Below, Please find information on submitting an SMA proposal for the Small Museum Association Conference this February!
Submissions are due July 1!
Follow these links for more information:
www.smallmuseum.org: for information regarding the Small Museum Association and the Conference
In our second post in the series “Curating the Curator: Perspectives from MSMC Committee” I introduce Dr. Barnet “Barney” Pavao-Zuckerman.
Photo by Jannelle Weakly
Dr. Barnet Pavao-Zuckerman is Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Maryland and is the Interim Director for the MSMC Certificate while Dr. Freidenberg is on sabbatical. She received her PhD from the University of Georgia in 2001, completing her dissertation research in the Georgia Museum of Natural History. Prior to arriving at UMD, she was Associate Curator of Zooarchaeology at the Arizona State Museum for over a decade, as well as Associate Professor and Associate Director of the School of Anthropology at the University of Arizona. She is an archaeologist and currently conducting research on the colonial-period experiences of Native Americans in southeastern and southwestern North America.
Having worked extensively in museums with an archaeology background, I asked her: What was your first experience working in a museum, and what was the most important thing you learned? She responded with several stories that wove together why scholarship is important to her work and the challenges and lessons she learned throughout her career.
these “stories” are the result of years of research
I have spent my entire career in museums—in fact, with my move to the University of Maryland last fall, this is the first time in 20 years that I have not worked primarily in a museum setting. My first museum work experience was in the early 1990s, while I was in high school and college. My summer job was as a tour guide at Mount Lebanon Shaker Village, which is in my home town of New Lebanon, NY. I have wonderful memories of my summers at Mount Lebanon—it is a truly remarkable place. Spend an hour wandering through the Village and you understand immediately why the Shakers chose Mount Lebanon as the place to build their most important community. I was an inexperienced teenager, and our small historical site museum operated on a shoe-string budget, but I learned that as long as I could tell a good story, I could send visitors away happy they had come, and with greater knowledge and appreciation for the place and the people who lived there. I quickly learned that these “stories” are the result of years of research by scholars, both within and outside of museums. I read as much as I could about the Shakers, and apprenticed myself to several of the more experienced tour guides, particularly one who was known for his engaging, and sometimes “salty” (and very un-Shaker), tours.
“you know, sometimes we just burned them down when the rats got too much”.
My graduate research, on the study of animal bones from archaeological sites (zooarchaeology), was carried out in the Georgia Museum of Natural History (GMNH), on the campus of the University of Georgia. I went from a mostly open-air historical site museum to a natural history museum, complete with snakes coiled in jars of alcohol. I learned a great deal during my six years at the GMNH. In a natural history museum, museum scholars from diverse disciplines work side-by-side, and my interactions with curators in the natural sciences had a huge impact on my career, including in promoting the role that zooarchaeological knowledge can play in modern wildlife conservation problems. It was also at the GMNH that I first interacted with a living descendent of an archaeological study community. This experience was just the first of many that serve as a constant reminder to consider and question the impact of archaeological research on descendent communities. As I showed our museum visitor the animal bone remains from his ancestral Muscogee-Creek village, I explained to him we had identified a lot of burned rodent bones inside the village’s homes. I told him I had read that in the 18th century, Creek houses were often burned during funeral rituals for heads of household. He looked at me, smiled, and said “you know, sometimes we just burned them down when the rats got too much”. I also learned that sometimes archaeologists privilege the stories they want to tell over the ones that actually make the most sense!
How to make a bunch of dead animals compete with gorgeous ceramics, baskets, and tapestries?
So, we need to be careful about the stories we tell, but to stay relevant in the 21st century, museums have to tell the important and compelling stories. As I grew into a scholar in my own right, I learned to approach the arcana of my own archaeological research to find the stories that reach broad audiences. From 2002 to 2015, I was a faculty curator at the Arizona State Museum (ASM), on the campus of the University of Arizona (with a joint appointment in the School of Anthropology). Behind-the-scenes tours and public lectures were an important part of my position. Museum tour groups would visit ASM’s world-class southwestern Native pottery collections, its state-of-the-art conservation lab, and the new basketry vault (the second of ASM’s Save America’s Treasures projects), and then walk into the zooarchaeology lab, full of old and broken animal bones. How to make a bunch of dead animals compete with gorgeous ceramics, baskets, and tapestries? The rather un-charismatic nature of old bones meant that I had to engage my audience through story, not stuff. After a couple of tries, I was able to engage our audiences with the story of how tiny fragments of animal bones from Native American sites in Alabama and Arizona tell us something about the origins of trans-oceanic trade and the mercantile economy in North America, as well as the role of Native American labor in the emergence of the global economy. Making these connections from the local to the global is, as I would say in my tours, why I love what I do.
I am also thrilled to be part of an institution with a thriving Museum Certificate program
As many of us know, museums face many challenges in the 21st century. Every museum I have worked in since I was a teenager has faced significant financial stress leading to reorganization, staff cuts, or programmatic shrinkage. Lately, the financial strain has been felt especially at state-funded museums, particularly in states that have chosen to balance budget shortfalls on the backs of educational institutions. While I was a curator at ASM, the 100-year old institution experienced unprecedented and crippling budget cuts. The last two years, in particular, were an extremely challenging time at the Museum, as the institution suffered heart-breaking staff losses due to state budget cuts. I miss the day-to-day life of a museum curator, but I am also thrilled to be part of an institution with a thriving Museum Certificate program in a state that invests in all aspects of higher education. I am realistic in my views on the future of museums and museum scholarship, but am committed to helping the students in our Certificate program gain the skills and knowledge that will allow them to thrive in a 21st century museum world.
~ Barney
Symposium on Museum Scholarship and Material Culture of Prince George’s County: Starting the Conversation
Dr. Judith Freidenberg gives opening remarks at the Symposium
This past Tuesday, Dec. 8th, the MSMC Certificate held a symposium to discuss ways in which the University of Maryland and museum and cultural organizations in Prince George’s County can better collaborate. It was well attended with over 35 participants representing over 20 museums and cultural organizations in the county.
The following notes provide a summary of topics discussed and key points made by speakers and attendees, followed by a reflection of the event by one of the Certificate students.
Dr. Judith Freidenberg, Director of the Museum Scholarship and Material Culture Graduate Certificate program at the University of Maryland opened the evening with remarks about the purpose of the symposium. She highlighted the importance of creating stronger links between the University and the cultural and museum organizations in the county, especially for the Museum Certificate students who are preparing to enter the field as new professionals. Dr. Freidenberg also explained that this will be a conversation about “how to best work collectively to address common issues and problems.”
Four speakers addressed symposium participants beginning with Dean Gregory Ball of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences at the University of Maryland. Dean Ball spoke of his support of this event, having grown up in Prince George’s County and fondly remembering museum experiences.
Dean Ball said,“universities and museums are significant cultural institutions which can change the conversation” and incorporate new methods into museums and academia.
Susan Pearl, Historian with the Prince George’s County Historical Society gave a brief history of the county, drawing on the rich cultural outlets since its founding. Cities like Upper Marlboro, Bladensburg, Piscataway, and College Park have had a long history of theater, art, musical performance, and exhibits which continue to thrive today.
The rich history and culture in the County that Mrs. Pearl described was echoed by John Peter Thompson, Chair of the Prince George’s County Historic Preservation Commission. He spoke about the county’s over 500 historic sites which provide opportunities to explore many aspects of the county’s cultures and history. He spoke highly of the resources at the Prince George’s Historical Society library open to anyone and located in the Greenbelt Library building with special collections pertaining to the county and beyond.
Aaron Marcavitch, Director of Maryland Milestones, described the importance of “Heritage areas” as cultural landscapes created to preserve the meaning of these spaces without owning or restricting the land. He engaged participants to consider the benefits of making tourism work for the small and sometimes remote museums and organizations in the county.
Think about local museums and organizations as an alternative form of recreation to mainstream tourist locations in Washington, DC., he exhorted.
The speakers set the tone for the conversations that happened around each table of symposium participants. Issues discussed included:
Once groups shared their conversations about common issues, Dr. Freidenberg asked
“What are your organizations are good at? How can we use these successes to help each other?”
Some responses included:
Then the discussion led to ideas about improving communication and resource access between the University of Maryland, College Park and the County museums and organizations. Comments included:
Reflection from a Student
Sarah Janesko
Masters of Applied Anthropology Student
Museum Scholarship and Material Culture Certificate student
Class of 2016
This event was successful in bringing people together in a single room to talk about relevant issues. It was successful because everyone who attended cares about their organization and community. It was successful because participants were not afraid to talk about what is lacking in their organizations, and about what goes right.
There is a lot to be said for the presence of University faculty, a dean, students and local museum and material cultural professionals starting a conversation together in one room. However, big issues were discussed that can’t be easily solved in 2 or 3 hours. Getting to “success” in the long-term will involve action by all parties to continue the conversation.
It felt similar to our seminars as part of the Certificate program. Students discuss scholarship issues around the classroom table and then visit museums and talk to the directors and curators about how they handle community partnership, collections management, accessibility, diversity and many other issues. Understanding how different museums implement the scholarship in their daily work and programs is critical to reproducing those successes elsewhere.
Hopefully, this is what the Symposium has started with the museums in Prince George’s County – thinking about 1) what programs, initiatives and goals were successful, and 2) the ways to receive help from and 3) give help to other museums and organizations working toward similar goals.
Has your school, organization, museum, historical society had luck with partnerships like this? What made them successful in the long-run?
The annual Small Museum Association (SMA) conference attracts more than 250 museum professionals, board members, and volunteers from a wide variety of small museums. They attend sessions on topics ranging from collections and education to staffing and board issues. We offer a large Museum Resource Hall and plenty of informal networking opportunities for you to talk with (and get ideas from!) other small museum professionals and volunteers.
This year, the conference theme Museums and More will encourage speakers and attendees to explore the ways in which museums are pushing themselves beyond their traditional roles to reach out to and serve their communities. The conference will take place in Ocean City, Maryland on February 14th – Feb 16th 2016.
SMA offers scholarships each year through the generosity of past conference organizers and attendees as well as several partner organizations. All scholarships cover the cost of conference registration as well as hotel stay and most meals. Anyone affiliated with a museum, library, historical society, or related graduate study program (e.g. Museum Studies, Public History, Library and Information Studies, Historic Preservation) is eligible for the SMA Scholarships. This includes full-time or part-time employees, board members, students, interns, and volunteers.
Applications may be submitted by e-mail or mail by November 27, 2015.
For more information go to: http://www.smallmuseum.org/Awards
Don’t forget to RSVP (sjanesko@umd.edu) for the Greenbelt Museum tour happening this Friday, November 13th (yes, we know…Friday the 13th).
Save your spot on the tour by Tuesday (11/10) afternoon! We’ll even give you a ride – just let us know you’re coming.
Since the Greenbelt Museum tours are only offered on Sundays, this is a unique opportunity to visit this New Deal Era house museum and community center for free. Start your weekend right with local history, culture, and art!
Questions, comments and RSVPs can be directed to Sarah at sjanesko@umd.edu.
Join a conversation about working collectively to address common issues faced by historical, cultural, and museum organizations in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Be part of the effort of Museum Scholarship and Material Culture Certificate program to connect the University of Maryland with surrounding cultural and historical institutions in Prince George’s County.
Tuesday, December 8th from 5:00-8:00 pm
Benjamin Banneker Room 2212-B
The Stamp Student Union
University of Maryland, College Park
This symposium is geared toward new and seasoned professionals invested in museum issues: students, community members, and professionals of historical, cultural, and museum organizations in Prince George’s County.
Please RSVP by November 10th to sjanesko@umd.edu with the number of people in your group who will attend and a key issue you’d like to discuss at the symposium.
The Symposium will feature opening remarks by key speakers followed by group discussions on issues over food and drinks. It will close with attendees reflecting on ways to address issues collectively inside and outside of the University.
Free Parking is available in Lots Z and 1b just west of the The Stamp Student Union.
Join the conversation over food and drinks on December 8th!
Museum Excursion sponsored by MSMC
Friday, November 13 from 2-4pm
RSVP to sjanesko@umd.edu by Nov. 10
Greenbelt Museum
10 B Crescent Road
Greenbelt, MD 20770
Want to know more about local culture and history surrounding the University of Maryland? Come on a free tour of the Greenbelt Museum and community led by museum staff. This walking tour will feature history of Greenbelt and exhibits of New Deal-era art and artifacts.
Transportation to and from the museum is provided along with light refreshments. The tour is open to everyone but space is limited. RSVP to Sarah Janesko at sjanesko@umd.edu by Tuesday, Nov. 10th.
On Sunday, May 31, 2-5pm, the Prince George’s County African American Museum and Cultural Center (PGAAMCC) is hosting an event called “Sharing Our Stories” and will feature speakers from three communities in the County; Lakeland, Lincoln, and Seabrook Acres. You can view the Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1637782889800994/
Stop by the museum to hear stories from local residents and view the Museum’s exhibit space at 4519 Rhode Island Avenue, North Brentwood, MD 20722. For more information about the Museum visit their website: http://www.pgaamcc.org
Parking information for the event: Please reserve the limited parking spaces in the PGAAMCC parking lot for our elderly residents and residents with disabilities. Plenty of free parking is available adjacent to PGAAMCC in front of the M’Diener and Fixtures Plus storefronts. That parking lot entrance is immediately south of the museum lot’s entrance.
This coming Saturday, April 18th, from 2 – 4pm, the Prince George’s African American Museum and Cultural Center is hosting a film screening of “The American LOWS: Post Traumatic Slavery Disorder.” Afterwards, there will be a talk and discussion with the filmmaker, Darnley Hodge, Jr. The event will be moderated by the Museum’s curator, Jon West-Bey and delve into the evolution of racist systems in America.
For more details, please visit http://www.pgaamcc.org/event/film-screening-pgaamcc/
(On left) Cynthia Chavez Lamar, Assistant Director for Collections, National Museum of the American Indian.
This week, in the Introduction to Museum Scholarship class, Dr. Cynthia Chavez Lamar, Assistant Director for Collections at the NMAI in Washington, DC discussed her role in co-curating the Our Lives exhibit that premiered in 2004. She spoke about the challenges and benefits of collaborating with American Indian communities while co-curating this exhibit. It focuses on layers of identity and belonging within indigenous communities and will be up until July 2015.