I wanted to introduce myself to fellow bloggers who will be reading Looking Reality in the Eye over the course of this semester and provide some background information as to why I chose to read this particular book. My name is Stephanie, and I am a first year graduate student in the museum studies program. My main interests are in museum education and collections.
I chose to read Looking Reality in the Eye in part because of its unique format. I enjoy the fact that each chapter is devoted to a particular case study which allows the reader to reflect and compare the ways in which some museums are organizing themselves around socially responsible missions. I also wanted to read this book to gain a better understanding of how museums can address issues in their communities and have a positive influence on the people they serve while still retaining an educational focus.
The introduction by Janes and Conaty invites museums to challenge the status quo instead of settling into a routine of what is considered normal or comfortable museum practice. I am interested to see how the museums in the case studies presented throughout the book fulfill this challenge. What barriers may exist that inhibit current museum professionals from reorganizing their museum into a socially responsible institution? How are these barriers overcome? I hope that the case studies presented throughout this book will offer different answers to these questions and highlight some of the educational programs that contribute to a socially responsible mission.
I chose to read Looking Reality in the Eye in part because of its unique format. I enjoy the fact that each chapter is devoted to a particular case study which allows the reader to reflect and compare the ways in which some museums are organizing themselves around socially responsible missions. I also wanted to read this book to gain a better understanding of how museums can address issues in their communities and have a positive influence on the people they serve while still retaining an educational focus.
The introduction by Janes and Conaty invites museums to challenge the status quo instead of settling into a routine of what is considered normal or comfortable museum practice. I am interested to see how the museums in the case studies presented throughout the book fulfill this challenge. What barriers may exist that inhibit current museum professionals from reorganizing their museum into a socially responsible institution? How are these barriers overcome? I hope that the case studies presented throughout this book will offer different answers to these questions and highlight some of the educational programs that contribute to a socially responsible mission.
The questions Stephanie raises above are part of what drew me to this book, too.
ReplyDeleteI also chose this text after reading two selections from _Museums in a Troubled World: Renewal, Irrelevance or Collapse?_ for another class, mainly because I appreciated Janes's insistence on idealism. I am a cultural anthropologist, so I am sympathetic to the need for deconstruction, but I become frustrated when theorists are unwilling to pick up the pieces and offer practical solutions for the (admittedly postmodern) world we inhabit. My interest in these case studies thus comes in large part from Janes and Conaty's distinction between "the socially responsible" and "the socially aware" (p. 9).
Finally, I appreciate Janes and Conaty's refreshing admission that social responsibility can marginalize those who attempt it. It seems appropriately idealistic here, however, to turn to another of our course readings for this week: Czajkowski and Hill (2008), following bell hooks, write that "the margin is the very place from which to challenge dominance and deconstruct hierarchical power" (p. 260).
With all this in mind, I'm looking forward to reading more!