On June 9, friends, family, faculty, instructors, supervisors, and supporters of Museology’s graduates gathered at the University of Washington for the Class of 2017’s Graduation Ceremony to celebrate all that this cohort has accomplished during their two years at UW. As Jessica Luke, Program Director, pointed out during the graduation ceremony, the numbers behind this group are impressive. Collectively, this cohort has been active across many domains:
- 572 courses taken during their two years.
- 41 different institutions where they completed internships.
- 14 conference presentations they gave.
- 15 exhibit proposals they prepared.
- 10 exhibits they installed.
- 9 evaluation projects conducted in local museums.
- 11 grant proposals written for local institutions.
- 29 research theses and
7 thesis projects they conducted, wrote, and defended.
However, this ceremony was also a chance for us all to get excited about our students’ futures. In his keynote address, Leonard Garfield, Executive Director at the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI), challenged our students to continue to be change-agents in the museum field, moving museums forward toward what they could and should be.
Anyone who has interacted with this graduating class knows that they are up for the challenge. If you look beyond the numbers, you can see that these recent-students have already dedicated themselves to understanding how museums can better serve their communities and taking the initiative to bring this understanding to bear on museum practice. The list of thesis papers and projects included below reflect the range of ways that this cohort can have an impact in museums. With many of these graduates starting their careers in museums and cultural institutions across the country, they are quickly on their way to making a splash.
We are proud of everything they have done during their time in our program, and look forward to seeing where this will take them in the coming years. On behalf of the Museology faculty and staff, we wish them all the best!
List of thesis papers*
- A Gateway to Inclusion: Understanding the Structure of Autism Early Open Events in Museums
- A Museum in Context: Understanding the Practice of Independent Pop-Up Museums
- Adopt-an-Object: Reaching Donors through Personalized Fundraising
- Alternative Voices: Exploring Museums’ Use of Technology-Based Contributory Visitor Experiences
- Building Human Stories: Understanding the Role of Objects in Designing Authentic Experiences for Visitors to Living History Museums
- Community Impact: A Museum Priority
- Differential Concerns: Perceived Benefits and Barriers to Visitation from the Mental Models of Museum Visitors and Non-Visitors
- Examining Historical Thinking in Elementary Age Visitors to Hands-on History Exhibits
- Exploring International Repatriation between U.S. Museums and First Nations in Canada
- Exploring Sculpture Conservation in Seattle
- Gone Haunting: Exploring the Use of Mission-Based Ghost Tours in Historic House Museums
- Inspire: Understanding Scent Inclusion in Museum Settings
- Is Wall Color Significant to Museum Visitors? Exploring the Impact Wall Color in an Exhibit has on the Visitor Experience
- It’s All Greek to Me: How Museums Use Language to Connect to Community
- It’s Dangerous to go Alone: Understanding How Museums Preserve and Exhibit Video Games
- More than Just a Novelty? Museum Visitor Interactions with 3D Printed Artifacts
- More than Two-spirit: Queer Indigenous Sovereignty and Survival in Museums
- Museum Professionals’ Numinous Experiences: Exploring their Nature and Influences
- Playing the Game: Understanding the Gender Gap in Art Museum Directorships
- Practice-based Perspectives on the Interpretive Planning Process
- Preserving the Past Together: Cultural Resource Management, Collections Management Professionals, and the Accessibility of Archaeological Collections
- Pushing the Needle: Object Based Museum and Source Community Collaborations
- Redefining and “Re-presenting” Native American Collections and Curatorial Practice
- Reduced Admission: Benefits and Challenges for Children’s Museums
- Responding to Funding Cuts as a Government-funded Museum
- Talking with Tweets: An Exploration of Museums’ Use of Twitter for Two-Way Engagement
- The Intersection of Museums and Social Justice
- Who Are Art Exhibitions For?: An Investigation into Narrative Choice and Public Reaction in Art Museums
- Youth Perspectives on the Impact of Museum Programs on Self-Efficacy
List of thesis projects
- A Community Curated Membership Model: Defining Membership for the Adoption Museum Project
- (Dis)Connected: Curating an Art Exhibition at the Kirkland Arts Center
- Making Technology Work for the Museum: Using Machines to Cut Ethafoam Storage Containers
- Picturing Museums: Creating a Picture Book for Woodland Park Zoo
- Transforming Spaces: A Decolonizing Approach to Collections Stewardship at the Burke Museum
- Understanding Accessibility at the Seattle Art Museum
- What’s the Fuss? Deaccession and Disposal of International Outfits and Garments at the Renton History Museum
*Abstracts and full reports for research papers will be made available later this summer on the UW Libraries website.
-Dylan High Student Experience Coordinator, Museology Graduate Program