Hello Friends! I too have just returned from the AAM meetings and have
some ideas for next year. There are two areas that interest me greatly,
but I'll need help in getting participants to fill out the session. My
ideas are presently kernels, so please excuse the loose nature of their
description below.
The first idea is "What can Museums learn from Eastern Thought" or
something roughly like that. I have recently been exploring non-western
ways of knowing and understanding the world and I think this is a rich
source for us to tap in our daily endeavors. In fact, the journal
Curator (49/3) recently did an issue with a focus on Eastern
philosophies and it was very enlightening (ha ha, sorry bad joke, but
it really was good). I have several ideas for a session, but I want to
plop this email out there to see if there is any response or anyone is
interested in joining me in this pursuit.
The other session I have in mind I have temporarily entitled "Let's Get
Metaphysical" (thanks, Jill). What I refer to here is the philosophical
version of metaphysical, which is the broader term, literally--beyond
the physical realm, beyond that which we can realize or discover with
our five senses. The modern media often uses the word to mean the same
thing as 'spiritual' but 'spiritual' refers to the realm of spirits
while 'metaphysical' refers to that which underlies everything, of
which spirits are a part. In that light, I am endlessly interested in
the deeply affective, transformative experiences people can have in a
museum. We spend much of our time figuring out what people learn, how
they communicate, what they see, feel, hear and sometimes smell. Is
there something else? Can museum exhibits make people FEEL something
beyond the normal everyday experience? What about revisiting the idea
of museums or museum experiences as sacred (and not just in art
museums)? There are many many ways this topic can go. The direction
will depend on what responses I get.
If you have any interest in either of these two ideas, please contact
me off-line at [log in to unmask]
Thanks so much!
Kiersten F. Latham
Doctoral Student
Library & Information Science
Emporia State University
Emporia, KS
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