A Bit Behind Schedule

Hello All,

These past few weeks have been crazy. I was on a family trip when everything was announced and came back to a bucket load of emails. While away I didn't get as much done on my thesis as I would have liked. Honestly, a cruise isn't really the right atmosphere to work on work... sooo for the most part my computer sat in my backpack. I still have more to write, although the last few sections should be pretty easy. I also have a few more things to do on my online platform. This next week is going to be super busy and crazy but I am hoping to have everything done a couple days before the deadline... fingers crossed!

Next On the List

Hello All,

It's hard to believe that it is already week five, it's going by super fast! I've started actively working on the digital part of my project and hope to have it done by the end of the month. It's a little slow going. I've written quite a bit of the narrative, and I also have chosen most of my photographs but I am still having trouble with the layout and what I want it to look like - also the color choices are really limited and although this is a trivial thing it's a bit bothersome. I'm also continuing with my writing and trying to expand on what I already have, finding the correct layout of the paper is also proving difficult (I guess layouts in both digital and physical form are my nemesis for the week), but I have been switching paragraphs around and I think I am on the right path. I also want to go back in the next week or so and take another look at my lit review. There are some parts that I think I need to scrap and other areas that I can expand on.

Plans For the Break

My first goal over winter break is to put finishing touches on my literature review. I know I will receive feedback with my final submission and I am hoping to revise and complete an almost finished section before going into next semester. I would also like to take any critiques towards my outline and refine or change the groupings/name to better fit my thesis. I want to get the majority of my project done during winter break, focusing on my online platform which means:

1. Creating an Outline: How I want the platform to be set up. What information I would like to include and how these themes could be grouped.
2. Writing the Script: Writing the various parts for my sections, ensuring that all of the information is correct and having a base that I can continue to edit throughout the first part of the spring semester.
3. Choosing Visuals: Choosing what visuals I would like to include on the platform I am creating.  Also examining what steps I need to take in putting them on the site. I would love to include photographs, letters, audio, and if possible some video. I think this would add to the visitor experience and allow them to engage with the material presented.

I've found that this semester my time management skills have not been the best. I think I really need to sit down before winter breaks starts and make a goal sheets, that has specific dates when I need to have certain steps of my project complete. This will help me focus on what needs to be completed, and also stay on track instead of working on multiple things at the same time. Hopefully I will accomplish all of these tasks and come back in spring semester, with an almost completed project!

My Idea for the Future

For the first couple of months I held pretty true to my original idea. Although as I continue to gather research and narrow down my topic, it seems that I keep tweaking various parts of my thesis and concept. My topic is no longer focused primarily on the digital space and the role interactivity plays. It seems to have shifted. I'm now examining how a digital space portrays a narrative/storyline and what role can users play in the content generated for the site. With this change I need to re-conceptualize my original thesis statement and continue to narrow down what topics are important to my paper. I'm happy with this new direction!

I believe that my ideas about my thesis will continue to evolve and change. But because I am happy with these new ideas, I feel like I can move forward with the project part of my thesis, and start the visual process. I have also officially decided to work with ArcGIS because of its story mapping capabilities. I think this platform will help me form an engaging narrative and think more in depth about what content users would like to see on this type of platform.

What's Next

Hello All,

I can't believe we're more than half way through the semester! Since our discussions in class about the literature review, I've been focusing on finding research that connects to my topic and slowly but surely bringing different pieces together. I am trying my best to find literature that links to each other and also finding the best way to insert my own opinion into my review.

I've mostly been focusing on the digital side of my research, examining articles/books that are reviewing the digital space and that center their argument on ideas like accessibility, digital tourism, digitization, and interactivity. I really want to know what participants are looking for when utilizing an online platform and what they seem to learn the most from. I was researching one article that discussed interactivity and how it can be used as a learning tool, promoting the idea of finding one's own learning path through the use of different materials. I've also been going through case studies. One was very helpful, and was a tour that could be accessed through a website from anywhere. This helped me to think about my own tour and the type of platform I wish to use when creating the space. I hope to find other examples that could help when thinking about what online platform I want to use and what could be the most easily accessible for my audience.

There is still material that I need to dive further into for my thesis, and will be my focus for the second half of my literature review. I would like to look at the bigger narrative for my project, how my work could be applicable for other organizations (i.e. how could smaller institutions use my methods to work on similar projects). I also would like to further examine what system I should use to pick the material I will be working with for the tour. Also how I frame these points in history when thinking about the 100th anniversary and what stories will be considered the "most important" or crucial  in the camp's history to those who will be viewing the site/digital space.

A Thesis Topic

Mapping the Past: The role interactivity plays in digital tourism

Research Question: Do interactives play a large role in online guided tours? 

To promote interconnectivity I would like to introduce an online guided tour for the 100th year anniversary of Camp Kawanhee, connecting those who cannot be at the reunion to the camp, and promoting the historic milestone that the area is celebrating. The online guided tour would be centered on a map, providing a useful way for individuals to move about the space, and recognize areas from the past. The map would enable the experiencer to be taken through a digital tour, that allows visitors to look through photographs, audio, and archival material in the hopes of simulating an experience that reminds them of camp life. The map would look at both the past and present in an effort to simulate changes made over time. My research question centers on how these interactives play a large role in digital tourism, and how the material presented makes a strong personal connection between the “visitor” and the digital space, creating a more authentic and impactful experience.

Back in the Saddle

As we approach the end of week 3 I cannot believe how fast this semester is moving. At the same time it is good to get into the process of writing the main portion of my thesis. I have been doing work on the project since the end of last semester but I decided to focus in on the artifact selection process. Having done the research on the best practices for selecting artifacts, I figured it was time to get going on the process. As I went I took pretty copious notes on my thought process for selection and these notes will form the basis of the next piece of my thesis. I will also introduce the topic of K-12 standards and explain how I have been using those to guide my selection process. The K-12 standards have been very helpful as they have helped me in trying to craft a narrative for the exhibit. Overall I am feeling very confident heading into the rest of the semester and cannot wait to move on to the rest of this project.

Back at it again...

Having a break from classes and being able to focus on my thesis and self-care exclusively was refreshing! And, thankfully, I was able to be productive!

Peter Laurin, the app developer I’m collaborating with, was able to finish the main interface for the app over break which is very exciting! I also was able to revise my literature review, flesh out my content outline, and take some time for myself to just relax before I dive back in. I’m excited to get back to work in earnest and get started on the next stage of writing my thesis.

In the next week or so, I would like to create a more in-depth outline and plan out the specifics of each section of my thesis, nail down dates for user testing, and create my user testing evaluation form. With the motivation of various deadlines, I’m sure I’ll be able to get everything done. At this point, I’m feeling very confident with the direction my thesis is taking. The project aspect is nearly complete and I feel like I have a good plan of attack for writing the thesis. It’s pretty freeing when I think about it. I also haven’t started writing in earnest yet… but we are are going to keep out heads up! As I always say: I’m smart, I’m confident, and I can do this!!

I can’t wait to see how my thesis, and my classmates theses, develop over the semester. Good luck!

Beginning my thesis journey...

Hello everyone! My name is Felicia Swartzenberg and, like most of you readers, I'm starting out on a journey that ends in a brilliant, well-polished thesis (hopefully with minimal hair pulling and mental breakdowns). It took me a while to realize what I wanted to do with my life. I started out as an English major at my old school and when I transferred in I picked the degree that most aligned with my interests, journalism. However, I found I didn't quite fit in or even like the hard news environment. Then, I happened across Katie Curran, the person who started my museum studies journey. She told me about the program and I contacted Tina about it because it finally seemed like I found something I would enjoy. Thankfully, she approved my double major and I'm the first student at RIT to major in journalism and museum studies.

My background is leading me to work more in the marketing and engagement department of museums. I've spoken with and had a small shadowing experience with a member of the marketing and engagement team at the Memorial Art Gallery downtown and I think that working in programming and public engagement would best suit my interest. I want to generate interest in new audiences and expand programming to include these new audiences that the museum will, hopefully, be able to attract through my work in an ideal world. As far as other experiences, I'm fairly new to the program so that's about it aside from personal experiences.

I am doing an internship creating a permanent memorial exhibit at House of Mercy homeless shelter, but that's not technically within a museum space. To give a brief explanation, I'm creating a "tree of life" style wall sculpture with hand painted and decorated chickadees "standing" on the branches. Each of these birds represents a resident of the homeless shelter who has passed away. 

   

This is just a small sample of all the birds that were decorated (and yes, that's me decorating on the right!).

Congratulations if you made it to the end of my post! I know it's long, but it's fun to talk about yourself and your interests! If you're interested in anything I've done and want to learn more don't hesitate to reach out. My inbox is always open! :)

New Semester Update!

Over the winter break, I took admittedly more of a vacation from my thesis than I was planning on, but now the new semester has started and I've jumped right back into work!

After completing a first draft, I feel much more confident in the direction that my thesis is going, as I've moved on from ideas to more hard data. In writing my proposal I focused a lot on the history and theory of public history and podcasting, and now I have transitioned to focusing on my case studies, BackStory Radio and Dan Carlin's Hardcore History.

In researching and investigating these podcasts, I was fortunate enough to be able to conduct an interview with Dr. Nathan Connolly, one of the four main hosts of backstory radio. Being able to talk directly with someone in the podcasting realm, and even better on one of my case studies, will be an invaluable resource going forward and I am very excited to incorporate it into my work.

Going forward, I will be diving further into my research of these two podcasts and will work to tie together my initial research with the data I am collecting now.

Tying Up Loose Ends...

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

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

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

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

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

Thesis Topics

During my internship at the Burchfield Penney Arts Center, I had briefly spent time processing files from the Artpark Archival Collection. Obtained by the Burchfield in 2013, the collection contains 180 boxes of textual records and over 80,000 images documenting the history of Artpark and its administration. Located in Lewiston, New York, Artpark has provided residencies to diverse local and international artists throughout its history. Many of the artists represented by Artpark are present in major public and private collections. Artpark has been a major agent in supporting emerging artists while making public art accessible to the masses.   

I had wanted do a project related to local history, and I believe there is a lot of untapped potential in the Artpark Archival Collection. The collection is currently only partly processed, making historical research using the documents challenging. However, using the information we already know and the resources available (such as old catalogues), there is likely opportunity for a project that can better make sense of the cultural, administrative and social history surrounding the park and its emerging artists. Potential topics of interest include where these participating artists came from and how artists may have been connected (and how this may have influenced who would in turn be selected for residencies in subsequent years). Although I do not have a specific research question or project proposal yet, I do envision the project itself would be accessible, potentially as a micro digital humanities project. I had contacted the project archivist for this collection and hopefully it will become clearer over the next few weeks how I can best foster greater understanding of this massive collection.