Curation

By Suzanne Fischer
What does cosplay have to do with training the next generation of museum professionals? In the Oakland Museum of California’s (OMCA) What’s Happening California series college students become the heroes of the exhibit development process.
The What's Happening California series is an ongoing collaboration between OMCA and California State University (CSU) campuses across the...
By W. James Burns, Ph.D.
One of the Desert Caballeros Western Museum’s (DCWM) greatest successes in its 54-year history is the creation of its Cowgirl Up! – Art from the Other Half of the West program in 2006. This Spring marked the 9th anniversary of this internationally-known event which has put the Museum, and the town of Wickenburg, Arizona, on the map within the Western American art world....
By Heather Diamond
At a recent symposium panel about interpreting contentious histories—a topic with which curators in Hawaii are quite familiar—I spoke about the early planning process for several new exhibits in Iolani Palace, and an overview of a 3-day retreat we held with five advisory scholars, a design team, and a consultant. I explained that I wanted our visitors to get beyond the emotions...
A closer look at the Western Museums Association 2013 Annual Meeting host city…
By Chrissy Upton
The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA) is a lucky institution indeed. Located in the heart of Salt Lake City, UMOCA is surrounded not only by the beautiful landscape, but also by a supportive and talented artistic community. In fact, Martin Prosperity Institute named Salt Lake City the 8th most...
By Renee Montgomery
On May 25, 2013 the three-story façade of the Craft and Folk Art Museum (CAFAM), will be covered by a colossal handmade quilt comprised of thousands of “granny squares” – each individually crocheted by amateur crafters from around the world. A public art installation conceived by the group Yarn Bombing Los Angeles (YBLA) working with the CAFAM, this huge project was conceived...
By James G. Leventhal
Not too long ago, museums didn't have email. Or websites. Or e-blasts. We've simply incorporated these new technologies as they've arrived. In many cases they've improved our work and made our professional lives easier. Really, it's not even that long ago that we didn't use direct mail and I remember when it was a question as to whether we'd accept credit card donations.  ...
During the weekend leading up to our 2010 conference there are a handful of terrific workshops taking place. One that is definitely on my to-do list is “Tools of the Imagination at Play”, hosted by the Portland Children’s museum (Sunday 17th, 1-5pm).
Who doesn’t have kids coming through their doors? Even if you home institution isn’t a children’s museum per se, there are ideas and practices...
by Alice Parman

Ancient Rome before it gets sacked, from Liz Glynn's

The session on “Design for Participation” was full of great ideas. The Machine Project capped it off with their uniquely original slide presentation, narrated by a singer/songwriter [Emily Lacy] who accompanied herself on the banjo. Her song had many verses and was often hilarious. I would consider moving to Los Angeles to...
by Katherine Whitney
For their annual “Feast of Ideas” session, December 9, 2009, the Bay Area’s Cultural Connections experimented with a new format. Traditionally the December meeting is more social than other programs, focusing on gathering and exchanging information from many participants rather than a single speaker or topic. This was the case this year as well.
The broad theme was Technology...
From disease and death to land loss and forced subjugation, native museums often have the daunting task of exploring difficult issues and events. Too often, as museum planners and exhibit designers, we talk around these subjects without fully confronting them. Three museum professionals from the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. and Bishop Museum and 'Iolani Palace in...

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