Congratulations Class of 2018!

December 16, 2018 by usfmuseumstudiesblog

by Marjorie Schwarzer On December 13, 2018, the twenty-three members of the University of San Francisco Museum Studies class of 2018 presented their culminating projects to a rapt audience of faculty, museum professionals, family and friends. Collectively, they addressed some of the most pressing issues facing society and the planet today.  How do we build community?  How do we address museums’ legacy of colonialism? What can we do to address climate change? We have 50 years to answer the challenge of […]

Categories: Alumni, Museum Studies • Tags: Alumni, research, USF Museum Studies

Intern-connectivity: Bolinas Museum

December 10, 2018 by usfmuseumstudiesblog

by Natalia Chavez (MA, 2018) Nestled away roughly thirty miles North of San Francisco lies the town of Bolinas; a small town with rich history, vibrant art, a strong community, and an impressive art and history museum.  As its website states, the Bolinas Museum’s focus is to collect, preserve and exhibit the art and history of coastal Marin and provide educational, enriching and inspirational exhibits and events for the community. Over the course of ten weeks during the Summer of 2018, […]

Categories: Community, internships, Museum Studies • Tags: art, California history, collections, internships, USF Museum Studies

Public Knowledge to the People: Creating Community Program Plasticity at SFMOMA

December 3, 2018 by usfmuseumstudiesblog

by Kaeleigh Thorpe (MA, 2018) As a biologist, animal behaviorist, and science demonstrator, my understanding of the museum field seemed straightforward yet limited when I began my graduate studies at University of San Francisco. It was not until my involvement in the Robert Rauschenberg Colloquium: Robert Rauschenberg and the Agility of Images at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, that I was introduced to the many fast paced, active, and adventurous avenues of public outreach and collaboration available in the art […]

Categories: Alumni, Collaborations, Community, Forums, internships, Interviews, Museum Studies, Social Justice • Tags: Alumni, art, community, education, internships

Intern-connectivity: Museum of Performance + Design

November 26, 2018 by usfmuseumstudiesblog

by Katlin Cunningham (MA, 2018) In 2018, I was a collections management and research intern at the Museum of Performance + Design.  My favorite object in the vast collection turned out to be a set model designed by Theirry Bosquet (1937-) as seen below. The model, also referred to as a scenography model, for the San Francisco Opera production of Pelléas and Mélisande in the 1997-98 season belongs to the San Francisco Opera Archives and is housed in the museum’s collection. […]

Categories: internships, Museum Studies • Tags: art, California history, collections, internships, performance art, USF Museum Studies

Alumni Connect: OpenSFHistory.org and historical kismet

November 19, 2018 by usfmuseumstudiesblog

by Nicole Meldahl (MA, 2016) Editors’ Note:  Our hearts go out to those in our tight-knit community who are directly impacted by the horrible fires in California this past week.  Although these were among the very worst in our state’s history,  fire isn’t new to California.  And each fire has its own unique story.  This week marks the 120th anniversary of San Francisco’s tragic Baldwin Hotel fire, brought to life here thanks to this post by by Museum Studies alumna, […]

Categories: Alumni, Collaborations, Community, Forums, Museum Studies • Tags: Alumni, California history, photography, USF Museum Studies

Taking a Curatorial Perspective; Co-Curation in a Classroom

November 12, 2018 by usfmuseumstudiesblog

by Valerie Wainwright, (MA candidate, ’18) There has been a lot of buzz about the word “curator” recently. It is often used in a much wider and more flexible context than it has been in the past. We curate our clothing, our collection of Star Wars memorabilia, our social media profiles. According to modern art curator Tom Morton, the word “curator,” which has traditionally been defined as “a keeper or custodian of a museum or other collection,” has been appropriated in […]

Categories: Collaborations, Exhibits, Museum Studies • Tags: collaboration, curating, rare books, students, Thacher Gallery, USF Museum Studies

Working Together: Non-Profit Partnerships in Exhibits Fabrication at the Maryland Science Center

November 5, 2018 by usfmuseumstudiesblog

by Jacob Montz (MA, 2018) There is reassurance in keeping all of your eggs in one basket. It can be risky if anything were to happen to your basket, but if all of your eggs are right there you can keep an eye on them and maintain control over them. This seems to be a trend in the museum field. While museums will out-source and contract work they tend to do so with professionals and for-profit institutions, which we have […]

Categories: Collaborations, Exhibits, internships, Museum Studies • Tags: collaboration, exhibit, internships, science, USF Museum Studies

Alumni Connect: Latinx culture, art and /ker/

October 29, 2018 by usfmuseumstudiesblog

Last month was Latinx Heritage Month but the creative energy and celebrations of Latinx culture and art live on year round.  As part of Marin County’s ongoing Latinx programs, Museum Studies alumna Fernanda Partida Ochoa (MA, 2017) and faculty member Sergio De La Torre recently co-curated the exhibition /ker/ presently on view in San Rafael California.  /Ker/ takes its name from the phonetical transcription of the word “care.” The term “care” is a shifting concept that variates its meaning in opposite directions according to […]

Categories: Alumni, Collaborations, Exhibits, Museum Studies, Social Justice • Tags: Alumni, art, curating, faculty, performance art, social justice, USF Museum Studies

The many hats of a museum registrar

October 22, 2018 by usfmuseumstudiesblog

by Colette Militello (MA, 2018) During my time as an intern for The Oakland Museum of California, I worked for the registration department for 8 months. Throughout this time, I have learned a considerable amount of information about what it takes to be a museum registrar. Therefore, I would like to share what a typical week for a registrar consists of. A registrar wears many hats while caring for a collection, especially one of the Oakland Museum of California’s magnitude. […]

Categories: Alumni, internships, Museum Studies • Tags: collections, internships, USF Museum Studies