An Introduction to Me and My Thesis!

Hi! My name is Emma Nastro and I am a fourth year Museum Studies major with a double minor in Environmental Science and Art History and an immersion in Legal Studies. My thesis topic is the governance structures and legal frameworks of the Smithsonian's history museums, and how those structures and frameworks can prevent the Smithsonian from portraying complex historical narratives or views that vary from that of the current United States government. Right now I am looking at the Smithsonian's leadership format and bylaws, as well as laws passed by Congress regarding the Smithsonian. I will also be looking at case law regarding situations similar to the Smithsonian (of which the legal definition is very unclear). This thesis was inspired by my love of legal research and my love for public libraries, which are facing a lot of censorship threats currently and are being covered extensively in mainstream news alongside issues of free speech on college campuses. I wondered if public museums like the Smithsonian faced similar threats as to what content they could put in their exhibits and programming. I'm looking forward to sharing my research and writing progress throughout this semester :)

Starting Spring Semester!

My name is River Starliper and I'm in my final year of Museum Studies here at RIT. My thesis seeks to research and understand participatory living history exercises based on a specific (albeit nontraditional) example: welcome to the realm of alcohol and general debauchery, the Renaissance Faire is in town!

If you've never been to a Renaissance Faire (typically just called Renn Faires or any other variation of the spelling), you may be surprised to find that the "Renaissance" in question is based more on fantasy and fairgoer-culture than any real-life time period. But these Faires still act as an exercise in participatory living history, in which costumed interpreters guide visitors through a setting that exists apart from the modern world. These Faires do not so much attract the hobbyist historian as they attract hippies, costumers, day-drinkers, witches, and generally those who consider themselves a part of some form of counter-culture. 

My paper aims to examine the relationship between informal (and, in some cases, inaccurate) re-enactment and more formal "living history" or "museum" educational modalities. This research examines alternative methods of "meaning-making" for museum and Faire visitors, and explores how even experiences that are not "historically accurate" can provide valuable educational insights about a topic, time period, or cultural phenomenon.

This is a project born out of personal interest that has morphed into (at least, for me) an interesting conversation on how we learn about the past.

Stay tuned as I continue my journey into new academic depths. Forsooth!

Pictured: Myself (left) & friends in homemade costumes outside of the 2023 Pennsylvania Renaissance Fair

Introduction to my thesis- Sydney Arcuri

My thesis topic is discussing the different types of digitization used in museums and other collection-based institutions and how these technologies shape the way in which museum collections are accessed by the general public. From my class in research methods that I took last semester my overall thesis and abstract have not changed all the much. This is the current iteration of my abstract as of 1/16/2024:

This thesis paper will focus on museum digitization technologies and examine the promises museums make regarding this technology. Museum digitization has the potential to provide numerous educational and interpretive possibilities to a worldwide audience from anywhere in the world anytime. However, as technology advances and becomes more readily available, museums and other collection-based institutions make promises surrounding these technologies with little to none anticipated or expected obstacles. Firsthand experience observed through a summer internship at the Field Museums in Chicago, Illinois serves as a base foundation for this thesis. Primarily focusing on digitization, this internship allows for an avenue to test whether these promises of digitization are possible. Paired along with comparative analysis with other organizations, the validity of these museums goals of digitization will be scrutinized and questioned. The scale and size of these comparative institutions was taken into consideration since museums of different scales experience things different from one other. The goal of my thesis is to first explain what is digitization and some different technologies that are commonly utilized. Then this thesis aims to explore whether museums are over ambitious when it comes to the digitization of their collections. This thesis asks if museums can really live up to their grand pronouncements of having all of their objects digitized within the next few years. Asking can they really do this or is it even physically possible given the limitations of outside factors such as budget, time, staff, resources, collections, and other similar variables. 

Welcome to my Thesis Project: James Falotico

    Hello, my name is James Falotico; I am a 4th year museum studies major currently working on my thesis/capstone project. To briefly introduce my project, I am researching and analyzing the evolution of the public's opinion on exhibitions that focus on displaying World War 1 propaganda posters. For the research side of my project, I have found case studies from various exhibitions from the 1970s, 2018, and 2023. For the project-oriented side of my thesis, I have curated and installed an exhibit titled Selling War and Buying Patriotism: Propaganda, Posters, and Prose from WWI and WWII. This exhibit displays various World War propaganda posters from my collection and explores themes seen through a modern lens. I will invite the public to take an exit survey during this exhibit to gauge modern public opinion on World War propaganda. Finally, exciting news: the exhibit has been installed and officially opened today (1/16/2023). The pictures below are from the installation of Selling War and Buying Patriotism: Propaganda, Posters, and Prose from WWI and WWII.

January Updates for Spring Semester

My project has mostly stayed the same since my final submission in December of my proposal. I am still very much focused on the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival, the apply industry of the Shenandoah Valley, and the relationship between the two. My literature review focuses on background information on the definitions of festivals, the roots of agricultural festivals, and a brief history of the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival. I did not spend much time looking at my thesis over the winter break so I could come back to the spring semester with a fresh mind and excitement for what I worked on in the fall. I did, however, spend a day at the Handley Regional Library in their local archives collection to find more primary source material and photographs. I will have to access historic photographs via their PassPerfect archives website. I did find three interesting sources that relate to how the community see the festival and its history (two blog posts from 2015, and a 1977 festival souvinir program). I also viewed a 1927-1932 ledger that allowed me to better understand how the region exported their apple products out of the country, via train car and shipping vessel, to different parts of Europe. The hardest part that has not been able to be secured in any way is the interviews I was hoping to do. I will be continuing revisions to my abstract and literature review as time allows while adding new elements to my paper. 

Introduction to my Thesis

    My thesis will discuss how informal learning about art and history has evolved since the establishment of the first museum in the United States and how significant federal funding has aided this evolution. The key research methods include the examination of primary and secondary resources, including oral histories held by the Smithsonian Archives of American Art. Using these in conjunction with the work of theorists John Cotton Dana, a library and museum professional, and John Dewey, a theorist of experiential learning, I will demonstrate the connections between art education, museums, and libraries and what they share with the histories of the Charleston Art Museum and the Federal Art Project. Building upon these resources and drawing new conclusions from them, this thesis will ultimately explore the lasting legacies both of these have had on informal learning of art and history in museums and beyond.  

    As of now, my research has consisted of exploring stories from artists who directly experienced the implementation of New Deal Era programs such as the Federal Art Project. I have also been familiarizing myself with the different policies and legal details of these programs using the reports on art projects created by the director of the Federal Art Project, Holger Cahill.

😃

Jill Johnson Thesis Project

First day of MUSE 490 and this is where my abstract now stands.

Abstract:

Objects without a narrative are simply things. By contrast, an object with a story can be used as a vehicle for a museum to open dialogues with visitors about the people of that time period, how they lived their lives, and what social aspects influenced them. The story of an object, what makes it different from hundreds of others just like it, can change it from ordinary to extraordinary and be used as a powerful learning tool by helping the audience to create connections and make meaning of what they are seeing and experiencing. This thesis will explore the relationships between objects and their un-visible or hidden stories in order to show the importance of narrative and meaning making in museums, particularly living history museums. By examining, researching, and exploring ten objects from the collection of the Genesee Country Village & Museum (GCV&M), a 19th century living history village in Western New York, this thesis will demonstrate the importance in using narrative in interpretation. The key research methods include examination of primary and secondary literature and the creation of new primary sources. Previous and newly-created interviews with long-time interpreters of the historic houses at GCV&M will provide insight into the kinds of questions visitors ask about the objects filling the sixty-eight historic structures on the campus. In addition, literature written by museum professionals will support the research by uncovering current practices and approaches around objects and storytelling, meaning making in museums, and the importance of those in a historic house, site, or living history village. These two avenues of research will become the basis for storytelling about the ten items selected from GCV&M in order to show the extent to which narratives in a museum or historic setting are key to successful visitor education and can be used as a way to help tie them to the past while making meaning in their present and guiding their future. Shifting from research to application, this thesis will culminate in an online exhibit for GCV&M to see how the narratives created as part of this project can, in fact, turn ordinary things into extraordinary objects that reveal hidden histories and bridge the gap between past and present and guide the audience into making meaningful connections.

Final Thesis Sbmission

 The submission of the final draft of my thesis marks the beginning of the end of my six-year long journey at RIT.  There have been many ups and downs, and at several points I did not think I would be able to reach the finish line.  Yet I have reached this milestone and it feels surreal.  This project was a massive undertaking, the biggest one in my academic career.  It presented many challenges, but I have gained so much from studying the topic of my hometown.  I have gained a new appreciation for Gloucester, its history, and its cultural heritage.  While I will miss a lot about RIT, I am excited to return home and take this new perspective with me.