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The
Museologist
Floor to ceiling:
a brief history of the public museum
The lecture takes us through the history of the public museum- from its early forms to the contemporary museums we know and love. it touches on milestones in the development of the public museum and demonstrates how museums, through their form and content (i.e. their buildings and collections) reflect the changing ideologies and aspirations in our society.
The contrary museum:
The Gardner Museum as a reaction to the great museum of America
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston is one of the world's lesser known and most misunderstood museums. In academic research it is regarded as an eccentric creation. this lecture suggests there is more to this museum than meets the eye, and argues that it was created to challenge and protest the great museum of America (e.g. The Met, The MFA etc.)
That escalated quickly:
Museums' stairs and doorways as thresholds between life and art
The grand staircases of the Metropolitan in NY and the MFA in Boston, Rocky's Steps outside the museum in Philadelphia, the Entrance to the Apollo Gallery at the Louvre, all have one thing in common- they were placed there to create a separation between the mondain and the divine- between life and ART.
In this lecture I explain the ways, both physical and psychological museums utilize to maintain the high status of art, as well as their own.
Museums in Israel:
National mythology on display
Museums in Israel play a major role in constructing and keeping the Jewish nation's identity, both historic and contemporary. Through both the buildings that house them and their collection on display, Israeli museums put much focus on displaying our national ethos and mythology. In this lecture I take you through 3000 years of Hebrew culture, and 100 years of Israeli museums.
Heritage sites:
The good, the bad, and the out right ugly
Heritage sites are not exactly museums. some even see them as lesser, and children- focused. Yet, if done right, they can be quite wonderful! with or without historical reenactors, collection on display or technological assistance, some get it right, some get it awfully wrong! here I delve into several examples of heritage sites of both kinds, and analyze some of the more successful examples.
IN (STRANGE) SITU:
Museums housed in buildings designed for something else
Many museums are housed in a building created for them; another common practice is to house museums in former Royal palaces. Yet, more and more museums utilize existing spaces, built originally for entirely different purposes. from train stations to industrial warehouses- this lecture takes us through several examples and explores how the buildings affected their museums, and vice versa.
Private museums:
When Money, Time and Vision come together
What brings a collector to open his or her collection to the public? Is it pride and need for respect? Is it philanthropy? Maybe all the above, or something else altogether: a clear vision, a radical idea that drives them to act.
This lecture examines several examples of private museums and collections open to the public, and delves into their owners’ influence on both their collection and us- the visitors.
The Victorian way:
when homes were museums in their own right
The Victorian home was filled- sometimes to the extreme- with objects of art, nick-necks and souvenirs. the homemakers of the time took pride in their freshly decorated homes and organized collectables, and displayed them as if it were a museum. this lecture unearths the rise of the Victorian home, and explains it's kinship to museums as a sign of a civilized and educated society.