The full life cycle of undergraduate and postgraduate museum studies programs, from proposal, inc... more The full life cycle of undergraduate and postgraduate museum studies programs, from proposal, inception, growth, and change, through to cancellation over a ten year period at Macquarie University are discussed. This focuses on aspects of the program that made them successful with students, if not the institution, through a combination of analysis and personal reflection.
that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial... more that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in the UMAC journal. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in the UMAC journal. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online such as in institutional repositories or on their website, prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial... more that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in the UMAC journal. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in the UMAC journal. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online such as in institutional repositories or on their website, prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
The global museum community meets in Prague for the 26th ICOM General Conference from 20-28 Augus... more The global museum community meets in Prague for the 26th ICOM General Conference from 20-28 August 2022. The three years since the 25th ICOM General Conference in Kyoto have probably been among the most disruptive and disrupted periods of time for the museum profession and the world in general. This conference will focus on the strength, position and capacity of museums in building a free, democratic and literate society. It will consider how museums are changing and adapting to meet the challenges and needs of the 21st century. The ability to cope with the social and economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic will also be discussed by the global community of museum professionals. Drawing on lessons learnt during the past three years regarding sustainability and resilience will undoubtedly be a focus of both formal and informal discussions in Prague. The intervening three year period left the global community of museum practitioners and theorists without an agreed revision of the museum definition; this will also undoubtedly be a focus of discussions and even, perhaps resolution.
This paper documents a novel combination of art therapy and reminiscence therapy for people livin... more This paper documents a novel combination of art therapy and reminiscence therapy for people living with dementia and their carers. The Art and Object Engagement program was a collaborative community engagement project between two campus museums involving art and social history collections for a group of people with limited opportunities for cultural engagement. The open-ended, exploratory structure of the program and the rationale for this approach is articulated. A qualitative analysis of the positive impact of the program on participants is outlined. It is also argued that programs such as this, enabling the creative use of material collections in higher education, supports all three missions of the university through a complex ecology of teaching, research and engagement interrelationships.
We wish to pay a special acknowledgement to all the artists and donors that have made this exhibi... more We wish to pay a special acknowledgement to all the artists and donors that have made this exhibition possible. Without their ongoing support and donations of significant works, major research exhibitions such as EMPIRE would not take shape.
We wish to pay a special acknowledgement to all the artists and donors that have made this exhibi... more We wish to pay a special acknowledgement to all the artists and donors that have made this exhibition possible. Without their ongoing support and donations of significant works, major research exhibitions such as EMPIRE would not take shape.
The process of applying a collection level significance assessment to the entire geological colle... more The process of applying a collection level significance assessment to the entire geological collection at the University of Canberra reveals an interesting and unique collection that reflects past academic endeavours at the former pre-university institution focused on the production of industry ready graduates to feed historic economic booms in Australian mineral exploration. The collection is ungoverned, lacks relevance to contemporary university activity and is at risk. Significance study illuminates characteristics of the collection that could be developed to be of value to the university. We argue that all legacy collections in higher education could benefit from this standard museological process.
Dorothy Hill was a world-renowned palaeontologist and highly respected educator of the 20th centu... more Dorothy Hill was a world-renowned palaeontologist and highly respected educator of the 20th century. She is best remembered for her pioneering work on Palaeozoic corals and archaeocyathids and their application to stratigraphy. She had a stellar career as an Australian researcher based at the University of Queensland.
This paper presents data about the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on university museums and coll... more This paper presents data about the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on university museums and collections through the stories and reflection of individual university staff from Europe, North and South America, Africa and Asia. It is shown that one common impact was the requirement for university museums and collections to transfer much of their programing to digital platforms. While there is obviously much uncertainty as to the shape of the global university sector after the pandemic, some university museum and collection staff felt that challenges could be turned into opportunities through creatively reimagining the work of the university museum.
The full life cycle of undergraduate and postgraduate museum studies programs, from proposal, inc... more The full life cycle of undergraduate and postgraduate museum studies programs, from proposal, inception, growth, and change, through to cancellation over a ten year period at Macquarie University are discussed. This focuses on aspects of the program that made them successful with students, if not the institution, through a combination of analysis and personal reflection.
that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial... more that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in the UMAC journal. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in the UMAC journal. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online such as in institutional repositories or on their website, prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial... more that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in the UMAC journal. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in the UMAC journal. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online such as in institutional repositories or on their website, prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
The global museum community meets in Prague for the 26th ICOM General Conference from 20-28 Augus... more The global museum community meets in Prague for the 26th ICOM General Conference from 20-28 August 2022. The three years since the 25th ICOM General Conference in Kyoto have probably been among the most disruptive and disrupted periods of time for the museum profession and the world in general. This conference will focus on the strength, position and capacity of museums in building a free, democratic and literate society. It will consider how museums are changing and adapting to meet the challenges and needs of the 21st century. The ability to cope with the social and economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic will also be discussed by the global community of museum professionals. Drawing on lessons learnt during the past three years regarding sustainability and resilience will undoubtedly be a focus of both formal and informal discussions in Prague. The intervening three year period left the global community of museum practitioners and theorists without an agreed revision of the museum definition; this will also undoubtedly be a focus of discussions and even, perhaps resolution.
This paper documents a novel combination of art therapy and reminiscence therapy for people livin... more This paper documents a novel combination of art therapy and reminiscence therapy for people living with dementia and their carers. The Art and Object Engagement program was a collaborative community engagement project between two campus museums involving art and social history collections for a group of people with limited opportunities for cultural engagement. The open-ended, exploratory structure of the program and the rationale for this approach is articulated. A qualitative analysis of the positive impact of the program on participants is outlined. It is also argued that programs such as this, enabling the creative use of material collections in higher education, supports all three missions of the university through a complex ecology of teaching, research and engagement interrelationships.
We wish to pay a special acknowledgement to all the artists and donors that have made this exhibi... more We wish to pay a special acknowledgement to all the artists and donors that have made this exhibition possible. Without their ongoing support and donations of significant works, major research exhibitions such as EMPIRE would not take shape.
We wish to pay a special acknowledgement to all the artists and donors that have made this exhibi... more We wish to pay a special acknowledgement to all the artists and donors that have made this exhibition possible. Without their ongoing support and donations of significant works, major research exhibitions such as EMPIRE would not take shape.
The process of applying a collection level significance assessment to the entire geological colle... more The process of applying a collection level significance assessment to the entire geological collection at the University of Canberra reveals an interesting and unique collection that reflects past academic endeavours at the former pre-university institution focused on the production of industry ready graduates to feed historic economic booms in Australian mineral exploration. The collection is ungoverned, lacks relevance to contemporary university activity and is at risk. Significance study illuminates characteristics of the collection that could be developed to be of value to the university. We argue that all legacy collections in higher education could benefit from this standard museological process.
Dorothy Hill was a world-renowned palaeontologist and highly respected educator of the 20th centu... more Dorothy Hill was a world-renowned palaeontologist and highly respected educator of the 20th century. She is best remembered for her pioneering work on Palaeozoic corals and archaeocyathids and their application to stratigraphy. She had a stellar career as an Australian researcher based at the University of Queensland.
This paper presents data about the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on university museums and coll... more This paper presents data about the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on university museums and collections through the stories and reflection of individual university staff from Europe, North and South America, Africa and Asia. It is shown that one common impact was the requirement for university museums and collections to transfer much of their programing to digital platforms. While there is obviously much uncertainty as to the shape of the global university sector after the pandemic, some university museum and collection staff felt that challenges could be turned into opportunities through creatively reimagining the work of the university museum.
The Museums and Collections of Higher Education provides an analysis of the historic connections ... more The Museums and Collections of Higher Education provides an analysis of the historic connections between materiality and higher education, developed through diverse examples of global practice. Outlining the different value propositions that museums and collections bring to higher education, the historic link between objects, evidence and academic knowledge is examined with reference to the origin point of both types of organisation. Museums and collections bring institutional reflection, cross-disciplinary bridges, digital extension options and participatory potential. Given the two primary sources of text and object, a singular source type predisposes a knowledge system to epistemic stasis, whereas mixed sources develop the potential for epistemic disruption and possible change. Museums and collections, therefore, are essential in the academies of higher learning. With the many challenges confronting humanity, it is argued that connecting intellect with social action for societal change through university museums should be a contemporary manifestation of the social contract of universities. Much has been written about museums and universities, but there is little about university museums and collections. This book will interest museum scholars and practitioners especially those unaware that university museums are at the forefront of museological creativity. It will also be of interest to academics and the growing number of leaders and managers in the modern university. Andrew Simpson has worked for Australian universities in professional and academic capacities. This has included being a solo operator of a university museum and introducing and developing Australia's first undergraduate degree program in Museum Studies. He is currently a Postdoctoral Research Affiliate at the Chau Chak Wing Museum, the University of Sydney and is active in UMAC, ICOM's International Committee for University Museums and Collections. His research interests include the history, role and functions of museums, in particular, university museums, museum education, natural history and the public understanding of science.
The 50th anniversary of the Australian Museums and Galleries Association 1 NSW Branch provides an... more The 50th anniversary of the Australian Museums and Galleries Association 1 NSW Branch provides an opportunity to reflect on, and document, our history. The branch was formed at the Australian Museum on 2 December 1968. The first official meeting took place in the same museum on 14 April 1969. We have written this brief history of the branch in the hope that it will be a catalyst for further efforts to capture the story of museums and galleries in Australia and the association more broadly. We hope readers will join us as we sift through memories, evidence and perspectives on how the museum community has collaborated to preserve and showcase the Australian story. We acknowledge suggestions made by the branch committee and former contributors to the branch particularly Des Griffin,
conference "A Cultural Cacophony" was held at the Sydney Town Hall and other city venues from 21-... more conference "A Cultural Cacophony" was held at the Sydney Town Hall and other city venues from 21-24 th May, 2015. 3. The last state conference prior to this one was in 1998. 4. This paper is in part an extension of some of the ideas originally presented in Simpson et al (2013), Museum literacy that is virtually engaging. 5. The cottage has won these awards:
The museum, like the university, is a form of knowledge technology empowered by the European enli... more The museum, like the university, is a form of knowledge technology empowered by the European enlightenment and Western epistemology. This technology prioritises and enables a knowledge system based on observation, objectification, measurement, quantification and classification.
The meaning of the word 'museum' has changed over time. A museum in the ancient world more closel... more The meaning of the word 'museum' has changed over time. A museum in the ancient world more closely resembled an academy than what we would consider a museum today. The model of the first public museum, the Ashmolean was a university museum with a social contract in regards to the generation and transmission of knowledge. New visions of museology see the museum as a constructive instrument of positive socio-cultural agency. Therefore, the transmission and co-creation of knowledge must have impact and inspire people and communities, on all scales, to enable change as actors in the knowledge transmission process. Of the latest five proposals for the museum definition, currently under consideration by ICOM, four refer to museums doing research, i.e. research is integral to museum ontology. Proposal two however, states that museum practices enable research, i.e. it is a potentiality of collection and interpretation that may, or may not, be actualised. Furthermore, at least three distinct types of International Committees exist within ICOM with an emphasis on different organisational ontologies. This presentation draws on historical models of knowledge generation and asks the questions does it matter if some museums do not fulfil all the requirements of knowledge generation, transmission and impact? Are there multiple types of organisation with different ontological frameworks that are being corralled into a singular definition? Isn't the evolution to being part of a network of cultural agency from previously being centres of cultural authority the primary characteristic of the modern museum? Biographical Note
The Art and Object Engagement (AOE) program commenced at Macquarie University as an outreach prog... more The Art and Object Engagement (AOE) program commenced at Macquarie University as an outreach program for participants living with dementia. It used contemporary art and social history objects from university collections to engage and build sustainable community relationships through a novel combination of art and reminiscence therapy. Originally it was an 'on-campus' collaboration between the University Art Gallery and the Australian History Museum with the involvement of researchers from the Department of Psychology designed for people who have limited cultural engagement opportunities. The program enabled creative use of higher education material collections and supported all three university missions through a complex ecology of teaching, research and engagement interrelationships (Thogersen et al. 2022).
The disruptive forces of the pandemic affected all facets of life with the wheels of neo capitali... more The disruptive forces of the pandemic affected all facets of life with the wheels of neo capitalism coming to a screaming halt worldwide. In recognition of this major global disruption, the Macquarie University Gallery conceptualised the exhibition Nationalism in the Wake of COVID as a research project to review the dialectics between internationalism, nationalism and localism. It focussed on the way events and place/name sites bound by geographical locations are spatially localised.
In recent decades there has been a rapid expansion in tertiary education programs that purport to... more In recent decades there has been a rapid expansion in tertiary education programs that purport to prepare students to become workers in the museums and collections sector. These programs are highly variable in terms of focus, content and pedagogy. Those seeking employment in a diverse sector such as ours need to be aware of the range of opportunities and challenges of working in a variety of geographic and organisational circumstances. There should also be an understanding the sector's reliance on voluntary labour and the difficulties in establishing a chosen career track especially if it has been conceptualised with a focus on major cultural institutions. Similarly, practitioners from all parts of the sector, major cultural institutions and smaller regional organisations alike, should give input concerning the skills and knowledge required of graduates to those designing tertiary study programs. The last national dialogue on this issue predates the establishment of many of thes...
Universities originally developed their museums to support the teaching and research activities o... more Universities originally developed their museums to support the teaching and research activities of certain academic disciplines. A university that maintains a range of museums has great potential to develop interdisciplinary exhibition and education programs. If that same university also develops a museum studies program then its museums can support a teaching and learning function that extends beyond their original academic discipline.
Museum Studies and related programs are proliferating in the Australian Tertiary education sector... more Museum Studies and related programs are proliferating in the Australian Tertiary education sector at present. Many of these have strong discipline foci usually encompassing Art History and/or Cultural Heritage. Other programs, such as Curatorial Studies, may have a more vocational focus. This recent development reflects a growing awareness of expanding employment and social entrepreneurship opportunities particularly in regional areas, but also with communities not prescribed by geographic boundaries. The growing popularity of Museum Studies is also a reflection of increasing awareness of the social importance of the museum experience particularly among life long learners. A multidisciplinary program has the greatest potential for broad engagement.
his book opens with the fairly uncontroversial proposition that while there is much collaboration... more his book opens with the fairly uncontroversial proposition that while there is much collaboration between museums and primary and secondary education, there is very little interface with higher education. The editors propose that we need to investigate why this is so; and if things can be done to change this situation then perhaps great conceptual advances, benefiting both partners and their stakeholders, will ensue. This publication is the second from Ashgate about the relationships between the university and museum sectors. It follows Museums and Design Education: Looking to Learn, Learning to See published in 2010. Both of these offerings originated from the Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning through Design (CETLD) in the UK. This organisation, established at the University of Brighton, involved a partnership with the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Royal College for the Arts, and the Royal Institute of British Architects,
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