Finished Thesis (For the Most Part)

 Hello!

    I am proud to announce that I finished writing my thesis. I still need to do a few things before submitting, like reading it over, correcting any mistakes I made, and properly citing everything. When I finished up the draft of my last section, it felt like a breath of fresh air. Since starting this project, I have been excited to see where it goes, what I will do with it, and how it will impact my community in Ogdensburg, New York. Regardless, like any big project, it can be stressful at times. Some things may not go to plan, and your vision may not be exactly what it originally was. In the end, like Professor Newman has said time and time again, "you get to do this." That repetitive statement helped bring me through any mishap, and like my excitement about wrapping up on my draft, I am ecstatic to see where the future of my exhibition goes.  Everyone in my thesis group is doing a wonderful job, and they all deserve a round of applause. 

Happy Writing,

Finn

Updates and my own blog!

 Hi everyone! Here is the link to my blog- https://castleonthehill4.wordpress.com/

Feel free to comment and share! I finished transcribing all of my oral histories and will have them up soon. Editing the transcriptions is taking a little bit longer than expected, but things happen. My main goal right now is to get a first draft of my whole thesis done. Also, figuring out the conclusion/ message I want to get across with my thesis. 

Overall, I am so thankful to have this opportunity and am looking forward to getting feedback from the Dansville Community. 

Interactive Change Update

 Hello!

Since the last post, I have had an update on my interactive. Prior, the curators and I wanted to make an Adirondack lean-to. However, in the process of construction, we realized how difficult and time-consuming it would be for the children and the curators to design. Because of this, we decided to make a waterfall interactive instead.

The interactive will be constructed from wood and chicken wire. Here the visitors will tie recycled blue and green fabric to a wired piece. In the end, it will create a waterfall-like structure. This structure will be completed by the Art Club and the sculpture class. On the fabric, visitors will answer the question, "What does environment mean to you?" This collaborative piece will make visitors feel like they are part of the exhibition along with the children displayed. A visual example is pictured below.

Updates

    Hi everyone! A lot has happened after winter break, I have been very busy, and I apologize for the late updates.

    To begin with, I have been workshopping and reiterating my thesis proposal based off Dr. Newman's feedback. 

    A challenge in my thesis project as I move forward on a rough draft is clarifying in my abstract what exactly my thesis and exhibit will be about. I believe last semester, I was slightly confused on what my thesis statement had to be about and thought it had to clearly demonstrate action and directly involve my exhibit. My thesis is not focused around student-curated exhibitions, or even exhibitions, but Lolita fashion holistically.

    I will be workshopping my thesis statement for the next draft in order for my project to be more cohesive and understandable. I don't mention student-curated exhibitions anywhere else in my thesis, so there's nothing for me to cut out regarding that. However, it would be worth mentioning other exhibits that were displayed about Lolita fashion as well as sources that include public perception of the fashion to an "outsider."

    These modifications will help my project advance because they will narrow and concentrate my thesis, while at the same time expanding it and giving it more context in a way that is relevant. There's so much I want to include in my thesis, but not super clear, accurate information and most of it I have to extrapolate or get a sense for by looking inwards on communities. I do think there will be enough to reference, though, as the paper is aimed more toward those who have little to no knowledge about Lolita fashion.

See you in the next update!

- Carolyn 

Exhibit Opening and small updates!

    Jerrold Smith: The Student, The Craftsman, The Drifter is officially installed. I would like to thank all of those who came out on Tuesday, the 18th, to celebrate the opening of the Surfacing exhibit show. It was great to see everyone and converse with others about my project. The exhibit is up from February 12th to March 8th in the University Gallery at RIT. If you haven't seen it yet, I encourage you to stop by and check out all of the shows happening.

Close-up of The Student & The Craftsman Case

Extended shot of Jerrold Smith: The Student, The Craftsman, The Drifter

    Recently, I have been chipping away at my thesis draft. The exhibition was the last big part of my project that I needed to complete before finishing up my paper and finalizing certain details. I am focused on my methodology section and building it into the practical side of my paper. I can't wait to see where this project goes in the end.

Case Studies Introduction

    When discussing human remains on display in institutions, it is important to look at what is being displayed as well as where. Mummies, bog bodies, and cadavers all serve different purposes when displayed, and the museums that display them have different purposes also. Looking at international and national museums and comparing their policies regarding human remains curation will allow for a deeper understanding of how various institutions approach the ethical, legal, and cultural complexities surrounding the handling of human remains.

    For the national museum, I will be looking at the Mutter museum in Philadelphia as they have an extensive medical collection. Recently they have been in the news for the displaying of remains, particularly those of indigenous descent which is subject for repatriation. There is the American Alliance for Museums which set policies and talks of restitution and repatriation for human remains following NAGPRA. Human remains are also supposed to be taken care of with "dignity and respect" which is the first line discussed under the Human Remains Curation section, but one can argue (me) the dignified response to acquiring human remains is to not display them. This museum and the code of ethics will be compared to the international museums Museo Egizio in Torino, Italy and the Hungarian Museum of London, England. 

There is lots more to discuss next time including details on the international museums! See you then.

Updates and Small Changes

 Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm a little late with this update (by a few days), but I've made a not-insignificant amount of progress on my thesis! I recently just rewrote my abstract, and it looks much cleaner than my old one, although I know it will likely get another revision at the end when I am about to submit, and I have a decent chunk of my methodology written! It's going to be long, which I was nervous about, but it's necessary as I have two sections in it: my exhibit and my survey. I've also created a new, more detailed outline which has a lot more boxes for me to tick (a good thing). Next week I have a class visit, where I will finally get responses to my survey, and I get to send another email to COLA about posting my survey in the newsletter, as I only got half a response the first time.

Otherwise, things are going good, just really need to lock in and really hammer out paragraphs.

That's all for now!

Nic Feldman

Exciting News!

 Hi Everyone,

Sorry for this delayed update, but I have some exciting announcements!

1.) I have decided on the reference for my reproductions: The Lobsterman (The Doryman) by N.C. Wyeth

    I have chosen this piece because I believe not only is it of substantial size, around 2 x 4 ft, it shows good characteristics of tempera layering which is crucial to the process. It contains a good mixture of historic techniques with contemporary techniques in application and scaping, and believe it fits well with my thesis. Originally, I wanted to reference The Vision of Saint Eustace by Pisanello, but have come to realize its complexity in nature may make it hard to produce two reproductions.

2.) I have started the preparation process.

    As of now, I have created a digital, gridded reference for The Lobsterman (The Doryman) using the application Procreate and scaling it so it was an accurate representation. I then began to start the sketching process on transparency paper. Since the sheets I was using were only 18 x 24 inches, I taped them together to meet the 2 x 4 ft measurement and then began gridding, using 4 x 4 panels. This weekend, I will cut the wood, and began priming and painting.

3.) I have almost all my materials

    Since I was originally planning on an alternate piece, I only bought one board of wood, so I am planning on going to the store to buy another panel this weekend and will cut them both to size using a table saw. I also ordered traditional calcium carbonate off of a small business for the traditional gesso using animal glue. Additionally, the rabbit skin glue I ordered came in, and the eggs I ordered from a local farm will be ready to be pick up Saturday.

Overall, I find myself extremely excited to finally begin the recreation and experimentation process. Photos will come in the next update!

Castle on the Hill Oral History Interview #1

 Hello Everyone!

I will be providing some details about my first Oral History Interview with Howard Perry! Howard reached out to me from my request for an interview on a local Facebook Page. Howard worked at The Castle on the Hill as a Waiter in the Summers of 1962 and 1963. Howard has also lived in Dansville his whole life and worked at Noyes Hospital. 

Shout out to Howard for being my first interviewee and sticking with me through some technical difficulties. It was my first time using my voice recorder and it took some getting used to. I also recorded on my MacBook as a backup. We ended up doing our interview in the Dansville Library. 

I specifically picked some old photos of the dining areas of the Castle on the Hill as memory aids. Howard had such a great memory of the Castle on Hill layout and even drew me some sketches! He told me about all of his interesting interactions with guests and some teenage antics he and his cousin got up to. The Castle on the Hill is a very important place to him. It is a place where he grew as a person and connected with families and friends. He also talked about the importance of sharing stories with the younger generation. He thinks it is important for people to learn the history about the town they were born in. He hopes that the Castle's memory can live on; even if it is just in stories. 

Thank you so much to Howard for being my first interviewee! I had a wonderful time and learned so much!

Best,

Eliot Gavin 

Methodology and Outline

 Hello!

Since my last post I have completed my first draft of my methodology and have just finished my thesis outline. While completing all this work, I have been contemplating the work I have done up until this point. I have been working in a bit of a straight line up until this point. Completing one task and then moving on to the next, I feel I need to revisit and revise the work I have done up until now in order to stay on top of my work.

It is hard to contemplate revisiting past assignments when I have so many other upcoming assignment to do. I will have to use my time wisely and work in small increments during the next months. Time management will be key. I am excited to continue my work and revise my old work.

Until next time!

-Kaitlyn Troutman

Exhibit Time!

     We are currently one week from the opening of Surfacing: A Trio of Exhibitions by MUSE Faculty and Students. The show focuses on three exhibits Transgressive: From the Guerrilla Girls to Pussy Riot; Jerrold Smith: The Student, The Craftsman, The Drifter; & Ruffles and Rebellion: An Unveiling of Lolita Fashion.  The show in the University Gallery at RIT opens on February 12th and closes on March 8th, with an opening reception on February 18th from 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm. 

    My exhibit, Jerrold Smith: The Student, The Craftsman, The Drifter, focuses on the life and creations of Jerrold Smith, following his artistic career as a student at the School of American Craftsman at RIT to his death. This week, I have been preparing the final touches to the exhibit and finishing up the last label copy before heading to print. 

    I am so excited to open this project up to the public and can't wait for everyone to see it!

The Last One (semester speaking)

    As the spring semester took off, so did our projects. After a comfortable break, we returned to full steam on our senior thesis projects. Over break, I had a few new revelations regarding my project and the Jerrold Smith Family Archive. The first one is a name change. I have decided to change how I had been regarding the archive I am creating, instead of its name being the Jerrold B. Smith Family Archive it is now the Jerrold Smith Family Archive. As I furthered my study of the collections I found that Jerrold was mainly referred to as Jerrold Smith, not Jerrold B.  Smith. This change would be a better representation of who Jerrold is and likely was his preferred name. 

    Secondly, I received more collection materials that I had the opportunity to add to the Jerrold Smith Family Archive. At first, I wasn't sure about adding new objects to the collection so late into the project and thought that it would be best to wait until the summer to add the pieces, but after reviewing them I found they added a lot to the overall archive and its story. 

Custom Coat Hook by Jerrold Smith

Jerrold Smith Custom Design Jewelry Box

        

       Lastly, I found new academic journals and sources regarding creating archives and the impact of family archives. I have been reviewing these over the semester and adding information that I find the most helpful to my project. 

Exciting Times Ahead

 I have made so much progress on my thesis! Last week, I conducted my final long-term interview for my thesis. I am so thankful for everyone who partcipated in my oral histories and the amazing community I am a part of. My next blog pot will focus more on my interview expierence but for right now I will talk about next steps and challenges I have with my thesis. 

Oral history is a quite a legtheny process. I am committed to the professional distrubution of these oral histories. I still have to transcribe and send them to interviewees for approval before I post them. I will post the link to my own blog very soon! A big focus of this thesis is analyzing the community's response and reaction to the oral histories. I hope that the community will engage with my work and am exicited to see what they think. 

Time is a big challenge. I always feel like Spring semester goes faster than Fall Semester. I have a lot I am trying to accomplish in a short period of time. I want to put my all in this project, but time can be constraining. I am also contuing to research the connetion between oral history and preservation. I am excited to keep working on my thesis!

Best, 

Eliot Gavin

A New Semester

 Hello everyone,

       I hope the start of everyones semester has been going well. It is our very last semester at RIT, time not only to work, but to appreciate the work we are doing. Professor Newman brought this perspective to my attention during our thesis classes, we are so lucky to be given the opportunity to conduct the research we are with the support of the staff and our classmates at RIT. I will not take this opportunity for granted and will be continuing my work on my thesis.

     Recently, we were given the assignment to come up with the next steps in our thesis and potential challenges we could encounter. My next steps include gathering more case studies on other museums Nazi-Era provenance. I will also be visiting the MAG to interview their provenance research on her work. I anticipate challenges in terms of time and research, however, I have come up with ways to combat these challenges. For now, I will work on the first draft of my methodology.

Thank you,

Kaitlyn Troutman