TY - JOUR
T1 - Ten Commandments for Effective Anthropological Exhibits
AU - Parezo, Nancy
AU - Jones, Angelina
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2012, © 2012 Left Coast Press, Inc.
PY - 2012/1/1
Y1 - 2012/1/1
N2 - For over 150 years scholars have discussed the efficacy and meaning of the museum and the social, political, racial, ethnic, and cultural variables they exhibit. At each stage of museological development this discourse has been crucial to advancing professional practices. Frederic H. Douglas, who served as curator of the Denver Art Museum's collection of American Indian Art from 1929 until 1956, was one scholar and practitioner who studied museum intent. Douglas asserted that museum displays should aestheticize American Indian art while simultaneously be accessible to non-native visitors. His assertions were grounded in the fields of psychology, anthropology, educational pedagogy, and art connoisseurship. In order to engage visitors, displays had to be intellectually stimulating and easily navigate the viewer without causing fatigue. Douglas's research into how visitors interacted with exhibitions led him to create Ten Museum Commandments for Effective Anthropological Exhibits. This paper delineates Douglas's experiences and observational research that led to his creation of these commandments and explores their connection to current museological practices.
AB - For over 150 years scholars have discussed the efficacy and meaning of the museum and the social, political, racial, ethnic, and cultural variables they exhibit. At each stage of museological development this discourse has been crucial to advancing professional practices. Frederic H. Douglas, who served as curator of the Denver Art Museum's collection of American Indian Art from 1929 until 1956, was one scholar and practitioner who studied museum intent. Douglas asserted that museum displays should aestheticize American Indian art while simultaneously be accessible to non-native visitors. His assertions were grounded in the fields of psychology, anthropology, educational pedagogy, and art connoisseurship. In order to engage visitors, displays had to be intellectually stimulating and easily navigate the viewer without causing fatigue. Douglas's research into how visitors interacted with exhibitions led him to create Ten Museum Commandments for Effective Anthropological Exhibits. This paper delineates Douglas's experiences and observational research that led to his creation of these commandments and explores their connection to current museological practices.
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U2 - 10.1179/mhj.2012.5.1.127
DO - 10.1179/mhj.2012.5.1.127
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85039618898
SN - 1936-9816
VL - 5
SP - 127
EP - 152
JO - Museum History Journal
JF - Museum History Journal
IS - 1
ER -