Moses Havini: Yumi Yet
This paper will look at the issues of ownership and the protection of
intellectual property of traditional art and culture. I will address
issues surrounding the historical acquisition and / or lifting of huge
volumes of traditional art and treasures within the last two hundred
years by various collectors (including traders, colonial officials,
missionaries and private collectors). Access to own traditional art and
artifacts now preserved in western museums is of critical concern to
indigenous peoples. Many cultures that are threatened with survival
today are totally unaware of where and how to access significant
collections. Westernisation has both eroded our culture, yet stored
examples in inaccessible places. Indigenous peoples of the world are
wondering what has happened to collections in storage - often never on
display. Our attempt with the 'Yumi Yet' exhibition to examine present
Bougainville culture today in the light of the 'never before' exhibited
Bougainville art from the Australian Museum raises a historical
discussion between past and present. We wish to open up a meaningful
dialogue between institutions and various cultural bodies and peoples to
facilitate the future return of significant artworks to their rightful
owners. University bodies such as UMAC and ICOM and the curators of
university and public collections could become vital facilitators in the
establishment of such dialogues and negotiations. Under what safeguards
and conditions should these collections be managed and /or returned?
From an indigenous perspective, arguments emerge within countries as to
who are the rightful owners and custodians for the return of such
treasures. Is it for the state or cultural bodies within the indigenous
culture to take on the responsibility for the preservation,
acculturation and future use of the collections, or will the works be
claimed by clans and tribes or individuals? Whilst traditional societies
are rich in art and culture, knowledge of preservation and curatorial
skills lag behind western institutions. For the preservation and
development of art and culture now and in the future, how can knowledge
transfer from more advanced countries be made accessible to indigenous
peoples such as Bougainville?
Steven de Clercq: The Dutch approach, or how to achieve a second life for abandoned geological collections.
The life-cycle of the geological collections from the Dutch universities
is described against the background of the development of education and
research. The shift in both education and research from the field to the
laboratory, combined with massive reorganisations, led to many orphaned
collections, in total some 3 million objects. Sponsored by the
government, the five old universities engaged in a collaborative action
to tackle this problem with the aim to improve the over-all quality and
accessibility of the collections, as well as to intensify their present
and future use through selection, de-accession, collection mobility, or
even disposal. Some experiences, pitfalls and recommendations will be
discussed.
Andrew Simpson: The plight of geological collections in the Australian University sector
The 1975 "Piggott" report identified the areas of geology and
anthropology as being the two most likely to develop collections in
Australian Universities. Since then Australia has seen a relative
decline of the traditional resource-based economy and a lessening demand
for geology graduates. Over the last decade, but particularly since
1996, the restructuring of the tertiary education sector has meant that
University based collections in areas that do not attract a significant
student load, such as geology, are in danger because of a lack of
adequate resources for their effective management. Staff levels are an
indicator of resources available for management of collections. The
1998 "Transforming Cinderella Collections" report showed some 8 staff
Australia-wide responsible for just over 1 million specimens. A mere
four years from that time and these staff numbers are now much reduced.
Many large collections have no staff and are essentially shut away.
Whilst the large number of specimens required for undergraduate teaching
do not require advanced information management systems, those that
result from basic research do. Without adequate management systems and
strategies, the knowledge base of the earth sciences in Australia is at
risk.
Fausto Pugnaloni: The future of the University Museums System in Italy
The paper will discuss the recent proceedings of the Italian network of
University Museums, starting with the first results of the census and
data-base of the existing structures and collections. It will present
the proposals of gathering in a cultural foundation and focusing the
possible forms of inter-university cooperation aimed to create strong
scientific poles of the territorial network in order to share knowledge
and equipments and find easier access to financial support. The recent
european and international events, conferences and meetings on the
cultural architectural heritage, will give the chance to introduce the
project of creating an Italian 'pole' of the architectural and drawings
university collections.
Michael Mares: Behind the Rain, The Story of a Museum
Behind the Rain, The Story of a Museum tells the dramatic story of the
development of the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, from
its founding as a "cabinet of curiosities" in Oklahoma Territory in 1899
to the dedication of a state-of-the-art building in 2000. For most its
history the museum was housed in some of the worst buildings in the
nation. Working against almost insurmountable odds, the director, staff,
and the people of Oklahoma labored 17 years to raise funds for a new
museum in one of the nation's poorest states. Their efforts culminated
in the construction of one of the finest university natural history
museums in the country.
Cornelia Weber: A Renaissance of German University Collections
German universities host many remarkable collections - some more of
local interest, some of immense academic value. Recently, the university
collections have received considerable interest both by academia and by
the broad public, as highlighted, e.g., by well-attended exhibitions and
well-funded projects for their exploitation. A central role in this
process is played by the so-called new media, which provide new ways to
access collections as resources for research and teaching worldwide.
The paper presents the first overview of German university collections
and introduces various projects involving digital media.
Nicholas Hardwick: Curating a Virtual Museum: the collection of the
Australian Institute of Archaeology, Melbourne
The Institute has a significant antiquities collection for the study of
the Bible, with strengths in objects from the Near East, Egypt, Cyprus,
classical antiquities from the eastern Mediterranean and coins. A
Virtual Museum is being prepared and a website will have images of 600
objects online later this year. This paper will discuss the digital
photography of the collection, including still and video images of every
object, examples of which will be shown during the presentation.
Marta Lourenco: A Contribution to the History of University Museums
and Collections in Europe
The recent history of museums, from the wunderkammer to 16th and 17th
century private collecting, is well-documented. In contrast, the
pre-history of university museums remains largely unstudied. This is an
important task: if the history and singularity of university museums and
collections remain unknown, their scientific and social roles will
remain undervalued, their identity will remain in crisis and their
heritage will be at risk. This communication is a brief contribution to
that history. Five historical landmarks that shaped the diversity and
complexity of contemporary university museums and collections will be
presented - the teaching collection, the teaching museum, the scholar
collection, the research collection and the university museum - followed
by some notes regarding developments during the 20th century.
Mamoru Adachi: University Museums In Japan
University museums were formally established in Japan at several
national universities in 1996, following a report by the Science
Council. The University of Tokyo Museum was the first to receive
official status in 1996, although its organization and building were
established as long ago as 1965. At present, there are nine university
museums in Japan. Each has a staff of about five to ten researchers and
between them they hold more than two million specimens, mainly related
to natural history. The paper will summarize the history and present
status of univerity museums in Japan. It will also outline future plans
for the Nagoya University Museum.
Carol Mayer: University Museums: Distinct Sites Of Intersection For
Diverse Communities
In her article "The Politics of exhibiting Culture: Legacies and
Possibilities" Shelley Ruth Butler refers to "a problematic dichotomy
that exists in museum literature between critical and optimistic
perspectives on exhibiting culture" (2000:74). Critical museology, she
says, raises questions about the relationship between existing museum
practice and the history of a "politics of domination" that has
underpinned how western museums exhibit non-western cultures, the
"other." This has resulted in the re-evaluation of motivations that have
driven the collecting, classifying, and displaying of material culture.
Optimistic museology, on the other hand, focuses "on the role of museums
in public education and in facilitating conversation between diverse and
multi-cultural citizens" (2000:74). The intent of this paper is to
discuss how a university museum proved to be the appropriate site of
intersection for these two perspectives. I will focus specifically on
our work with diverse communities on the development of an exhibition
and programming about Islam and Muslim life.
Peter Tirrell: Looking for a Superhero: the search for a new museum director
Directors of university museums are in charge of important and highly
complex institutions that have a mission for research, teaching,
collection, informal education, exhibition and dissemination of
information. The directors have so many responsibilities and
expectations that they take on the role of a Superhero. Superheroes must
be leaders that are powerful, intelligent, highly skilled, and
opportunistic. Museums need these qualities in a director. However, each
superhero has one or two special abilities that set him or her apart.
Museums that are searching for a new director also must find a new
director that has met the specific challenges faced by their museums.
Ing-Marie Munktell: Comparing and contrasting university museums and general museums
During my 18 years working in different museums in Sweden I had the
opportunity to meet some enthusiastic and real good, networking museum
leaders. They had all in common a desire to meet people from all levels
of the community. They also had a profound insight in how important
networking is for the success and development of the museum. After 2.5
years as Director of the University museum in Uppsala, Museum
Gustavianum, I have met enthusiastic university-museum leaders working
hard, but with other premises, sometimes in benefit of the museum,
sometimes not. Through interviews with 4 experienced museum leaders (2
from each side) looking upon "Advocacy and Leadership" I hope to raise a
fruitful discussion about how we shall develop the best sides of
leadership.
Aldona Jonaitis: University museums - convincing the public of the value
of scientific collections
One of the greatest challenges for university museums is to convince the
public, the government, and private donors of the value of scientific
collections. Too many visitors experience museum collections as simply
vast quantities of nearly identical bird skins, mammal bones, pressed
plants, without understanding why they are there and what larger
function they serve. To communicate the importance of collections
requires an ability to connect museum research with the interests of the
public, government or donors, something which at times requires
considerable imagination.
Jenny Horder: Promoting Health through Public Programs in University
Medical Museums
Pathology Museums worldwide are in danger. This paper explores the
extent and the reasons for this threat to these valuable teaching
resources - day by day becoming historical collections. Should they now
be classified as heritage material? What factors might contribute to
their survival? How has their role changed? How effective and
appropriate might they be as a resource in delivering public health
programs and how can this be achieved? How can meaning and
interpretation of this type of material be conveyed to those undertaking
community outreach? Shifting the focus of medical museums and creating
accessibility to a broad audience may allow these museums to be promoted
more widely as the educational treasures they are.
Kati Heinamies: New forms of co-operation between the Helsinki
University Museum and students
The small museum collections of the University of Helsinki will be
transferred to excellent new facilities right in the heart of the city.
Some of these collections specialise in the over 360-year history of the
University and in the history of Finnish science, while others are
concerned with the history of medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry,
geology, and textiles, clothing and craft design. Previously, the
collections were open only by appointment, but in autumn 2003, they will
be opened to the general public. The new museum will devote much effort
to co-operation with students. The University will continue to develop
its museum studies module, and in the future, students may be able to
complete their practical training periods at the University Museum. The
City of Helsinki and the University of Helsinki engaged in similar
co-operation in 2001 when Helsinki was one of the European Cities of
Culture; the co-operation provided valuable experience. At the time,
history students participated closely in generating and implementing
ideas for exhibitions and related publications, and in organising
historical walking tours on University campuses and theme walks in
various parts of the city.
Cornelia Weber: The Making of an Exhibition: Theatrum Naturae et Artis.
Angela Sim: Designing, Building & Launching A Home for 3 Art Collections
The presentation/paper proposes to share our recent experience in
Singapore in the design, building and launch of a purpose-built
university museum complex to house four exhibition galleries and other
facilities of NUS Museums, National University of Singapore. It will
include a segment on the logistics and strategy of the move and
relocation of close to 10,000 objects from various points of location
on-campus. This exercise was preceded, amongst other things, by the
conservation of all works of textile, paper, wood and paintings. The
presentation will take into account not just curatorial but management,
strategic, administrative, operational, education and outreach
considerations.
Nargis Rashid: The Departmental Museums at the Unversity Of Karachi:
Exposure and Exploitation
Museums are the centre of learning; it plays a significant role in the
projection of cultural heritage and creating awareness among the masses.
At the University of Karachi, academicians felt the need of a Museum in
several departments, when it was established in 1953 at its present
location. For which funds and material were collected to set the
educational museums to help the students for quick understanding. At
present the museums at Botany, Geology, Geography, General History,
Sociology, and Zoology Departments are in dormant position. There are
several reasons such as Organizational negligence, administrative
negligence, lack of funds, lack of year on year upgrading and lack of
proper program and set-up to attract students. The aim of this paper is
to bring out the causes of exploitation and look for programs to give
proper exposure.
Rhonda Davis: Palæographia: An exhibition blending science and art
The exhibition, Palæographia, was developed for the First
International Palaeontological Congress (IPC2002). It consisted of
original Australian fossil specimens juxtaposed with scientific
illustrations and interpretative artworks in a variety of media. It
illustrated Australia's palaeontological heritage. The linkage between
science and art triggered most of the positive comments by visitors.
The exhibition was popular with families and school groups and provided
an opportunity to develop education programs that incorporated both art
and science elements. The exhibition was therefore a mechanisms for
introducing a new audience to the gallery experience. An exhibition like
this could only develop in a University. The complex and diverse nature
of its intellectual base allows a fertile collaboration between groups
that rarely work together elsewhere. It was also a good example of how
a University Gallery can promote the endeavours of its scientists to a
broader audience.
Karin Sowada: Sir Charles Nicholson and the Legacy of a Benefactor
In 1860, the University of Sydney received from Sir Charles Nicholson
perhaps one of the most significant collections ever received by a
university in Australia. His donation of ancient Egyptian artefacts
became the basis of the Nicholson Museum, now the country's most
important collection of ancient art and artefacts from the Eastern
Mediterranean. The objects were purchased by Nicholson in Egypt, whose
trips there belong to the long tradition of 19th century European
scholar-travellers. Moreover, research into type of artefacts in
Nicholson's donation reveals that he attempted to purchase a collection
of objects representative of ancient Egyptian culture, specifically for
donation to the University. While his stated desire was to give the
colony of New South Wales an idea of its roots in western civilisation,
it also reflected the prevailing colonial view of Australia as a country
without a history before white settlement.
Professor Adam Shoemaker: The Role for University Museums in Pedagogy, Heritage and Identity
Bernice Murphy: University collections in the public domain with reference to the Power Collection and the University of Sydney
Ms Peni Theologi-Gouti: Planning activities in a new university museum
Dr Sue-Anne Wallace: University museums in a broader cultural context
Eduardo Ramirez: A Digital Inventorying for our Museum Collections: Conservation in the Digital Age
The increased awareness of biodiversity preservation has increased the
role of biological collections in museums giving an urgency of inventory
work. We would like to propose new multimedia procedures and methods
aimed to assist museums world-wide with their heritage inventorying
work. In this paper is presented a proposal for building the digital
image records for a multimedia database that uses multidimensional
digital imaging elements such as video, 3D confocal microscopy
reconstructions, virtual-reality still sequences from scanning electron
microscopy and other imaging elements to assist taxonomists and curators
in their inventory tasks in our museums. Examples presented here
illustrate the proposed digital records of a natural heritage collection
and can be downloaded from a FTP site. Digital technologies and methods
presented here have facilitated the public dissemination of the vast
amount of collections stored in museums world-wide.