To Museum-L members,
My name is Harmony Simmons and I am a graduate student
in the Museum Studies program at San Francisco State
University. I am gathering data for my thesis on the
display of non-Western art in museums and I value your
opinion as a professional who works with non-Western
collections.
I am researching the ethics of display of non-Western
artifacts in anthropology and art museums as well as
what changes/trends are taking place in these
exhibits. I know your time is valuable and therefore
this questionnaire is as brief as possible.
Your helpful suggestions will be credited to you,
unless you specify that you prefer your comments to
remain anonymous. Please feel free to contact me
off-list with your responses: [log in to unmask]
Thank you again for your time.
Sincerely,
Harmony Simmons.
Your Name:
Title:
Institution:
Address:
Phone/E-mail:
May I credit your responses in the thesis?
___yes ___no, I prefer that my comments remain
anonymous
1. What is the curatorial area of your Permanent
display(s) of non-Western art?
_____ Continental Africa _____ Asia
______Pacific rim/islands
____ Native American
Other:_______________________________
2. What is the average life span of the 'permanent'
display in your department?
____ 5 years or less
____ 5-7 years
____ 7-10 years
____ more than 10 years
When was your permanent display last updated?_____
3. Does your department organize objects in cases
according to:
___ type, ____material, ____use or function,
____region, or _____maker in its permanent displays?
How are these rearranged or updated?
4. Does your department write the labels for your
permanent display? Do the labels include any of the
following? ___First Person, ___Third Person,
___References for information given, ___Author of
label, ___Other, please list
How often are the labels updated in your department?
5. Does your collection include contemporary works
from the cultures/countries you exhibit? ___yes
___no
If not, can you indicate the reason(s)?
___institutional collections policy,
___lack of materials available
___monetary constraints
___other reason(s):_________________________________
6. Do you or does your institution typically consult
or collaborate with the communities that are related
to your collection? ___no ___yes (please list
communities and collaborative efforts).
7. How does consultation or collaboration take place?
____ guest curators
_____speaking with members of the communities
____ creation of community advisory boards
_____other outreach into the communities,
please
indicate:__________________________________________
8. When displaying objects related to religious or
spiritual beliefs, does
your department give background information regarding
the religion or practice?
___yes ___no
If so, in what format(s)? ____ extensive labels,
___didactic wall text, ____ other printed
exhibit materials, ____ films/videos, ____
performances, ___ speakers or
docents from the community, other:___________
9. Can or should museums act as objective teachers
with regard to religion when displaying artifacts? If
so, how?
10. Do you have any helpful suggestions for the museum
profession for the display of religious objects?
11. Please list suggestions for any of the above
topics that you may have, or practices which have
proven useful in your experiences.
Thank you again for your time, Harmony Simmons.
__________________________________________________
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