Starting The Writing Process

 I was originally very nervous and uneasy about starting the writing aspect of my thesis. However since we talked about it in class and I have looked over a few other students' theses to get a better understanding and idea of what the final looks like I feel better and ready to start writing. I am starting my first eight page draft soon and I already have some thoughts in my head that I have started putting to paper which feels really good. I’m now more confident and excited about the rest of this process. 

Brian Zabawa's Winter Break Plans

     Over the winter break, I am not really sure what I am going to be doing. I plan on spending a lot of time with my family. Covid has made it so that I could not go home and visit my family this summer and I miss them dearly. I haven't seen them for nearly two years and I am very excited to go home and take a break with them. Speaking of having a break that is something else I am looking forward to. This semester has had so many projects that I haven't had much time to sleep in or relax so that will be a fun part of the break.

    As far as working on education endeavours go I have a few plans. I plan firstly on completing my internship. I plan to do this by transcribing documents for the Smithsonian during the entire winter break. I also plan on working on my thesis's final deliverable in some way. I hope to have some sort of prototype for the cards at least mocked up and ready to show as a rough draft when I return to Rochester for the spring semester. 

Thinking Ahead to Winter Break

 While it seems impossible, my Thesis Proposal has been submitted, and I must now begin to prepare for how I can build upon my ideas over Winter Break. To begin, I will focus a large portion of my time on reading the wonderful resources provided to me by both my Primary and Secondary Advisors. Through these readings, I hope to learn more about the world of social media, and its multiple applications, in combination with how artists specifically use the various platforms. As I have devoted most of my time throughout the semester to learning about KAWS, I now understand the importance of understanding and learning more about the broader concepts of my topic- outside of my singular case study. In addition to these readings, I plan to continue to follow KAWS and his work through social media to ensure that I am aware of any components that may strengthen my Thesis.

Since this Winter Break will be longer than in previous years, I plan to set aside time each week to focus on my readings, and for further research I may conduct as a result. While I will set this time aside each week, I will also take time to step away from my project for a few days at a time, as I usually benefit from time away from projects as it allows me to think more clearly about where I wish to go. Through this balance of time spent focused on my project, and time spent away, I hope to emerge from Winter Break with a stronger argument and more fully-enriched research.

Thank you to everyone for such a great semester!

Post Sixth: Goals

 Hello Everyone!

I can't believe this is the last full week before the break. My goals over winter break are to keep researching more about the deaf community. Also, I will keep in contact with the Dyer Gallery to talk more about their accessibility. The main thing I need to complete is creating a survey for the Deaf community. Then I will post on social media to get the results. I have a lot of time on my hand, I will do a couple of times a week working on my thesis. 

A Late Intro

    Hello! My name is John Adil, a 4th year Museum Studies student. After working as an intern at my local art museum during the summers in Portland, Maine, I knew that it was something that I was passionate about. These experiences really formed my opinion and thought around the museum scape. In that program, I had the opportunity to learn about the business side of various sizes of museums and galleries; We would often take field trips to other institutions in and outside of Maine, making connections with the staff and their responsibilities. Upon arriving at RIT, I was exposed to a certain degree of technology that I had never seen before. A lot of my friends were Computer Science and Game Design majors. I really grew an interest in these fields, watching and learning from my friends. At the same time, my classes were touching on the subject of technology in museums. In Dr. Decker's Museums & The Digital Age course, we experimented with tech integration and virtual reality. In my head, I had never really connected technology as an educational tool for exhibits. My experiences going to museums have been so overwhelmingly "analog." This is certainly not a bad thing, but the role of integrated technology in museums has been an interest of mine for awhile. I want to see how museums adapt and evolve with tech in order to create better educational experiences with their visitors. In the future, I'd love to get some experience working on the digital aspects of museums, whether that is social media, digital learning tools, or, hopefully, technology heavy exhibitions.

     I haven't been posting about my thesis project. It has been a topsy-turvy semester for me, but my work has progressed. My ideas have also grown and changed overtime, so I will be documenting my thought processes as well as my physical work when it comes to what I have been planning. Overall, I am excited that I get the chance to work on an idea that I've been thinking about for a long time. 

Plans for Winter Break

 Over winter break I plan to continue working at the History Center. Therefore I will be able to be in the space and continue to see how they update their exhibitions and utilize their collections. I plan on taking notes not only on what I see and observe in the space but also their policies and procedures. I also plan on talking to those that work there about their ideas and wants with mini interviews. For this I need to create interview questions and schedule time to meet with each person. 

As I said I already am planning to be working in the space a few days a week so I will just have to add into my work schedule time to do work for my thesis along with the work my supervisor has planned for me. This will just take some readjusting to my work schedule but is totally do-able. 

Event for MUSE students

 Museum Student Networking Event Friday, November 13

Calling all current museum studies undergraduate and graduate students! Join us on Friday, November 13 for a Zoom networking event with fellow museum enthusiasts from museum studies and related programs! Learn what networking is all about and practice getting to know fellow museum students in rapid-fire rounds of speed networking! Free, but registration is required and limited to 100 participants. BYOBeverage-of-choice.

 

 

Museum Student Speed Networking

Friday, November 13

7:30-9:00 p.m. ET

Zoom

Free, but registration is required: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwpc-yurj8jG9THYezagFTjC6IJXyx8lDt9  

 

If you have any questions, reach out to Dr. Decker!

This program is brought to you by the Institute of Museum Ethics at Seton Hall University and the department of Museum Studies at Baylor University. The event is hosted by Purple Cow Career and Talent Development. www.purplecowcareers.com

 

Where I Am & Where I Am Going

When I initially began the research for my thesis, I was focused on bringing together the disparate details of KAWS' career, the influence of social media, and the relationships that are formed between museums and street artists. These ideas are still at the center of my research, but I believe that other components must be evaluated as well. 

Rather than viewing museums as and end-goal brought to fruition by an increased following, I believe it would be of more value to evaluate how an artist's following can bolster their career in multiple ways- or how they can broaden their following through other artistic avenues. As opposed to perceiving the museum space as a symbol of an artist's success, it is important to realize that brand partnerships/collaborations, different mediums of work, and a social media presence serve to enhance an artist's reach- in addition to recognition by a formal cultural institution. Instead of viewing the museum as the culmination of an artist's work, KAWS has prompted me to view this as one piece in a much larger puzzle, as his career continues strongly through many other facets of creation. Overall, I have come to believe that there are many more intricate interplays between an artist and their following (including what the following allows for), rather than simply between an artist and the museum.