Proceedings 2002

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2003-01-01Teil eines Periodikums
Exposing and Exploiting the Distinct Character of University Museums and Collections
(International Committee for University Museums and Collections (UMAC)) Stanbury, Peter; Wallace, Sue-Anna; Murphy, Bernice L.; Lourenco, Marta C.; Clercq, Steven W.G. de; Simpson, Andrew; Weber, Cornelia; Pugnaloni, Fausto; Tirrell, Peter B.
2003-01-01Zeitschriftenartikel
What if we weren't here?
Clercq, Steven W.G. de
2003-01-01Zeitschriftenartikel
A journey from Dreamtime to Machine Time: Australian history through the eyes of Australian Indigenous artists
Yerbury, Di
Di Yerbury, a collector of Australian art for 30 years, started collecting Indigenous art in the mid-1980s as CEO of the Australia Council of which the Aboriginal Arts Board was part. She has since built one of Australia's best-known private collections of Indigenous art. In 1992 she donated 25 Aboriginal artworks to Macquarie University, whose Vice-Chancellor and President she has been since 1987, to celebrate its Silver Jubilee, starting Macquarie's own Indigenous collection. Works from the combined Yerbury/Macquarie collections, displayed annually in the Macquarie University Art Gallery and elsewhere on campus, were the basis of a travelling exhibition to mark the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and the planned (later deferred) Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in 2001. In October 2002, the second international conference of ICOM's UMAC opened at Macquarie with an exhibition from the collections and a floor-talk by Yerbury on which this paper is based. The term 'From Dreamtime to Machine Time', is borrowed from Trevor Nicholls whose series of paintings with that theme represented Australia in the 1990 Venice Biennale. The paper relates aspects of Australian history from the time of Creation, viewed through the eyes of some of the very diverse Indigenous artists represented in the collections.
2003-01-01Zeitschriftenartikel
Macquarie University's undergraduate degree in Museum Studies
Simpson, Andrew; Mawson, Ruth
In 2002, Macquarie University introduced a 4-year programme of study leading to a B.Sc./B.A. in Natural History, Culture and Museum Studies. The double degree programme covers speciality areas of particular interest to national, state and regional museums and for which Macquarie has a high reputation. This interdisciplinary degree is designed to: a) provide students with a modern background for the field of Museum Studies, b) allow students to qualify with coherencies (majors) in at least three segments of study, and c) allow students to develop strong generic skills in information management. Most of the University's museums are involved in the delivery of the degree programme. This creates opportunities for students to experience practical museum-based projects. The development of this undergraduate degree programme also enables the University to more effectively engage its museums with its academic mission and to encourage its museum staff to strive for appropriate standards of professionalism.
2003-01-01Zeitschriftenartikel
Promoting health through public programmes in university medical museums
Horder, Jenny
Pathology museums worldwide are in danger. This paper explores the extent and the reasons for this threat to these valuable teaching resources - day by day becoming dormant collections. Should they now be classified as heritage material? What factors might contribute to their survival? How has their role changed? How effective and appropriate might they be as a resource in delivering public health programmes and how can this be achieved? How can meaning and interpretation of this type of material be conveyed to those undertaking community outreach? Shifting the focus of medical museums and creating accessibility to a broad audience may allow these museums to be promoted more widely as the educational treasures they are.
2003-01-01Zeitschriftenartikel
Indigenous perspective on the collection of traditional Bongainville culture and art; past, present and future
Havini, Moses
In this paper issues of ownership and protection of intellectual property of traditional art and culture are scrutinised. In particular, it addresses issues surrounding the historical lifting and acquisition of huge volumes of traditional art and treasures within the last 200 years by various collectors, including traders, colonial officials, missionaries and private collectors. Access to traditional art and artifacts now preserved in western museums is of critical concern to indigenous peoples. Today, many cultures that are threatened in their survival are unaware where significant collections are kept and how to access them. Westernisation has both eroded indigenous culture and stored its material evidence in inaccessible places. Indigenous peoples around the world are wondering what has happened to collections, which are often not on display. Our attempt with the Yumi Yet exhibition to examine today's Bougainville culture in the light of the never before exhibited Bougainville art from the Australian Museum raises a discussion between past and present. We wish to open up a meaningful dialogue between institutions and various cultural bodies and peoples to facilitate the future return of significant art to their rightful owners. Bodies such as UMAC and ICOM and the curators of university and public collections could become vital facilitators in the establishment of such dialogues and negotiations. Under what safeguards and conditions should these collections be managed and returned? From an indigenous perspective, arguments within countries as to who are the rightful owners and custodians for the return of such treasures emerge. Is it for the state or cultural bodies within the indigenous culture to take on the responsibility for the preservation, acculturation and future of the collections, or will the works be claimed by clans and tribes or individuals? Whilst traditional societies are rich in art and culture, knowledge of preservation and curatorial skills lag behind western institutions. For the preservation and development of art and culture now and in the future, how can knowledge transfer from more advanced countries be made accessible to indigenous peoples such as Bougainville?
2003-01-01Zeitschriftenartikel
'Muse therapy' as a new concept for museums
Adachi, Mamoru
The history and mission of the Nagoya University Museum are outlined and the new concept of 'Muse therapy' is emphasized to be important for museum activities. Since real specimens, as well as music, painting and so on, may be able to heal mentally stressed people, minds-on displays will become more and more important in the twenty-first century.
2003-01-01Zeitschriftenartikel
Palseographia; an exhibition blending science and art
Simpson, Andrew; Hill, Kirri; Davis, Rhonda
The exhibition Palseographia was developed for the First International Palàeontological Congress. It consisted of original Australian fossil specimens juxtaposed with scientific illustrations and interpretive artworks in a variety of media. It illustrated Australia's palàeontological heritage. The linkage between science and art triggered positive comments by visitors. The exhibition was popular with families and school groups and provided an opportunity to develop education programmes that incorporated both art and science elements. The exhibition was therefore a mechanism for introducing a new audience to the gallery experience. An exhibition like this could only be developed in a University. The complex and diverse nature of its intellectual base allows a fertile collaboration between groups that rarely work together elsewhere. It was also a good example of how a University Gallery can promote the endeavours of its scientists to a broader audience.
2003-01-01Zeitschriftenartikel
New forms of cooperation between the Helsinki University Museum and university students
Heinàmies, Kati
The small museum collections of the University of Helsinki will be transferred to excellent new facilities right in the city centre. Some of these collections specialise in the more than 360-year history of the University and in the history of Finnish science, while others are concerned with the history of medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry, geology, and textiles, clothing and craft design. Previously, the collections were open only by appointment, but from autumn 2003 onwards, they will be open to the general public. The new museum will devote much effort to co-operation with students. The University will continue to develop its museum studies module and in the future students may be able to complete their practical training periods at the University Museum. These and other forms of co-operation will be outlined in this article.
2003-01-01Zeitschriftenartikel
University museums: distinct sites of intersection for diverse communities
Mayer, Carol E.
In her article 'The Politics of exhibiting culture: Legacies and possibilities' Shelley Ruth Butler refers to "a problematic dichotomy that exists in museum literature between critical and optimistic perspectives on exhibiting culture" (BUTLER 2000: 74). Critical museology, she says, raises questions about the relationship between existing museum practice and the history of a "politics of domination" that has underpinned how western museums exhibit non-western cultures, the "other." This has resulted in the re-evaluation of motivations that have driven the collecting, classifying, and displaying of material culture. Optimistic museology, on the other hand, focuses "on the role of museums in public education and in facilitating conversation between diverse and multi-cultural citizens" (BUTLER 2000: 74). The intent of this paper is to discuss how a university museum proved to be the appropriate site of intersection for these two perspectives. I will focus specifically on our work with diverse communities on the development of an exhibition and programming about Islam and Muslim life.
2003-01-01Zeitschriftenartikel
Low-budget collection management at the Criminal Museum, School of Forensic Medicine, University of Athens
Koutselinis, Antonios; Stamatopoulou, Eugenia; Panagiaris, Georges; Papadakos, Nikolaos; Christodoulou, Panagiotis; Argyropoulos, Vassiliki
In Greece, the Criminal Museum is unique in its kind. Founded by the School of Forensic Medicine of the University of Athens in 1933. it has a collection of materials connected to infamous crimes and violations that took place in Greece during the twentieth century. For several years, the Museum faced serious problems in relation to both the collection and exhibition. In 1999, the School of Forensic Medicine established a collaborative project together with the Department of Conservation of Antiquities and Works of Art of the Technical and Educational Institute in Athens in order to improve the museum's facilities. This paper explains the measures taken to improve the facilities for display and for preserving the collection on a low budget and employing both preventive and interventionist approaches.
2003-01-01Zeitschriftenartikel
Departmental museums at the University of Karachi; exposure and exploitation
Rashid, Nargis
Museums are centres of learning. They play a significant role in the projection of cultural and natural heritage and can increase awareness among the masses. When it was established in 1951, academics in several departments at the University of Karachi felt the need for a Museum. Funds were raised and material was collected to set up educational museums for the instruction of students. At present the museums of the Botany, Geology, Geography, General History, Sociology, and Zoology Departments are well-nigh dormant. There are several reasons for this, such as organizational and administrative neglect, lack of funds, lack of upgrading, and lack of an adequate programme to attract students. The aim of this paper is to clarify the causes of this deplorable situation and to develop ideas for future improvement.
2003-01-01Zeitschriftenartikel
Designing, building and launching a home for three art collections
Sim, Angela S. H.
This paper proposes to share our recent experience in Singapore in the design, building and launch of a purpose-built museum complex to house four exhibition galleries and other facilities of NUS Museums, National University of Singapore. Included is a segment on the logistics and strategy of the move and relocation of close to 10,000 objects from various points of location on-campus. This exercise was preceded by the conservation of all works of textile, paper, wood and paintings. Curatorial as well as management, strategic, administrative, operational, education and outreach considerations are discussed.
2003-01-01Zeitschriftenartikel
Planning activities in a new university museum
Theologi-Gouti, Peny
Patras University is organizing a new Science and Technology Museum in order to facilitate and encourage contacts between the University and the town. From the early planning stages onwards, the words 'Pedagogy, Heritage and Identity' were important in discussions about the role and goals of the Science and Technology Museum. After intensive debate, it was decided that the Museum would be organized in accordance with the International Council of Museums (ICOM) definition of a museum. The Patras University new Science and Technology Museum preparation process started in May 1998, aiming at designing and constructing a new building and creating, enriching and documenting the collections. The Museum was officially founded in September 2001.
2003-01-01Zeitschriftenartikel
The challenge: to convince potential funders and legislators of the value of research collections in a university museum
Jonaitis, Aldona
One of the greatest challenges for university museums is to convince the public, the government, and private donors of the value of scientific collections. Too many visitors experience museum collections as simply vast quantities of nearly identical bird skins, mammal bones, pressed plants, without understanding why they are there and what larger function they serve. To communicate the importance of collections requires an ability to connect museum research with the interests of the public, government or donors, something which at times requires considerable imagination.
2003-01-01Zeitschriftenartikel
Reflections on leadership in university museums and non-university museums
Munktell, Ing-Marie
During my 18 years working in different museums in Sweden I had the opportunity to meet some enthusiastic and real good, networking museum leaders. They had all in common a desire to meet people from all levels of the community. They also had a profound insight in how important networking is for the success and development of the museum. After two-and-a-half years as Director of the University Museum in Uppsala - the Museum Gustavianum - I have met enthusiastic university museum leaders working hard, but with other premises, sometimes in benefit of the museum, sometimes not. Through interviews with five experienced museum leaders (two from university museums and three from non-university museums) looking upon 'advocacy and leadership' I hope to raise a fruitful discussion about how we shall develop the best sides of leadership.
2003-01-01Zeitschriftenartikel
Looking for a Superhero: a discussion of the qualities, training and experience needed to be a university museum director
Tirrell, Peter B.
Directors of university museums are in charge of important and highly complex institutions that have a mission for research, teaching, collection, informal education, exhibition and dissemination of information. In a highly competitive, changing, and politically charged environment, the directors have so many responsibilities and expectations that they take on the role of a Superhero. In the search for a new director, museums must find a Superhero that is powerful, intelligent, highly skilled, and opportunistic. Indications are that it also is important for the director to be honest, fair, communicative and inspirational. To be successful, the director must create a shared vision, form a team of trusted assistants and develop a management culture that shares an enthusiasm, energy and passion for the museum's mission. To guide their actions, the concept is proposed that directors need a museum conscience based on a moral compass, an intellectual compass and a physical and psychological compass. Directors traditionally trained as scientists or academics will be more successful if they increase their knowledge in fundraising, finances and personnel management.
2003-01-01Zeitschriftenartikel
The future of the university museums' system in Italy
Pugnaloni, Fausto
This paper discusses the recent developments of the Italian Network of University Museums, starting with the first results of the census and database of the existing structures and collections. Proposals for the gathering of collections in a cultural foundation are presented, focusing on the possible forms of inter-university cooperation aimed to create strong scientific poles of the territorial network in order to share knowledge and equipment and find easier access to financial support. Recent European and international events, conferences, and meetings on the cultural architectural heritage will offer the opportunity to introduce the project of creating an Italian 'pole' of the architectural and drawings university collections.
2003-01-01Zeitschriftenartikel
A renaissance of German university collections
Weber, Cornelia
German universities' host many remarkable collections, some being of local interest only, while others are of immense academic value. In recent years, university collections have attracted considerable interest by both academics and general public. This interest has been highlighted by well-attended exhibitions and well-funded projects for the utilization of collections. A central role in this renewed interest has been played by the so-called 'new media', which provides new ways to access collections worldwide as resources for research and teaching. This paper presents an overview of current collections of German universities and introduces various projects involving digital media.
2003-01-01Zeitschriftenartikel
The plight of geological collections in the Australian tertiary education system
Simpson, Andrew
A 1975 report identified the areas of geology and anthropology as being the two most likely to develop collections in Australian Universities. Since then Australia has seen a relative decline of the traditional resource-based economy and a lessening demand for geology graduates. Over the last decade, but particularly since 1996, the restructuring of the tertiary education sector has meant that university based collections in areas that do not attract a significant student load, such as geology, are in danger because of a lack of adequate resources for their effective management. Staff levels are an indicator of resources available for management of collections. The 1998 Transforming Cinderella Collections report showed some eight staff Australia-wide responsible for just over 1 million specimens. A mere four years from that time and these staff numbers are now much reduced. Many large collections have no staff and are essentially inaccessible. Whilst the large number specimens required for undergraduate teaching do not require advanced information management systems, those that result from basic research do. Without adequate management systems and strategies, the knowledge base of the earth sciences in Australia is at risk.

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