Hi. I have three things to add to the thread. The first is that all museum studies programs have their own "flavor" or emphases, from administration and collections management, at the more narrowly occupation-focused end, to social justice, at the other, asking questions about the role of museums and other cultural institutions in society, past and present. Next, to avoid as much debt as possible, look at the public university offerings. And last, to the question of "why not curatorial studies?" I'll add that there are differences, both practical and philosophical, between curation (used most often in art museums) and exhibit development (used most often in history, natural history, science and youth museums): If you plan to only work in an art setting, curation might make sense. But if you are interested in other kinds of settings, learn about both models. Exhibit development is a team model that began to be defined in the 1970s; it assumes that all members of the exhibit team (educators, designers, content experts, and so on) have something to learn from and offer to each other, on the way to creating the strongest exhibit and related programs. You can tell from that description that it was inspired by the time and progressive education frameworks. In contrast, curation is generally a more solo process, with the curator making most decisions. From my perspective, exhibit development's team process is more likely to result in exhibits that are meaningful to visitors. It's related, for example, to movements in museum-work, like community collaboration and co-curation, that are intended to help museums gain relevance for the 21st century. In any case, when looking at programs you might ask what models of exhibit creation are taught.
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Therese Quinn PhD
Director of Museum and Exhibition Studies
Museum and Exhibition Studies - University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago IL
Original Message:
Sent: 12-06-2016 10:40 AM
From: Mara Jayne Miller
Subject: Where is the Best Masters Program for Museum Studies?
Hi, there: I am intrigued by your search for a strong graduate program in museum studies and am wondering why you did not include curatorial studies in your search, the latter a program that would seem to provide you with the background and experience and qualifications for work in practically any department of a museum -- curatorial, development, archival, education, publications, et al. Museum studies programs in America are actually not that new: the Cooperstown Museum Studies M.A. program, run by the New York State Historical Association and the State University of New York at Oneonta, has been in existence since 1964. NYU's M.A. program in Museum Studies, since 1988. Curatorial Studies graduate programs, which until 1994, were run exclusively in Europe -- England, Italy, and Germany particularly -- are fairly new to America, though in the past five years they have proliferated greatly . Bard College's Center for Curatorial Studies in Contemporary Art and Culture (where I took my Master's) graduated its first class, 12 students, in 1996. The program includes everything relevant to museum work: art history, art theory, art writing, conservation, art handling and installing, exhibition history, archiving, verbal presentation, as well as hands-on experience at the Center's Hessel Museum of Art, a summer internship (of the student's choice) at an AAM certified museum, and an exhibition requirement along with written thesis for the degree. New M.A curatorial programs at schools such as Fashion Institute of Technology, Cal Arts, and other highly regarded schools, are now providing many U.S. museums with top staff in positions formerly deemed "Ph.D - only." Just my take on it. At our gallery, where we have many interns about to graduate from colleges and who would like to pursue careers in museums, we consistently refer them to curatorial studies programs for consideration as well as to other M.A. and Ph.D. programs. Best of luck with your search.
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Mara Jayne Miller, Managing Director, 511 Gallery and 511 Projects; independent curator.
Original Message:
Sent: 12-01-2016 07:57 PM
From: Theodore Tamasovich
Subject: Where is the Best Masters Program for Museum Studies?
Hi all,
I know Museum Studies is still relatively a new field of study, but does anyone have any input on what the best masters program might be?
For over six years, after graduating from Kent State University in 2010 with an Art History degree, I've been working within admissions at different museums (the Cleveland Museum of Art, MoMA, The Frick Collection, and the Seattle Art Museum) gaining practical operational experience and successfully facilitating the mission of these art and cultural institutions in major metropolitan cities. I thought throughout that time I'd fall into my dream role in Collections Management, alas, I write to you all now behind the admissions counter on a free day handing out tickets. I would now like to take matters into my own hands and start applying to graduate schools. I am passion-driven towards museum policy, collections management, archival practices, and the guest experience and hope to find a program with the best fit.
Thank you in advance for any and all input!
Best,
T. Tamasovich
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T. Tamasovich
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