I am currently writing up the last sections (almost there!) of the literature review, which is an essential component of the museum plan structure. I am partway through researching the heritage of the region, for which I have to also incorporate the Indigenous heritage as well. Reading about it is particularly interesting, as I previously didn't have much knowledge of it. The Wiradjuri people, the largest indigenous nation in NSW, had the most unique customs, including the carving of trees to mark burial sites. As settlement occurred in the mid 19th century, it should be no surprise that many of these trees were destroyed to make way for urban centres, forestry and general destruction of the landscape. Less than 100 of these trees still exist in their original sites, with the carvings facing the burial site to warn passersby that the site holds spiritual significance.
I found this to be particularly interesting, which surprised me to be perfectly honest, as indigenous art forms, etc has never had an immediate impact on me. I am really enjoying researching this and then recognising the juxtaposition of reporting on indigenous heritage, immediately followed in my review by settlement heritage, which focusses a lot on the Gold Rush of the 1850s. I guess the destruction of one culture has often meant, historically speaking, the thriving and survival of another.
Considering all of this, and I guess many modern and contemporary art institutions, it is a good thing that the traditional Aboriginal landowners are taken into consideration in this museum plan, as they rightly should be. Museums are, after all, a place where we can learn from history.
Wednesday, 15 August 2012
Thursday, 9 August 2012
Community consultation
Today I got home from the country; it was a long trip, but produced some good results that will definitely help in these early research stages of the museum plan. Plus, I got to visit my grandparents, which was an added bonus!
I facilitated a relatively small focus group of seven local women between the ages of 65 and 80 (roughly), including my grandmother who has lived in this particular regional community for 50 years. I decided to keep it relatively informal, to allow for questions and a nice open discussion. They were all very willing participants who gave some really great insight and offered up their interesting suggestions for what they would like to see in a regional museum. Not surprisingly, a good cafe was a bottom line for many of them! I was quite surprised, actually to discover that for some of them they wouldn't consider visiting unless the museum offered such amenities. These are all things I will put in my report to give to my supervisor.
I also gave the ladies a brief overview of the project so far and also outlined that the museum plan I am currently working on with my supervisor will be available in draft format (when it's done, of course) for community comment and discussion. This fact seemed to ease them a little bit and I guess make them slightly more relaxed with their answers.
This was a really great experience to have and I am grateful to my grandmother for getting some of her friends together to participate. It was really fantastic to lead the discussion and I think will help me in the future if and when I need to do something like this again.
I facilitated a relatively small focus group of seven local women between the ages of 65 and 80 (roughly), including my grandmother who has lived in this particular regional community for 50 years. I decided to keep it relatively informal, to allow for questions and a nice open discussion. They were all very willing participants who gave some really great insight and offered up their interesting suggestions for what they would like to see in a regional museum. Not surprisingly, a good cafe was a bottom line for many of them! I was quite surprised, actually to discover that for some of them they wouldn't consider visiting unless the museum offered such amenities. These are all things I will put in my report to give to my supervisor.
I also gave the ladies a brief overview of the project so far and also outlined that the museum plan I am currently working on with my supervisor will be available in draft format (when it's done, of course) for community comment and discussion. This fact seemed to ease them a little bit and I guess make them slightly more relaxed with their answers.
This was a really great experience to have and I am grateful to my grandmother for getting some of her friends together to participate. It was really fantastic to lead the discussion and I think will help me in the future if and when I need to do something like this again.
Tuesday, 31 July 2012
Discussion
This morning I met again with my internship supervisor. It was really great to get positive feedback about the writing I have been doing so far to assist with the development of the Museum Plan. In addition, we also discussed my impending trip to regional NSW (I have not secured permission to discuss names, details, etc, so from here on out, let's refer to the 'regional city' in which the museum will be built as 'RC' - so creative!).
So...I am heading to the RC next Wednesday to facilitate a community discussion in the form of a focus group with my grandmother and some of her friends. This will be a great learning experience and should produce some interesting comments and feedback at the very least. I am sure I will be met with not only conflicting views on the development of the museum (traditionally, elderly people are adverse to change), but also very strong opinions from some of these local folk. I am all set and ready to go - I have my questions ready to ask and forms for them to complete - wish me luck!
So...I am heading to the RC next Wednesday to facilitate a community discussion in the form of a focus group with my grandmother and some of her friends. This will be a great learning experience and should produce some interesting comments and feedback at the very least. I am sure I will be met with not only conflicting views on the development of the museum (traditionally, elderly people are adverse to change), but also very strong opinions from some of these local folk. I am all set and ready to go - I have my questions ready to ask and forms for them to complete - wish me luck!
Friday, 27 July 2012
Task one is complete! Now to start another...
Today I finished the first task my supervisor set for me; "Part A" of a literature review we have to include in the Museum Plan. It was a really interesting task (surprisingly so, actually) and having to write so much (effectively the length of a major university essay) has me in a good place for commencing my research paper. Like riding a bike, don't you think?! (Below is the aftermath...)
This part of the literature review involved researching and writing on current museum trends, museums and sustainability, and several museum case studies including regional centres such as Wagga Wagga and Newcastle. I would like to add that I have finally got the hang of in-text referencing, I can't believe it took me six years to figure it out!
The next part of the literature review I have to work on is more closely related to the region where the proposed museum will reside. This will involve a lot of reference to the ABS 2011 census data as well as how far the council has come since initiating this museum development plan almost a decade ago. I think it will be an interesting exercise, as I will have to analyse past proposals and plans from people previously associated with the project. Overall I think it will give me a greater depth of understanding for the project, and just how hard the local community is working to get it up and running.
In addition to working on "Part B" of the literature review, I am also planning on visiting the region (hopefully in the next few weeks). The purpose of that trip will be to conduct a focus group with my grandparents and some of their contemporaries (i.e. cards ladies and fellow rotarians). Prior to this I will meet with my supervisor to determine the types of questions I will be required to ask and how to conduct the session.
Until next time, I am going to leave you all with a little visual treat! This was a promotional advertisement for the Newcastle Museum, prior to its official opening in August 2011. I wonder who their target demographic is?!
This part of the literature review involved researching and writing on current museum trends, museums and sustainability, and several museum case studies including regional centres such as Wagga Wagga and Newcastle. I would like to add that I have finally got the hang of in-text referencing, I can't believe it took me six years to figure it out!
The next part of the literature review I have to work on is more closely related to the region where the proposed museum will reside. This will involve a lot of reference to the ABS 2011 census data as well as how far the council has come since initiating this museum development plan almost a decade ago. I think it will be an interesting exercise, as I will have to analyse past proposals and plans from people previously associated with the project. Overall I think it will give me a greater depth of understanding for the project, and just how hard the local community is working to get it up and running.
In addition to working on "Part B" of the literature review, I am also planning on visiting the region (hopefully in the next few weeks). The purpose of that trip will be to conduct a focus group with my grandparents and some of their contemporaries (i.e. cards ladies and fellow rotarians). Prior to this I will meet with my supervisor to determine the types of questions I will be required to ask and how to conduct the session.
Until next time, I am going to leave you all with a little visual treat! This was a promotional advertisement for the Newcastle Museum, prior to its official opening in August 2011. I wonder who their target demographic is?!
Thursday, 26 July 2012
Melbourne!
I know this is not entirely related to my internship, but I really want to write about my recent visit to the National Gallery of Victoria to see Napoleon. If anyone has a chance to get down there before it finishes, go and see this exhibition.
It is sensational.
Napoleon is possibly one of the most beautifully designed exhibitions I have seen in a long time. The beautiful portraits and battle scenes of Napoleon and his fellow Frenchmen are exquisite. The layout of the exhibition is similar to the recent AGNSW Picasso show - chronological and relies heavily on historical narrative. This doesn't detract from the paintings of David et al., instead adding more depth and allowing a greater understanding and appreciation for this defining era in modern French history. In addition, Napoleon managed to link with local history, regarding the newly discovered New Holland (Australia). Battlefields and portraits of aristocrats are broken up with delicate sketches of native flora and fauna, as well as artifacts from the former residence of Napoleon Bonaparte and his wife, Josephine. Not a single detail was forgotten in this magnificent blockbuster; fleur-de-lis adorned the white walls creating a subtle wall print (an artwork in its own right), adding to the overall theme of the exhibition. Even the cafe's and the upstairs Tea Room weren't forgotten in the French overhaul of the Gallery; they had special table settings and monogrammed serviettes.
C'est magnifique!
Tuesday, 17 July 2012
Pen to paper.
After a few weeks of readings and getting up to date on the project, I began writing some of the initial sections of the literature review component of the museum plan. Though it seems like a simple task, the first section took me most of the day to complete only the first draft (being a bit of a perfectionist comes in to play a bit here, I think!) In saying this, I have plenty of time allocated to work on it, so I would rather try and make the first drafts more well rounded and complete than patchy and merely ideas sprawled on a page.
One thing I am finding a little challenging is mastering the Harvard in-text referencing system - I am a long time user of footnotes and endnotes, so this is quite new to me! This is the preferred system of referencing for my supervisor, so I will need to do a bit of a crash course so everything is uniform in the museum plan. I'll get the hang of it eventually, I'm sure.
I plan to continue working on this first section of the lit review again tomorrow - a change of scenery, perhaps? I'm still getting used to working from home, as there is no set 'office' environment. I quite like this, though - I don't have to deal with office politics and gossip, for example and can get straight to the business end of things, so to speak. Being able to wear comfy uggs doesn't hurt either!
One thing I am finding a little challenging is mastering the Harvard in-text referencing system - I am a long time user of footnotes and endnotes, so this is quite new to me! This is the preferred system of referencing for my supervisor, so I will need to do a bit of a crash course so everything is uniform in the museum plan. I'll get the hang of it eventually, I'm sure.
I plan to continue working on this first section of the lit review again tomorrow - a change of scenery, perhaps? I'm still getting used to working from home, as there is no set 'office' environment. I quite like this, though - I don't have to deal with office politics and gossip, for example and can get straight to the business end of things, so to speak. Being able to wear comfy uggs doesn't hurt either!
Wednesday, 11 July 2012
Meet & greet... getting started.
Today I met with my internship supervisor (the Museum Advisor to the regional council). We discussed the project and previous work she has done which will help in developing this museum plan. It was great to discuss in person the role I will play as part of my internship as well; I feel like I now have a bit more clarity with what is not only expected of me in this position, but also what I think I will gain from the experience.
My first task is to research and write, from an academic perspective, on current world museum trends, sustainability and museums, as well as assisting with a literature review of past plans and proposals from other regional sites. I also have to compile a summary of the general background of the regions that the proposed museum will service, including the regional city in which it will reside. To do this, I will need to access the most recent census data, which will hopefully be available to the public shortly.
My supervisor is planning to visit the regional city and meet again with the council at the end of the month, however this is yet to be confirmed. Should the dates and times suit, I will be joining in on the meeting. This will be a good opportunity to meet with the people who have been working hard on this project for several years. I am also planning to head out to the region, as I have family who live there and plan to conduct a focus group with (hopefully!) my grandmother and a handful of her friends from town. I'm sure I won't be short of willing participants as my grandparents have been living in this part of NSW for close to 50 years; needless to say, they know many people in the community there.
I look forward to starting the research and initiating the reporting process. It will be a challenging task, but I know I will learn a lot and will have the added satisfaction of having my own input on an official museum plan.
My first task is to research and write, from an academic perspective, on current world museum trends, sustainability and museums, as well as assisting with a literature review of past plans and proposals from other regional sites. I also have to compile a summary of the general background of the regions that the proposed museum will service, including the regional city in which it will reside. To do this, I will need to access the most recent census data, which will hopefully be available to the public shortly.
My supervisor is planning to visit the regional city and meet again with the council at the end of the month, however this is yet to be confirmed. Should the dates and times suit, I will be joining in on the meeting. This will be a good opportunity to meet with the people who have been working hard on this project for several years. I am also planning to head out to the region, as I have family who live there and plan to conduct a focus group with (hopefully!) my grandmother and a handful of her friends from town. I'm sure I won't be short of willing participants as my grandparents have been living in this part of NSW for close to 50 years; needless to say, they know many people in the community there.
I look forward to starting the research and initiating the reporting process. It will be a challenging task, but I know I will learn a lot and will have the added satisfaction of having my own input on an official museum plan.
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