Getting Started - Assignment | Art Museum Final Project (McGinley) - Research Guides at Lone Star College

Assignment Summary

For your assignment, your group will examine history, current trends, and careers in museums. Pick an art museum that interests your group and research the following:

The history of museums: How did they start? What are some of the world's leading museums? How was your museum founded?
Current trends in museums: How have they developed? What changes have they made to better represent women artists, artists of color, or international artists? How has technology changed museum experiences? What specific changes has your museum made?
Museum management and art conservation: What are some roles in the museum field? What are their job requirements? What is attractive about a career in museum work?

Learn More About Museums

A History of Museums, 'The Memory of Mankind'
We preserve the past. We collect. We educate. This article on NPR walks through the history of museums.
From Curio Cabinets to Cultural Centers
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A nationally known authority, Edward Alexander, discusses the rise and development of the modern museum.
The Modern American Museum Was Invented in Newark
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The story of John Cotton Dana and the development of modern museum education.

Below you'll find some selected resources about current trends in museums including social justice and virtual tours.

Social Justice and Racial Equality in Museums
The January/February 2021 issue of Museum magazine, a member benefit, focuses on topics of social justice and racial equity. In an effort to provide the broadest possible access to these critical topics, we are making these articles free and available to the public.
How the Pandemic Changed Museums Forever (or Did It?)
They had to rethink how to connect with the public. Turns out "Botticelli on Zoom" and art talks from the couch might change the way Americans get their culture fix.
Through the looking glass: the VR revolution in museums is here
Museums have been talking about the potential of Virtual Reality (VR) for a long time but 2021 could be the year the technology finally goes mainstream.

The Art of Museum Exhibitions: How Story and Imagination Create Aesthetic Experiences by Leslie Bedford
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Collection: Ebook Central
ISBN: 9781611323122
Published: 2014
Leslie Bedford, former director of the highly regarded Bank Street College museum leadership program, expands the museum professionalOCOs vision of exhibitions beyond the simple goal of transmitting knowledge to the visitor. Using examples both from her own work at the Boston ChildrenOCOs Museum and from other institutions around the globe, Bedford offers the museum professional a bold new vision built around narrative, imagination, and aesthetics, merging the work of the educator with that of the artist.

What is Conservation?
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Ever wondered what an art conservator is and what they do in museums? This series of videos will show the education, practice, and decisions as conservator makes.
Museum Education and Learning: The Forgotten Professions?
Cultural interaction and education programmes have never been so present in museums as now. Today, museums offer a rich variety of tailored tours and special events, thereby fulfilling the museum’s crucial mission to reach out to its audience and educate.
Museum Archives Guidelines
These guidelines have been created by the section to assist all types of museums—independent museums as well as museums contained within larger institutions—in the development and administration of archival programs. The guidelines outline the components of a successful museum archives program and should be used in conjunction with detailed information on the administration of archives that is available through SAA and from other professional sources.

Conservation: Principles, Dilemmas and Uncomfortable Truths by Alison Richmond (Editor); Alison Bracker (Editor)
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Collection: Ebook Central
ISBN: 9780080941714
Published: 2010
'Conservation: Principles, Dilemmas, and Uncomfortable Truths' presents multi-perspective critical analyses of the ethics and principles that guide the conservation of works of art and design, archaeological artefacts, buildings, monuments, and heritage sites on behalf of society. Contributors from the fields of philosophy, sociology, history, art and design history, museology, conservation, architecture, and planning and public policy address a wide range of conservation principles, practices, and theories from the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, encouraging the reader to make comparisons across subjects and disciplines.

American Alliance of Museums - Manage Your Career
Searching for a job, thinking about grad school, building your network, looking to get ahead, or wondering how to give back to the field? You’ve come to the right place! AAM has the tools and resources you need to manage your museum career. Whether you’re an experienced leader, a mid-career professional, or a recent grad, check out our range of resources and tools—at your fingertips.

Related Guide

Career Exploration
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Related Guides

#Art, Art History & Art Appreciation
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Guide to Primary Sources
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The Research Process
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Assignment | Art Museum Final Project (McGinley): Getting Started

Assignment Summary

Selected Art Museums of the World

Louvre
(Paris, France)

The State Hermitage Museum
(Saint Petersburg, Russia)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
(New York, NY)

National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art
(South Korea)

Guggenheim Museum
(New York, NY)

National Gallery
(London, England)

Kimbell Art Museum
(Fort Worth, TX)

The Getty
(Los Angeles, CA)

Blanton Museum of Art
(Austin, TX)

Guggenheim Bilbao
(Bilbao, Spain)

Learn More About Museums

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