By Seth Margolis, Museology Affiliate Instructor Over the last 20 or so years, I’ve had the opportunity to wear many hats as part of the Museology Graduate Program. I have been a student, an instructor, a thesis advisor, a session panelist, a guest speaker, and (now) even a blogger. One role I have not had has been a perplexed observer. Let me explain what I mean. I lead the Museum Education course, which is run like a museum program. It…
Category: Blog
AAM Excellence in Exhibition Label Writing Competition – 2018
–Catherine Wood, Class of 2018 This year I was fortunate to be the sixth student Project Manager for the American Alliance of Museums’ (AAM) Excellence in Exhibition Label Writing Competition. Through this unique partnership I’ve gained practical project management skills, networked with leading museum professionals, and increased my appreciation for exhibit label writing. I knew even before coming to the University of Washington that I wanted to take on the Project Manager role. I first learned about UW’s Museology program…
Calaveras & Conversations: Leading Spanish Tours at Bellevue Arts Museum
AUTHOR: Pamela Maldonado, Class of 2018 Last year, I attended the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) conference in St. Louis, Missouri and learned about a Spanish led family program for toddlers that takes place at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago, Illinois. I was blown away by their program that seeks to bring in early learners and their adults to look at art together and participate in activities. I knew in that moment that I wanted to make my…
Curating Topophilia: Exploring Contemporary Art and Building Skills Through the Emerging Curator Initiative (ECI)
AUTHOR: Emily Bowden, Class of 2018. Curator of Topophilia After being accepted into the Museology program at the University of Washington, I began thinking about what my focus in the program could potentially be and what really gets me excited about working in museums. I knew that I wanted to focus on building my curatorial skills. I was very interested in curating my own exhibition, as I had been able to do through a Summer Research Grant at my undergraduate institution….
Exploring Creativity in Art and Science – Amy Oates (Alumni Spotlight)
Amy Oates entered into the Museology Graduate Program knowing that she had a passion for art. But it was her experiences in graduate school that opened her up to the possibilities of where this passion might take her. “I thought that I always wanted to work in an art museum,” she said, “but I began to question that, and even what I meant by ‘art’ and why I valued it.” Thanks to her museology classes, Amy began to unpack these…
Law and Ethics of Ownership in Who Owns Humanity? Course
What appeared to be a small class of about a dozen Anthropology and Museology students has far exceeded what I expected of any organizational development course. In what class might you study The Ghost of the Tsunami and Fake News in one sitting? And how do either of these things apply to our lives? In Who Owns Humanity we are given these material as tools for understanding how changing norms and practices in society raise new and complex distinctions between…
Preservation of Collections II (Course Highlight)
How do you keep outdoor metal statues from corroding in Seattle, known for its rain? What if the flooring in your exhibit or storage spaces is off-gassing and damaging your collections? Nicholas Dorman and Geneva Griswold, conservators from the Seattle Art Museum, teach Preservation of Collections II, a hands-on opportunity to build preventive care skill and to better understand the conservation profession. Each day is a combination of lecture and lab—for example, delving into ethics of collection care, designing a…
4Culture Rural Internship Program at Neely Mansion
-Theresa Ball, Class of 2018 As with many students in the UW Museology program, I try to stay informed of internship and networking opportunities in the Seattle area. This past fall, a particularly interesting opportunity caught my eye. 4Culture, the cultural funding agency for King County, was offering a 6 month internship with a small, mostly volunteer-run institution. The rural internship program is part of the 4Culture T.I.P.S. program, which was launched in 2018 to help provide technical assistance, inspiration,…
Passion and Persistence in the Museum Field – Geoff Nunn (Alumni Spotlight)
Alumni Geoff Nunn (class of 2007) has been making an impact at the Museum of Flight, taking the lead on some of their recent exhibits about the history of space exploration. However, these accomplishments did not come easily, as Geoff struggled to make inroads into full-time museum work at the beginning of his career. But Geoff’s persistence and passion for his work have been paying off as he makes his mark in the museum and aerospace worlds. Geoff’s passion for…
Looking Back: A Museology Student’s Reflection on their First Quarter
-Emma Reilly, Class of 2019 Here I am, finished with my first quarter of graduate school writing an extra thing, AFTER FINALS, for UW Museology because I like it that much. Museology, study of the muses, has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? I’ve looked at dozens and dozens of other museum studies programs but this is the only one that stuck out to me. Part of that has to be credited to the name: to muse, or “to…