jargon for a broader audience.

Students on a nature walk. From savorsnoqualmievalley.org

The next type of article I will be searching for and reading through is how living history museums and other historic sites have introduced science education and in particular the challenges they face. I will also be looking for articles related to effective signage for nature trails. Throughout our coursework, we have discussed how didactic signs have been used and are used within museum walls and I am curious to see if there is a significant difference of opinion for nature trails.

What have I learned?

One of the wonderful aspects of my research is that I have chosen a topic I am extremely excited about and that I have been developing my knowledge of for the past few years. My classes have provided me with a strong knowledge base to build my thesis and my summer experience at the Newseum in D.C. gave me a level of knowledge I never thought I would have. The time I spent working with materials related to the gay liberation movement has provided me with a scaffold of information that I know is important to the movement. Since starting my thesis research I have learned how difficult it is to develop a literary review that is concise yet informative. I know which main points I want to address, such as the exhibitions Hide/Seek and Mining the Museum, visitor engagement, social activism, and the democratized museum. yet I am still struggling to develop a strong understanding of the organization of my literary review.

This past week I was able to meet with the woman coordinating Rochester's 50 at Stonewall, Christine Ridarsky. We spoke about the content of the exhibition, which is currently in development, and where my thesis may interplay with the exhibition. As our discussion progressed it became clear that I would be looking at developing a program, digital interactive, and a visitor engagement survey to engage Rochester's community in a discourse about sexuality and identity. I have looked to my wonderful friends from the LGBTQ community to assist me in this. I am hoping to develop a committee of students to help me develop an inclusive and educational program and interactive that represents the community as a whole. Though I have a strong knowledge of the history of the gay liberation movement and I have heard countless explanations of the expansive spectrum of LGBTQ identities I understand that facilitating this discussion means providing a platform for those in the community to share their unique experience.

The nature of my work on the exhibition means that I must include a review of the field of visitor engagement in my explanation of the democratized museum as well as the importance of scaffolding exhibition content with programming to facilitate community discussions. I think the only thing I am currently struggling with is organizing all of these ideas in to a cohesive literary review. The majority of my information has been gathered, its just getting it on to paper.

Oh the things I have learned

Over the past week I have had to completely change my thesis topic due to my original project being cancelled by the institution I was originally working with. Whereas my project originally was going to focus on digital archives for a small institution, my new project will allow me to assist in the creation of a digital exhibit telling the story of the Erie Canal in Rochester. I am very excited about this opportunity and refocusing my research on my new topic has opened up a whole new world of information related to digital curation. More than ever before I am starting to understand the importance of a digital presence for museums and other cultural institutions. I have always believed that the power of the internet can be a great way for museums to connect with their visitors but I am now understanding that it is much more than that. Digitization and digital exhibits allow unprecedented access to collections for sure but it also aids in the conservation of said collections. The conservation of artifacts and knowledge from the past will allow for future generations to learn more about history than ever before. Additionally, I have learned much more about the Erie canal and its effects on the City of Rochester. As a native resident I knew that the Erie Canal turned Rochester into the one of the first and biggest boom towns of the west but I know now exactly how much the canal helped to build "The Young Lion of the West". I have had a crash course in all of these topics over the past week but there is still much more research to be done. 

There are many things that I still will need to address in my research on this topic. My research on the history of the Erie Canal is not complete yet and there is more information out there that can help to build a better narrative of the Erie Canal and its effect on Rochester. Additionally, I will need to do more research on how to best tailor the digital exhibit to comply with New York State educational standards as this exhibit is meant to be used in a classroom setting. Finally, I need to do more research into accessibility and how to make the online experience available for all people. I have done a lot of work on this topic but there is still much to be done!

Learning about my topic

As I conduct research for my thesis, I'm struck by how rather than focusing on one specific topic, my project seems to be overlapping several broad topics.  This has caused me to break down my sources into four main categories: touch, facsimile, 3D printing/process, and visitor engagement.  All of these topics are crucial to completing my project to the extent that I wish to, and each are giving me important insight into my project.  3D printing/process are helping me to understand what exactly it is I need to do in order to scan and print a successful 3D model of an object, while touch is making me consider why people might want to touch a museum object, and whether a facsimile seems to fulfill those needs.  Facsimile is giving me historic insight into the role of object reproductions in museums and the reception they tend to receive, and visitor engagement is making me think about how I can best study if facsimiles fulfill the desire of a visitor to touch the objects.  All of this knowledge is important for me to complete my thesis, but the different topics have made it a bit difficult to gather and sort through my sources.
For my thesis, I still need to know a little bit more about how I can best conduct a visitor engagement study.  I keep on weighing different methods of collecting visitor feedback, as well as how I can quantitatively measure the impact my object has on their desire to touch.  However, I'm not sure if this decision can be made through just research alone, or if I need to talk with other people about their thoughts as well.

I've found it helpful to physically group my sources into their categories.  It helps me keep track of how many sources I have for each, and what the different literature on a specific topic is.

Blog Post V: Learning Along the Way

For my literature review, I am defining language preservation and revitalization as a movement and looking at both its accomplishments and its shortcomings. An overview of the field is necessary before delving into the relationship between museums and linguistics, so readers will have a better understanding of how and why languages become endangered and what linguists are currently doing to remedy this. In addition, by exploring the past and current works of linguists, I can see where there are gaps and how these gaps can potentially be filled by cultural institutions. For example, I have learned that “recordings of natural conversation, rules of address politeness, turn-taking, and other discourse aspects of endangered languages are few and far between” (1). Given that oral histories are an important archival resource, museums and archives can be great places to store recordings of conversation and culturally important stories/folktales that will assist language revitalization. In addition, linguist Hinton points out that “linguistic documentation that assists revitalization must be user-friendly for the community and oriented toward language education” (2). The idea of being user-friendly and for the community directly aligns with the missions of museums. Cultural institutions are all about accessibility, and data accumulated by linguists must be usable and understandable to people who aren’t linguists in order to make use of them in their communities.

Furthermore, I am learning about what organizations are currently doing in the United States to contribute to the language revitalization effort. As I’ve mentioned in Blog Post IV, there is the National Breath of Life Archival Institute for Indigenous Languages, which provides endangered language communities access to language archives with the goal of recovering and reviving their languages. I previously thought that this was the only program, but it is actually one of many, just sharing the name and general goal. It is modeled after the Breath of Life Archival Institute for Indigenous California Languages, hosted by the Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival and the University of California, Berkeley. Moving forward, I still need to know what efforts are being done in Ireland and in the United Kingdom as I will be focusing on the Celtic languages for the main case study of my thesis. I’ve found some great potential resources on language policy and revitalization efforts for the Celtic languages which I will focus on after finishing my literature review.

Lastly, one other interesting thing I’ve learned about through my Evolving English Language class and through one of my thesis resources is the debate surrounding the spread of English. Minority languages can become endangered as a majority language, like English, is favored and learned. Many people, like Jay Walker who gave a Ted Talk called “The World’s English Mania,” see the spread of English as a good thing, as it paves the way for what Walker claims as “a future where the world has a common language to solve its common problems.” I’m interested to learn more about the pros and cons of a world common language and how it might affect lesser spoken languages.

Screenshot from the Breath of Life Archival Institute for Indigenous California Languages, highlighting some of the services offered. Hinton's name is also mentioned, as she is an important figure in language revitalization and whose journal articles I am referencing in my literature review.

Notes:

(1) Leanne Hinton, “Language Revitalization,” Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 23, (2003): 46.

(2) Hinton, 54.

Blog Post 5: A Better Understanding

One of the things that I've discovered through all of my research on schuhplattler verein (German shoe slapping dance groups or "societies") is that the Schuhplattler Verein Heidengold really is a rare thing; not just in the Rochester area, but worldwide. There are only three groups in the United States that represent the Allgäu region of Germany that are a part of the 76 member vereine Gauverband Nordamerika, of which most organized groups are members. Part of the reasoning for this is the geography of Germany. The Allgäu region is mountainous, so travel to other towns and cities was not common for those in the region. The result of this is that not many were exposed to their tracht (clothing) or their region specific dances.


Although I knew they existed, another thing that I discovered is the website of the Allgäuer Gauverband der Gebirgstrachten und Heimatverine -hereafter referred to as the Allgäu Gauverband.(Website is available in English by right clicking on the body of the page and selecting Translate to English). The Wageggler Börwang-Haldenwang, one of the 45 member clubs of the Allgäu Guaverband visited the United States (Buffalo, NY to be precise) and attended a event put on by the Gauverband Nordamerika called the Gaufest back in 2017. Building relationships with the Wageggler as well as the Allgäu Gauverband can go a long way in helping to preserve authentic tracht, customs, traditions, as well as other aspects of the region.

Another thing that I learned while doing research is how to create the umlaut character while typing all of these German words!! ;)  The umlaut is used to indicate a different vowel quality. If you are not capable of creating the umlaut character, it is appropriate to represent the difference by using the vowel with the addition of "e". For example, ö would be written as oe. However, it is more accurate to use the umlaut whenever possible. Umlauts can be found with ä, ö, and ü in the German language. While this will not be addressed in my thesis, I feel that it is important as it lends authenticity to the writing.


I've also learned how the city of Munich promotes their world famous Oktoberfest. This also leads in to what I still need to know- how this knowledge can help Rochester German societies. Can they apply the principles that Munich uses to make their Oktoberfest not necessarily a world famous event, but an event that will perpetuate the German culture in Rochester?

Immenstadt in Allgau

Photo courtesy of Zaineb Chelly

 https://sites.google.com/site/zeinebchelly/cool-stuff

A new challenge!

So, my thesis topic has changed and I will be focusing on something new.
My topic will be focusing on the impact of Heavy Metal (the music not actual heavy metals) on Cultural Heritage and Tourism and how museums can be used in the process. I've seen a lot of work on how Cultural Heritage has impacted the Metal subgenre but not much about the other way around. Since it's introduction in the mid 1960's the music and scene has become a cultural phenomenon around the world. Because of this certain sites focused around metal and its history have gained popularity and have become prime tourist spots in different countries. Also to help sustain tourism European open air festivals have been put in areas where there often is little to no tourism, bringing in thousands of people from around the world to one location. Also how Heavy Metal has become known as cultural heritage in different areas. Looking into a museum in Birmingham United Kingdom and a restaurant in Chicago Illinois and how they have turned Heavy Metal into Cultural Heritage.

Kumas Corner

Home of Metal

Blog Post 4

WITH THE ADVANCEMENT OF AUGMENTED REALITY, HOW CAN MUSEUMS INCORPORATE THIS TECHNOLOGY AND ENHANCE THEIR EXHIBITIONS AND VISITOR ENGAGEMENT?

Working on my thesis further, I decided to make the hard switch to Augmented Reality from Virtual Reality. I mentioned in an earlier post on how Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality are housed in similar spheres, and while I was thinking at that time to just have both as the statement, that would be too broad. Combined with how Augmented Reality is a more developed technology, more in use as opposed to Virtual Reality (aside from Oculus Rift and the Vive for the most part), and how Augmented Reality is more social among visitors than Virtual Reality, the swap was made. There will most likely be a mention of Virtual Reality in the paper given how the two are tied, but it will not be a major portion of it.

I know I've been saying the following a lot in these posts, but things are still in development and not fully set. This specific aspect of Augmented reality, museum incorporation of it, and the enhancement of exhibitions and visitor engagement are most likely sticking, but portions of it probably need to be fine tuned a bit further, perhaps narrowing it down to history museums.

Kate's Research Question

How can Historic Sites pull upon fields outside of history, like biology, to develop a better education experience for their visitors? 

The goal of my research is to develop an educational experience that incorporates biology into the Seneca Falls Women's Rights National Historical Park in order to broaden the interests of the general public, provide more options for the type of experience guests can have when visiting, and show how biology and history are connected fields and how they both impact our culture. The exact form of the education experience has not been decided on, as it is dependent on what the Historic Park is looking for. As such, my research question will be adjusted to the specific problems and questions posed by the type of education outreach I settle on. The topic will relate to invasive species and the impact that has on commerce and culture. If this is done through the lense of a general view, or more specifically through bird or plants will be decided on what The Historic Park would like to develop.

Why it important to combine biology and history?

We tend to think of these topics as being separate, but our environment influences our history and our history alters our environment. How did the environment look during Stanton’s time? How did this impact her life?

Why is it important we talk about invasive species?

Invasive species alter the biodiversity of a region and this can impact the parts of the economy reliant on local ecology as well as altering landmarks and sites of cultural importance.

Pinpointing where to go

After diving in to some resources this week, along with our assigned reading of A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses and Dissertations, I believe I have pinpointed the research question I aim to explore in my thesis. In previous posts I've discussed my intended focus on social activism in museums in relation to the LGBTQIA+ liberation movement. A key moment in this movement is the 1980s AIDS crisis and the activism which spurred from a lack of proper education and funding for research to combat the disease. Groups like Act Up and the Gay Men's Health Crisis were some of the many activist groups who staged "die-ins," marches, and other protests.

My choice to focus on this aspect of the Gay Liberation movement developed after reading the introduction to Kylie Message's Museums and Social Activism, where she explains the focus of her book in addressing the role of social activism in shaping museological practice. Message chooses to focus on the Native American civil rights movement in the latter half of the 20th century, providing a specific lens through which she can further dissect the role of social activism in the field of museums. Similarly, I want to use the AIDS activist movement in the 1980s to dissect how museums are looking at social activism of the past and developing exhibitions to showcase the importance of the peoples voice in American democracy.

Social activism is one of the ways the public can communicate its opinions in regards to governmental policies when the distance between politicians and the people they govern becomes too significant. The modern museum has found its place in fostering public discourse, yet there is no precedent set for how to address social issues in the museum space. After mulling over the two focuses I have found I believe that I have come to my [working] research question: How are museums presenting past examples of social activism [specifically the activism of the 1980s AIDS crisis]? What are the methods museums are using to foster dialogues about social inequalities and activism? What are the best practices in the field that allow for the museum to facilitate this discussion?

I'm not sure if I will need to address the basic question of why should museums be involved in public discourse or social issues of their time? considering my initial questions seem to assume that this is a given. I would love feedback on this though I believe I will address this question inadvertently anyway.

Message, Kylie, "Introduction," Museums and Social Activism: Engaged Protest, New York: Routledge (2014). 1-38 pp.

My Senior Thesis Project

My thesis is going to convince readers to support the idea to build an official Buffalo Sports Museum. The project component of my thesis is to create the blueprint/model for the Buffalo Sports Museum. This will include a to scale diorama of the museum, as well as a written explanation of the unique collection plan and features of the museum. The museum collection will be consist of items from the Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Bandits, Buffalo Bisons, Buffalo Braves and Destroyers(Arena Football). Interactive components to the exhibition will be included in the visitor’s experience, including areas where guests can throw a football through a target and shoot on a hockey or basketball net. The museum will include a full restaurant and bar for fans to watch games currently on TV or enjoy a drink surrounded by Buffalo Sports Memorabilia. Also, a banquet room would be desired for current players and fans to hold events to strengthen the bond. The preferred location would be near the First Niagara Center, the Buffalo Sabres’ home arena, also within walking distance of the Canal Side, Lake Erie, and Canadian border. This location is ideal for visitors to explore the museum before or after they attend a game. The location of the museum would appeal to Canadian visitors because its proximity to the sports arenas and the Canadian border (15% of the Sabres attendants are Canadian citizens). I plan on dedicating a section of the museum to Canadian fans such as a Tim Horton Memorial, who was an icon of both Buffalo and Canada. I can't wait to start on this portion of the project.

My (working) Research Question

Human beings have a desire to touch things.  To hold an object can allow us to gather more information about it using our senses, and give us a greater appreciation for it.  As museum professionals however, we know that oftentimes, museums aren't sites that can easily facilitate this desire.  Most of the time, museum objects aren't allowed to be touched due to their rarity, fragility, or other factors that require limited human contact with them.  There are of course exceptions, such as teaching collections and interactives that incorporate the object, but for the most part, museums are "no touch zones."  How can we as museum professionals, create solutions to fulfill the human desire to touch?  Does this desire interfere with the museum experience, or is the public acclimated to the environment of museums enough that it doesn't affect their experience?  For my thesis project, I would like to examine these ideas through the use of facsimiles, mainly those that are 3D printed or created through other relatively cheap and easy methods.
The ultimate goal of my thesis project is to answer the question: "Can facsimiles of museum objects help fulfill the desire of visitors to touch items on display?"  In order to answer this question, I will be conducting a two-part project.  In the first part, a selected object will be reproduced using 3D printing or another method available at RIT.  The AMPrint Center has some interesting ways of creating objects, and depending on what I chose to reproduce, a method other than 3D printing might be best. The goal of this phase is to create a facsimile that mirrors the original object as closely as possible, from its size, to its weight, to any textures the object might have.  This might not be possible given the available technology, but ideally, I would like for the reproduction to be as similar as possible to the original in order to effectively serve as a surrogate for it.
In the second phase of my project, the reproduced object will be placed on display in a local institution, alongside the original object.  Visitors will be encouraged to interact with the reproduction, and a visitor study survey will be conducted into how, if at all, interacting with the object enhanced their museum experience.  Did they have an initial desire to touch the original object?  Did the facsimile help to fulfill that desire?  Did it make the desire to hold the original object stronger? 
Time permitting, I would like to do this project twice; once at an institution that tends to encourage interactivity for the visitors (such as the RMSC), and once at an institution that usually doesn't allow visitors to interact in the galleries (such as the MAG).  I think this could uncover some really interesting information about what a visitor expects out of a museum visit, and how museum professionals can work to meet those expectations.

From Beth Compton: "Replicas of an ulu artifact (Ikaahuk Archaeology Project). From left to right: white 3D print, colour 3D print, handmade replica (by Tim Rast), and the original artifact excavated from Banks Island, NWT. Photograph by Beth Compton." Click here for source

Questions, questions, questions.

Transitioning from topic to research question can be difficult. What specific aspects of the topic do you want to focus on, why does this aspect matter and how will your findings affect readers are just a few questions one must ask when developing a good research question. After reading the first two chapters of A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses and Dissertations, I’ve been able to focus on the core concept of my topic that I’m interested in, using technology in a museum setting to create a better visitor experience for individuals with autism, and do further research to develop my research question.

When looking at my project idea for a thesis (described in an earlier post), my first question had to be “why is a phone app the most effective way to execute a project like this?” In one article I read, Educational and digital inclusion for subjects with autism spectrum disorders in 1:1 technological configuration by Lucila Maria Costi Santarosa and Debora Conforto, the researchers found that phones and other personal touch screen devices were by far preferred by their subjects.

Photo: creative commons

With this fact confirmed not just by this source but several others, I knew that my project was certainly feasible and could be very useful. So, I proceeded to come up with my research question.

As per the Manual for Writers, I knew my research question needed to encompass two things: what did I want to find out about the topic and why would the answer to this question be useful to readers; or, why does this question matter? After thinking about it for a few days, I came up with the following question: How can museums utilize a downloadable app for personal devices to provide a more inclusive and sensory-friendly experience for individuals with autism?

I’m very excited to continue my research and work on my thesis. Any suggestions or comments, as always, are greatly appreciated.

Blog Post IV: Senior Thesis Project and Working Research Question

As I have mentioned in previous posts, my thesis is going to explore the ways in which museums and archives can contribute to language preservation and revitalization efforts. I believe museums and archives have a great potential to help for a variety of reasons. First, museums are tasked with being the repositories that preserve, educate, and spread awareness of different cultures, groups, movements, individuals, and more. Language is a central component of culture and tradition, and it can therefore potentially tie in with a museum’s mission. Furthermore, taking the time to highlight the importance of language will be key so that my audience/readers are invested and have a reason to care. Second, there are many challenges with teaching endangered languages compared to majority languages. There are limited speakers, most of whom may be elderly, and they aren’t trained in education. Most linguists aren’t, either. Therefore, museums and archives can be that means of supporting endangered languages and educating the general public about them beyond the classroom. Third, cultural institutions already have a great basis for contributing to these efforts. In many collections, there are oral histories, old manuscripts, and other materials that could be of use to the preservation and revitalization of languages. Museums and archives can curate exhibitions or promote programs to make use of these materials. One example is The National Breath of Life Archival Institute for Indigenous Languages, which is a two-week long workshop where native community members from across the country come together in Washington, D.C. to research documents relating to their languages and cultures. The members are partnered with professional linguists and “navigate Smithsonian and Library of Congress archives and collections, locate and acquire documents, interpret writing systems, and transform archival materials into practical lessons for language learning” [1]. I get excited thinking about the possibilities when uncovering the efforts of museums in language revitalization. I plan on researching more about language preservation and revitalization from a linguistic perspective, other current connections to museums, and then suggesting methods for the future.

This screenshot from The National Breath of Life's page highlights the mission and includes a quote from a participant that demonstrates the positive impact projects like this have.

With all of this in mind, my working research question is: Given the missions of cultural institutions (e.g. museums, archives), their collections, and their relationships with surrounding communities, how can these institutions successfully contribute to the preservation and revitalization of endangered languages in the long-term, and how can success be evaluated? The question aims to encompass both linguistic and museum perspectives, to consider current cases while maintaining a vision for the future, and to captivate readers and encourage them to learn more about endangered languages.

Source:

[1] “About the Workshop.” National Breath of Life Archival Institute for Indigenous Languages, 2017. 

Blog post 4- Working research question

While many Rochesterians know that those of German ancestry make up a large portion of the Rochester population, many don't know that there is a German community that is actively trying to preserve and promote German culture and heritage. One reason for that is that many German immigrants chose to assimilate into the American culture for multiple reasons (some of which I will discuss in my thesis).

One major drawback of that assimilation (among other reasons like an aging population) is a decrease in membership in German cultural groups in Rochester. The result is the ceasing of multiple German cultural groups due to lack of membership and/or interest.

 After reading chapters 1-2 of A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations by Turabian, I know that a good research question will answer three questions: What is the topic? What do you want to find out about the topic? (Why is the topic important to your readers. Also know as the "so what?")  What issue will your research fix/improve? With these guidelines in mind, my working research question is: What is the German community (specifically the Schuhplattler Verein Heidengold- one of the German dance groups) in Rochester, NY doing to authentically preserve and promote German cultural heritage and what could they be doing differently in order to perpetuate the culture for future generations?

Members of the Schuhplattler Verein Heidengold after a performance in 2014 at the Genesee Country Village and Museum. Photo courtesy of Jim Smith.

Articles on the Lenape

The two articles I read were in regards to the Lenni Lenape and the Nanticoke natives. The first article titled "Strategies for Survival: The Nanticoke Indians in a Hostile World" which was published in 1979. The second article was published in 2017 from a Widener law student titled "Utilizing Dignity Rights to Further Tribal Prerogatives: The Lenape Indian Tribe of Delaware." Reading these two articles juxtapositioned against one another gave a more concrete passage of time in the struggles both the Lenni Lenape and the Nanticoke face and are still facing.

Considering one article is more styled as a law document and the other being more of a historical document, the styles of writing were extremely different. That being said they're both equally important to one another to paint a more clear and concise picture to the reader about the tribes. Also the considerable amount of time between both of the articled being written puts a lot about the Tribes into perspective regarding their welfare, history, and future.

Bibliography:
1.  Delaware Chief addressing his people, an 18th century painting courtesy of: http://explorepahistory.com/displayimage.php?imgId=1-2-88C

2. Porter, Frank W. “Strategies for Survival: The Nanticoke Indians in a Hostile World.” Ethnohistory 26, no. 4 (1979): 325–45. https://doi.org/10.2307/481364.

3. Roland, Dean. “Utilizing Dignity Rights to Further Tribal Prerogatives: The Lenape Indian Tribe of Delaware,” n.d., 26.