Smithsonian Institution Fellowships in Museum Practice
1996 Appointments
The Center for Museum Studies, Smithsonian Institution, announces the
1996 awards from the Fellowships in Museum Practice program. The
program enables museum professionals to undertake original research in
museum theory and operations, using resources and facilities at the
Smithsonian Institution. As fellows complete their research,
information about their findings will appear in the Center for Museum
Studies Bulletin and will also be shared through occasional seminar
presentations. The 1996 awards are made to the following individuals:
Jennifer Anderson-Lawrence
Site Director
Philipsburg Manor
Historic Hudson Valley
Westchester, New York
Project Title: The Nursery of Living Thought: The Role of Public
Education at the National Museum of American
History
Project Sponsor: Pamela Henson, SI Archives
Project Dates: February 9, 1996 - September 30, 1996
This project focuses on the development of the education division of
the National Museum of American history within the historical context
of the Smithsonian Institution as a whole. The research will explore
such key questions as what role the museum's first curators played in
the area of public education, the professionalization and evolution of
the education division as a separate entity, and the relationship
between the curatorial division and the first separate educational
division in shaping interpretative approaches and programming.
Maria Christina Barbosa de Almeida
Coordinator, Database on Preservation of Cultural Heritage
Universidade de Sao Paulo
Sao Paulo - SP - Brazil
Project title: Possibilities and strategies for implementing the
museum library into the activities of other
museum departments
Project sponsor: Cecilia Chin, National Museum of American Art and
National Portrait Gallery Library
Dates: June 25, 1996 - August 24, 1996
This study will investigate possibilities of and strategies for museum
libraries to participate in the activities of other departments in the
museum. The study will look at library functions and aims,
organizational structure, information services and products, and user
needs. Also addressed will be an analysis of information
dissemination throughout a museum's organizational structure.
Ann E. Denkler
Curator
Greenbelt Museum
Greenbelt, Maryland
Project Title: Interpreting Utopia Through Interactive Community
Experiences in Greenbelt, Maryland
Project sponsor: Zahava Doering, Institutional Studies
Project Dates: October 16, 1995 - June 1, 1996
In this fellowship, a curator of a community-based museum will study
how visitors respond to an exhibition which encourages thought on how
objects reflect, echo, and embody the social relations of gender,
class, race, and community. The results of the study will be used to
modify the exhibition and plan similar exhibitions in the future. The
project will also involve developing techniques for expanding
visitorship and community participation in the museum.
David Keller
Exhibit Designer / Board Member
Back to Nature Wildlife Refuge
Orlando, Florida
Project title: Design and construction of low-cost
exhibits/habitats for wildlife rehabilitation and
small zoo facilities
Project Sponsors: John Seidensticker and Benjamin Beck, National
Zoological Park
Project Dates: September 1, 1996 - September 30, 1997
This fellowship will draw together practical information about the
design and construction of animal enclosures. It will begin with a
survey of existing needs among small institutions and with exhibit
designers regarding their techniques and suggestions. The project
will result in a publication in workbook-like format useful to small
zoo and science center curators.
The Fellowships in Museum Practice is intended for experienced
professionals at mid- and senior-levels who work in museums or allied
cultural institutions. All functional areas of museum work are
eligible; proposals that promote closer ties with the applicant's
institution are strongly encouraged. The program began in 1992
through the generous suppport of the Smithsonian Women's Committee, a
voluntary organization that raises funds for Smithsonian Institution
education and research.
Deadline for 1997 proposals is February 28, 1996.
For more information on the program contact Nancy Fuller, Research
Manager, Center for Museum Studies, Arts and Industries Building,
Suite 2235 - MRC 427, Smithsonian Institution,
Washington, DC 20560, 202-357-3101, Fax 202-357-3346.
Bruce C. Craig Internet: [log in to unmask]
Center for Museum Studies Smithsonian Institution
A&I 2235-MRC427 Washington, DC 20560
(202) 357-3148 FAX:(202) 357-3346
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