Docents and Museum Education

Many art museums rely upon volunteers, often titled docents, to implement a range of educational offerings, including guided gallery experiences. As such, docents regularly engage visitors more than most museum staff members. A review of literature spanning over a century provides support for an examination of four reoccurring themes within museum education and docent history: uncertain definitions, professionalization, theoretical foundation, and embedded traditions. Subsequently, consideration of the past offers context for examining contemporary museum education programs that develop the capacity of docents as change agents, including offerings during the COVID-19 pandemic and developing inclusive practice through docent education. The chapter concludes with an envisioning of the future for docents within museum education.

Review of the textbook ‘Introduction to Museum Studies and Monument Studies’

Introduction to Museum and Monument Studies book edited by Professor Olena Honcharova, DSc in Cultural Studies, and Associate Professor Serhii Pustovalov, DSc in History, is devoted to topical issues of museum and monument protection, museum studies history and theory, museum staff archaeology training, legislative support for the museum industry, examination of historical and cultural values; presents the views of leading Ukrainian and world scientists and experts on solving current problems in this area. The book is addressed to students, graduate students of field-oriented higher education institutions, museum and heritage conservation staff. For the first time, the textbook comprehensively provides the basics of both programme subject area components: museum studies and monument studies.

Repatriation in Practice: A Critical Analysis of the Repatriation of Human Remains in New Zealand Museums

<p>The repatriation of human remains from museum collections is becoming increasingly common in museums around the world and particularly in New Zealand. Even the most amicable repatriation cases are complex, requiring a substantial commitment of time, energy and resources from museum staff involved in the negotiation process, to successfully overcome any issues that arise. Although it is known that the repatriation process can be challenging, the literature on the subject in museum studies and related fields focuses on the beneficial outcomes of successful negotiations, rather than explaining what difficulties can be encountered and how they can be solved. This research asks how problems in the repatriation process can be overcome to create mutually rewarding relationships between museums and others involved in the repatriation of human remains. This problem was addressed through a case study of the Karanga Aotearoa Repatriation Programme at Te Papa and three examples of their work: the Natural History Museum in Rouen, France; the British Museum in London; and the Rangitāne o Wairau iwi in New Zealand. Documentary evidence relating to these three repatriation examples was reviewed and the insights of museum staff have been captured through interviews with professionals from Karanga Aotearoa, Auckland Museum and Tairāwhiti Museum in Gisborne. Together these methods provided data that presented a more detailed and rounded picture of the current New Zealand situation regarding the repatriation of human remains. The dissertation concludes by assessing the difficulties in the practical repatriation process and how they have been overcome in New Zealand museums. I argue that repatriation practice, as an important area of museum practice in its own right, requires a flexible approach based on the principle of open-minded engagement with the perspectives of others involved in repatriation negotiations. This approach, focusing on relationships rather than transactions, is a marked departure from more traditional museum practice.</p>

Practicing Decoloniality in Museums

The cry for decolonization has echoed throughout the museum world. Although perhaps most audibly heard in the case of ethnographic museums, many different types of museums have felt the need to engage in decolonial practices. Amidst those who have argued that an institution as deeply colonial as the museum cannot truly be decolonized, museum staff and museologists have been approaching the issue from different angles to practice decoloniality in any way they can. This book collects a wide range of practices from museums whose audiences, often highly diverse, come together in sometimes contentious conversations about pasts and futures. Although there are no easy or uniform answers as to how best to deal with colonial pasts, this collection of practices functions as an accessible toolkit from which museum staff can choose in order to experiment with and implement methods according to their own needs and situations. The practices are divided thematically and include, among others, methods for decentering, improving transparency, and increasing inclusivity.

Repatriation in Practice: A Critical Analysis of the Repatriation of Human Remains in New Zealand Museums

<p>The repatriation of human remains from museum collections is becoming increasingly common in museums around the world and particularly in New Zealand. Even the most amicable repatriation cases are complex, requiring a substantial commitment of time, energy and resources from museum staff involved in the negotiation process, to successfully overcome any issues that arise. Although it is known that the repatriation process can be challenging, the literature on the subject in museum studies and related fields focuses on the beneficial outcomes of successful negotiations, rather than explaining what difficulties can be encountered and how they can be solved. This research asks how problems in the repatriation process can be overcome to create mutually rewarding relationships between museums and others involved in the repatriation of human remains. This problem was addressed through a case study of the Karanga Aotearoa Repatriation Programme at Te Papa and three examples of their work: the Natural History Museum in Rouen, France; the British Museum in London; and the Rangitāne o Wairau iwi in New Zealand. Documentary evidence relating to these three repatriation examples was reviewed and the insights of museum staff have been captured through interviews with professionals from Karanga Aotearoa, Auckland Museum and Tairāwhiti Museum in Gisborne. Together these methods provided data that presented a more detailed and rounded picture of the current New Zealand situation regarding the repatriation of human remains. The dissertation concludes by assessing the difficulties in the practical repatriation process and how they have been overcome in New Zealand museums. I argue that repatriation practice, as an important area of museum practice in its own right, requires a flexible approach based on the principle of open-minded engagement with the perspectives of others involved in repatriation negotiations. This approach, focusing on relationships rather than transactions, is a marked departure from more traditional museum practice.</p>

Collecting for New Zealand: Examining What the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Should Collect

<p>Collecting for New Zealand explores two interconnected questions: how do history curators at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa decide what to collect; and what do those curators and members of the public think Te Papa should collect. Te Papa’s status as a national museum is important to the context within which decisions are made and opinions formed about collecting. By detailing the actual acquisition process and including the views of museum users, this research makes an important contribution to the literature on museum collecting. This study draws on multiple sources of data to examine history collecting at Te Papa. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with current curatorial staff and focus group discussions were held with members of the public. Current and previous policy documents that influence collecting at Te Papa were also reviewed. These sources combine to develop a picture of collecting at Te Papa which encompasses both specific details of staff practice and a further understanding of what qualities people seek in museum collection items. This thesis provides vital details on the practice and implications of collecting using location, in this case New Zealand, as a selection guide. In examining how staff decide what to collect, concerns expressed in the existing literature about the power of individuals to shape what is acquired are also addressed. The extent to which the views of the general public and those of museum staff are shared is revealed. In developing a fuller understanding of what people think Te Papa should collect, this research contributes to the debate about how to collect in ways that are sustainable. Collecting for New Zealand concludes by reflecting on the importance of audience to Te Papa’s ongoing collecting activity.</p>

Collecting for New Zealand: Examining What the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Should Collect

<p>Collecting for New Zealand explores two interconnected questions: how do history curators at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa decide what to collect; and what do those curators and members of the public think Te Papa should collect. Te Papa’s status as a national museum is important to the context within which decisions are made and opinions formed about collecting. By detailing the actual acquisition process and including the views of museum users, this research makes an important contribution to the literature on museum collecting. This study draws on multiple sources of data to examine history collecting at Te Papa. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with current curatorial staff and focus group discussions were held with members of the public. Current and previous policy documents that influence collecting at Te Papa were also reviewed. These sources combine to develop a picture of collecting at Te Papa which encompasses both specific details of staff practice and a further understanding of what qualities people seek in museum collection items. This thesis provides vital details on the practice and implications of collecting using location, in this case New Zealand, as a selection guide. In examining how staff decide what to collect, concerns expressed in the existing literature about the power of individuals to shape what is acquired are also addressed. The extent to which the views of the general public and those of museum staff are shared is revealed. In developing a fuller understanding of what people think Te Papa should collect, this research contributes to the debate about how to collect in ways that are sustainable. Collecting for New Zealand concludes by reflecting on the importance of audience to Te Papa’s ongoing collecting activity.</p>

Emotional Pedagogy in Blind Students at School and Museum from the Systematic Review

The incorporation of emotions in educational and cultural spaces is increasingly important in our society. The main objective is to review studies on emotional pedagogy both in school and in the museum and its importance in the education of blind pupils, providing elements for good practice. In the methodology used, a systematic review has been carried out with a selection of 410 articles examined up to 52 articles from 2003 to 2020. The search was conducted using 10 databases: Circ, Miar, Eric, Science Direct, 1Findr, Dialnet, Scopus, Google Scholar, Teacher Reference Center, and Wos. Among the results, we identified the importance of defining emotional training programs for teachers and museum didactic teams. They should be geared toward improving professional practices and cooperation between the museum and the school. In the conclusions obtained, it is fundamental to incorporate emotional literacy in inclusive education from the first stages of development, to promote creativity and emotional management, to exemplify the figure of the neuro-educator and his role in improving didactics both in schools and in the museum, favoring inclusion, promoting kinesthetic and corporal stimulation, both in the school and in the museum, it is a joint work between teachers and museum staff.

The History of the Formation of the Golden Horde Funds in the State Historical Museum

Research objectives: To study the composition and geography of the Golden Horde collections conserved in the State Historical Museum. It is necessary to demonstrate: how museum collections are used as an essential tool of the modern researcher; how the attitude towards this source of information changes in a chronological perspective; how the absence of any types of sources’ information encourages researchers to discover new directions and develop new archaeological aspects of their study. Additionally, attention should be paid to the question of key events that became starting points for the beginning of archaeological research of the Golden Horde cities. Research materials: The lists of the collections of archaeological department of the State Historical Museum, the main inventory book of the museum, and archaeological items from the the Golden Horde collections of the archaeological department. Results and novelty of the research: The author identified the following methods of replenishing the collections: finds of private individuals of the second half of nineteenth century, items of famous collectors (P.I. Shchukin), archaeological finds of the founders of the museum (P.S. Uvarova), excavations on the instructions of the Imperial Archaeological Commission (D.Ya. Samokvasov, N.I. Veselovsky, V.A. Gorodtsov, A.A. Spitsyn, etc.), transfers from other museums (Rumyantsev Museum, Hermitage), research by museum staff (E.V. Weimarn, V.P. Levasheva, V.L. Egorov, L.L. Savchenkova, N.I. Shishlina, etc.), receipts from the state bodies of the Soviet period (the Simferopol hoard), excavations by archaeologists from friendly research organizations (G.A. Fedorov-Davydov, M.G. Kra­marovsky, etc.). Many items from these collections have taken their place in the exhibition space. The exhibition space itself was built with the database of information and publications of researchers being taken into account. Thus, the finds of the Volga expedition made it possible to display the main aspects of the statehood of the Golden Horde: its architectural traditions, culture, and all types of crafts. Also, the exposition contains items of armament – that is, the main nomadic component of the Golden Horde civilization – as well as two paizas of the heyday of the Golden Horde. Although the exposition cannot reflect all aspects of the Golden Horde civilization, the main (nomadic and sedentary) components are still demonstrated.

Tinkering With Testing: Understanding How Museum Program Design Advances Engineering Learning Opportunities for Children

Using a design-based research approach, we studied ways to advance opportunities for children and families to engage in engineering design practices in an informal educational setting. 213 families with 5–11-year-old children were observed as they visited a tinkering exhibit at a children’s museum during one of three iterations of a program posing an engineering design challenge. Children’s narrative reflections about their experience were recorded immediately after tinkering. Across iterations of the program, changes to the exhibit design and facilitation provided by museum staff corresponded to increased families’ engagement in key engineering practices. In the latter two cycles of the program, families engaged in the most testing, and in turn, redesigning. Further, in the latter cycles, the more children engaged in testing and retesting during tinkering, the more their narratives contained engineering-related content. The results advance understanding and the evidence base for educational practices that can promote engineering learning opportunities for children.