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.