Agency and epistemic authority in question-answer sequences between art museum guides and visitors diagnosed with dementia

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (s2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrienne R. Isaac ◽  
Heidi E. Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
Memory Loss ◽  
Art Museum ◽  
Epistemic Authority ◽  
Discursive Practices ◽  
Art Gallery ◽  
Home Setting ◽  
Personal Lives ◽  
Human Interactions ◽  
Museum Guides ◽  
Therapeutic Model

AbstractRecent studies documenting the real-time details of human interactions have revealed the way in which artefacts in the immediate physical surround facilitate the display and demonstration of knowledge. The museum setting in which physically present objects prompt and support visitor displays of knowledge is particularly well-suited for individuals managing symptoms related to memory loss as a result of dementia, especially of the Alzheimer’s type. In this paper, we explore question-answer sequences taken from three hour-long guided sessions within an art gallery program involving museum guides who were specially trained to work with visitors with dementia. We investigate representative sequences 1) in which visitors exercise interactional control by posing questions to guides that relate to the visitors’ own interests and 2) in which guides pose questions to visitors regarding topics that relate to the visitors’ personal lives. We argue that these two discursive practices promote interactional meaningfulness, in that the former pattern affords the visitors interactional agency, while the latter pattern allows them to display their epistemic authority. Finally, we consider how insights from this therapeutic model may be translated from the museum to the home setting.

‘We will take care of you’: Identity categorisation markers in intercultural medical encounters

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 451-473
Author(s):  
Valentina Fantasia ◽  
Cristina Zucchermaglio ◽  
Marilena Fatigante ◽  
Francesca Alby
Keyword(s):  
Social Identity ◽  
Common Knowledge ◽  
Cultural Background ◽  
Epistemic Authority ◽  
Discursive Practices ◽  
Local Hospital ◽  
Social Actors ◽  
Social Actions ◽  
Life Saving ◽  
Tumour Board

Ethnomethodology research has systematically investigated discursive practices of categorisation, looking at the various ways by which social actors ascribe both themselves and others to identity categories to accomplish various kinds of social actions. Drawing on a data corpus of oncological visits collected in an Italian hospital, involving both native and non-native patients, the present work analyses how participants in these intercultural medical encounters invoke and make relevant social identity categories by the marking of collective pronouns in their talk. Our results showed that whilst institutional identities (e.g. those of the doctors, the local hospital or the Tumour Board) prevailed, categorial formulations related to cultural or linguistic identities were rarely displayed in interactions with non-native patients. Conversational participants made very little of their linguistical or cultural background and when they did so, their cultural and linguistic identities were deployed for rhetorical and pragmatical aims, such as testing and negotiating common knowledge and epistemic authority. This study shows how even speakers’ minimal lexical choices, such as marked pronouns, impact the negotiation of meanings and activities in life-saving sites such as oncological visits.

scholarly journals Toward Evaluating Art Museum Education at the Art Gallery of Ontario

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 121
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Chalas
Keyword(s):  
Program Evaluation ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Museum Education ◽  
Art Museum ◽  
Art Gallery ◽  
Internal Evaluation ◽  
Art Museum Education ◽  
The Past ◽  
Art Gallery Of Ontario ◽  
Education Field

Abstract: Over the past three decades, the museum education field has seen a rise in the frequency of program evaluation. In this paper, I convey little known information about program evaluation at the Art Gallery of Ontario by presenting my findings from an interview I conducted with Judy Koke, the gallery’s Chief of Public Programming and Learning. Our discussion highlights both the barriers the AGO has faced on their journey toward evaluating programmatic value and the strategies the gallery has employed in an effort to enhance its internal evaluation efforts. A brief overview of program evaluation in museums provides the background to this discussion. KEYWORDS: Art museum education; Program evaluationRésumé: Le domaine de la pédagogie muséale a connu au cours des trois dernières décennies un essor quant au nombre d’évaluations de programmes. Je transmets ici le peu de renseignements connus sur l’évaluation des programmes au Musée des beaux-arts de l’Ontario (AGO), au terme d’une entrevue que j’ai menée avec Judy Koke, directrice de l’apprentissage et de la programmation à l’intention du public au Musée. Notre discussion met en évidence tant les obstacles rencontrés par l’AGO dans le cadre de l’évaluation de la valeur des programmes que les stratégies utilisées par le musée pour rehausser ses activités internes d’évaluation. Un bref aperçu de l’évaluation des programmes dans les musées met notre discussion en contexte.MOTS CLES: Éducation musée d'art; évaluation du programme.

The Glimmering Glow of Comic Art amidst the Blinding Glitter of the United Arab Emirates

2020 ◽  
pp. 192-201
Author(s):  
John A. Lent
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Young People ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Sense Of Community ◽  
Art Museum ◽  
Art Gallery ◽  
Comics Studies ◽  
Essential Form ◽  
Comic Art

This chapter includes a 2016 essay by comics studies pioneer John A. Lent about the Cartoon Art Gallery in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Dubai is home to the Middle East Film and Comic Con (the largest regional convention), Comicave (the largest comics related store in the region), and Majid, the most popular comics character (published since 1979). A group of dedicated young people with faith in comics as an essential form of art and communication have nurtured a small cartoon art museum and an active comics community amongst the glittering skyscrapers. Lent visited the museum, talking with the founder, Melvin Matthew, about their exhibition style and sense of community. This chapter discusses popular comics titles and cartoonists in the UAE. Images: 3 gallery photos.

The effect of knowledge type and culture on arts audiences’ propensity for experience-sharing

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Verdiana Chieffi ◽  
Marco Pichierri ◽  
Alessandro M. Peluso ◽  
Cristiana Collu ◽  
Gianluigi Guido
Keyword(s):  
Art Museum ◽  
Cultural Dimensions ◽  
Objective Knowledge ◽  
Art Gallery ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Subjective Knowledge ◽  
Individualism And Collectivism ◽  
Knowledge Type ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

PurposeThis study examines the effect of both objective knowledge (i.e., what arts audience members actually know about art) and subjective knowledge (i.e., what arts audiences members think they know about art) on their propensity for experience-sharing (i.e., the tendency to share art-related experiences with other individuals). In addition, the study examines the role of culture (i.e., whether arts audiences belong to an individualistic or collectivistic culture) on the above-mentioned relationship.Design/methodology/approachData were gathered through a field survey at a large contemporary art museum in Italy, conducted via a structured questionnaire and analyzed using multiple regression analysis.FindingsResults indicate that both subjective and objective knowledge positively affect arts audiences’ propensity for experience-sharing, such as talking to others about a visit to an art gallery. Moreover, such effects appear to vary depending on culture: objective knowledge seems to positively influence experience-sharing when audiences belong to collectivistic cultures, whereas subjective knowledge seems to positively influence experience-sharing when they belong to individualistic cultures.Practical implicationsThe study’s findings could motivate arts managers to emphasize the implementation of international communication strategies aimed at reinforcing arts audiences’ subjective and objective knowledge since these variables are positively associated with their propensity for experience-sharing with others.Originality/valueThis is the first study to assess the effects of objective and subjective knowledge, alongside the cultural dimensions of individualism and collectivism, on arts audiences’ propensity for experience-sharing.

scholarly journals Unanswered Questions and Hypotheses about Domestic Cat Behavior, Ecology, and the Cat–Human Relationship

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2823
Author(s):  
Dennis C. Turner
Keyword(s):  
Domestic Cat ◽  
Dyadic Interaction ◽  
General Interest ◽  
Interaction Patterns ◽  
Psychological Assessments ◽  
Human Relationships ◽  
Home Setting ◽  
Human Interactions ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Breed Differences

After recent publication of several reviews covering research results from the last 35 years of domestic cat studies, a number of important unanswered questions and hypotheses have arisen that could interest active researchers, especially those beginning their academic careers. Some sections of this paper concern methodologies that have yielded new insights and could provide more in the future; other sections concern findings and interpretations of those that need further testing. First, hypotheses arise from combining subjective (or psychological) assessments of cat and human personality traits and observational (ethological) studies of cat–human interactions: e.g., do owners with high attachment to their cats interact differently with them than owners with low attachment levels? New analytical methods of dyadic interaction observations open the door for testing further hypotheses. In particular, the Theme® (Noldus bv, NL) program could be used to determine if there are differences between cat breeds in interaction patterns with people, which is not only of interest to owners but also therapists employing cats in their practices. Cat breed differences have been found using subjective ratings, but these need to be corroborated by direct observational data from the home setting and/or non-invasive colony observations, since ratings based on anthropomorphic projections might not be reliable. This should be done before searching for the genetic basis of such differences. Reliable information on breed differences is also needed before prescribing certain breeds for animal-assisted interventions. A model has predicted that the degree of socialization as a kitten affects cats’ responses to positive and negative experiences with unfamiliar humans and their formation of feline–human relationships later on. This needs to be tested in an ethically approved manner on cats of known socialization status and has enormous consequences for cat adoptions from animal shelters. Observations of human–cat interactions have yielded many correlations, which can be tested by non-invasive manipulations of human behavior in the home setting. Examples of these will be given and are of general interest to the cat-owning public. A review of first findings on social cognition in cats has resulted in further unanswered questions and hypotheses. Finally, two aspects of domestic cat ecology will be considered (effects on wildlife and space utilization), which are of great interest to the public and conservationists alike.

The National Gallery of Zimbabwe

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda H. Hellman
Keyword(s):  
Visual Culture ◽  
Visual Art ◽  
Modern Art ◽  
Art Museum ◽  
National Gallery ◽  
Art Gallery ◽  
Art And Design ◽  
Southern Rhodesia ◽  
One Year ◽  
Contemporary Artists

The National Gallery of Zimbabwe is an art museum in Harare dedicated to collecting, preserving, and promoting Zimbabwean visual culture. Though the collection focuses on contemporary artists from Zimbabwe, its holdings are diverse, containing traditional and contemporary African along with European Old Master paintings—a reflection of the acquisition interests of the first director. Sir James Gordon McDonald (1867–1942), a friend and biographer of Cecil Rhodes, gifted £30,000 to found an art gallery in 1943. Ten years later in 1953 a board was established to raise funds, build the museum, and select a director. In 1956, Scotsman Frank McEwen (1907–1994) was appointed to the post of director. The Rhodes National Gallery was opened on 16 July 1957 in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia (renamed Harare, Zimbabwe in 1980). The institution changed its name to the National Gallery of Rhodesia in 1972, one year prior to McEwen’s resignation. One of McEwan’s projects was the Rhodes National Gallery Workshop School. Artists who participated in this early workshop, such as Thomas Mukarobgwa and John and Bernard Takawira, helped define Zimbabwean modern art. After Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980 the National Gallery developed the BAT Workshop, which became the National Gallery School of Visual Art and Design in 2012.

Voltage Gated Potassium Channel Antibody(VGKC)-associated Encephalopathy and Psychiatric Symptoms (case report)

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S660-S661
Author(s):  
U. Narayana ◽  
P. Nirodi
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Psychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Memory Loss ◽  
Sudden Onset ◽  
Acute Onset ◽  
Treatment Resistant ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Liaison Psychiatry ◽  
Home Setting

Introduction and ObjectivesThe limbic system is primarily responsible for modulating behaviour, emotions and neuro-endocrine functions. Limbic encephalopathy involves this part of the brain and is characterised by the acute or sub-acute onset of seizures, recent memory loss, confusion and psychiatric symptoms. Here we describe an unusual presentation of a well-functioning elderly man, who presented with sudden onset of confusion, cognitive impairment, treatment resistant hyponatremia, seizures and psychiatric symptoms.Methods (Presentation)This 79 year old gentleman, previously well and independent was admitted to the acute hospital with a 3 week history of sudden onset of confusion, odd behaviour and weight loss. On admission he was hyponatremic (Na-118), developed treatment resistant seizures and progressive cognitive impairment. He was referred to the Liaison Psychiatry team with increasing paranoia, agitation and persecutory delusions.ResultsMRI and CT brain remained normal. Lumbar puncture revealed a positive VGKC antibody and his blood titres for VGKC was more than 3000. His hyponatremia and seizures remained chronic, but improved with plasmapheresis, oral corticosteroids and cyclophosphamide. He was commenced on aripiprazole for psychiatric symptoms, but was transferred to the acute psychiatric unit after being detained under section 2 of the MHA due to risks of aggression and absconsion.ConclusionsPsychiatric symptoms related to this form of encephalitis have not been emphasised in literature. His aggression improved over time on aripiprazole, but was transferred to a residential care home setting due to persisting cognitive deficits and social care needs This case highlights the importance of recognising multimorbidity, joint working and more research required in the area.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document