Monday, May 18, 2009

May Workshop Response

1. A brief summary of the seminar. Include any highlights for you – new information, a particularly useful exercise, a favorite moment. Be sure to identify the main historical themes and the core documents presented in the seminar.

This seminar focused on a couple of different aspects related to collections, collectors and museums. The morning was dedicated to discussing some of the readings which were on the topic of native collections and museums. We discussed who was trying to build collections of Native American artifacts and culture of New England and otherwise and how those affected identity and the history of those natives to people of the area. We discussed how these collections often disrupted the identity of native peoples or sought to reconstruct it in an incorrect manner. A large portion of the day was used to explore the nature of museums both Native and otherwise and discuss why we collect things, who does the collecting and what implications that can have. It was a very interesting day with some of the best discussions so far in the grant sessions. We also saw a presentation from one of the curators of the museum which explained the reasons for its foundings and how it has changed over time. In the 1990's there was a reorganization of the museum which sought to more accurately reflect the history of Natives. It was also interesting to explore some of the Fruitlands museum, as I had never been to the site prior.


2. What questions did the seminar raise for you and how will you follow-up on those questions? Will you need to do further research – and if so, how will you approach that research and what sources are available to you?

The session made me really start to think about museums in general and why the people doing the collecting are doing it and what they gain from it, in other words, their motives for collecting. Some collect to preserve the past, but I think many, in terms of Native collections did is as a sort of status symbol. It was also good to think about this visit in terms of all the other places we have visited and see how each museum has portrayed history a little differently depending on perspective.

3. How would you use this material in the classroom?

I think this serves as a great discussion point and chance for educating our students when it comes to museums. Our kids certainly visit museums with us and with parents but my guess is they don't often think about where these items came from, who collected them, and why they are displaying them. To have a discussion with students about what is shown and what isn't and the motives behind that can be an excellent classroom activity. It is also a great idea as Jim Moran said, to encourage students to visit museums and get them in that habit as an educational outlet . This is a valuable life skill and activity and if we can get students to think critically about it, then they will see museums as an excellent activity that is rewarding.

4. How does the material presented in the seminar deepen your understanding of the relationship between representation and reality in the history of New England natives?

How the Natives were displayed and portrayed through museums and collections was through the viewpoint of whomever was doing the collecting. This means the history of Natives could be greatly distorted and those who viewed the collections of these museums would be getting misinformation. We discussed after seeing the Fruitlands museum the discrepency over praying villages which would lead one to get an incorrect idea about their purpose. We can conclude that all museums may have some innaccuracies, but as was discussed, this can be a valuable opportunity to make sure ones own research and information leads to a correct or better understanding of the topic being portrayed or presented.

No comments:

Post a Comment