Comments for westmuse

Comment on A holiday message from Aldona Jonaitis by Cheryl Hinton

Cheryl Hinton — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 22:28:47 +0000

I feel warm all over with that holiday spirit and goodwill. Thank you Aldona for your optimism and willingness to lead during these complex times!

Comment on LA Times Article on Attendance Should Make Us All Sit up and Take Note by David

David — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 01:24:23 +0000

This is a great posting. And I think one unexpressed piece of the story is that museums and historic sites which have narrow themes—not related to non-Anglo stories in any obvious way–have an even greater struggle to stay with their mission but also to broaden how they frame that.

Not an easy challenge to overcome.

Comment on LA Times Article on Attendance Should Make Us All Sit up and Take Note by allysonlazar

allysonlazar — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 01:23:26 +0000

Fantastic–thanks, Elizabeth for letting us know!

Comment on LA Times Article on Attendance Should Make Us All Sit up and Take Note by Elizabeth Merritt

Elizabeth Merritt — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:49:12 +0000

Gregory Rodriguez gave a dynamic lecture on this topic for CFM in DC on December 9th. The lecture, “Towards a New Mainstream?” will be webcast on January 27th at 2 pm EST, along with commentary from some invited experts, chat rooms for participants, and online Q&A with Mr. Rodriguez. Keep an eye on the AAM and CFM websites for registration information.

Comment on More San Diego #wma09: “The Buffalo in the Room”: Talking about the Tough Stuff at Native Museums by Lynda Kelly

Lynda Kelly — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 22:27:45 +0000

Thanks for this post Karen. It is always interesting to see what’s happening in this area in other countries.

As you may be aware, the situation in Australia is quite different as we don’t have legislation to deal with and have gone down the path of relationship building and policy development / implementation, in a simliar vein to Canada.

If you want to find out more about the Australian context you can find links to papers and book chapters on the right hand side of this page: http://www.australianmuseum.net.au/Indigenous-Issues-and-Museum-Evaluation

Thanks again, enjoyed the post.

Comment on Dining in Museums by Stephanie Weaver

Stephanie Weaver — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:58:55 +0000

I’d check with MOMA, as Danny Meyer took over their restaurants recently. He has a whole chapter in his book Setting the Table. And Wolfgang Puck is doing the MCA Chicago. They must do customer surveys. Also, Manask and Associates puts out a really good newsletter that should help. I do talk about food service in my comfort step. I’d be happy to email you that chapter if you don’t have my book Creating Great Visitor Experiences.

Comment on Visitor comfort, part 1 by Ann Marshall

Ann Marshall — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:32:19 +0000

What an excellent way to get people to see the world through visitors’ eyes. I hope every museum administrator will see this and appreciate the fact that the first impression is set WAY before a visitor enters the galleries. The approach, space and amenities are as important as the content. Thanks so much for posting this footage!

Comment on More San Diego #wma09: “The Buffalo in the Room”: Talking about the Tough Stuff at Native Museums by kkosasa

kkosasa — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:17:08 +0000

Hi Cheryl,

Thanks so much for looking at the posting and for your response to our panel. It was so nice to talk with you at WMA too.

take care, karen

Comment on More San Diego #wma09: “The Buffalo in the Room”: Talking about the Tough Stuff at Native Museums by Cheryl Hinton

Cheryl Hinton — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 01:00:02 +0000

A wonderful review and a great panel. Barona Museum was proud to be represented. Thanks so much Karen, Noelle, Kippen and especially our former curator, Alexandra (of NMAI) for representing so well these important issues for Native American museums!

Comment on Space Wands and Table Saws: Tools and Rules for Girls at California’s Science Centers (Part III) by WindnWaves

WindnWaves — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:31:14 +0000

I commend you for taking on this research project and presenting it to the public.

I really like the way you have recognized that there are differences in the female and male gender and did not make the mistake of assuming they should have the same interests. This is especially evident in the case where the boys are fondling the mannequins boobs. Hilarious, yet revealing. We are different, and we have different motivations, and it goes beyond gender (and race).

There are two points you bring up that, to me, are the most important to focus on if we wish to get more girls involved in science (or in any other male dominated fields). First, the parents are HUGE. Parents sometimes assume, based on cultural imagining, that their child will be more or less interested in an activity, without ever giving the child the opportunity of experience. A Parent’s responsibility to their child is providing them with unbiased options.

Second, you brought up the idea of role models when you mentioned the lack of female representatives being displayed in these science centers. I am a pilot, a female in a male saturated career. Every day I have women giving me thumbs up. Mom’s telling their girls to look in the cockpit at the woman pilot. The reason is obvious. It’s shocking. Without role-models, some girls can not see themselves in these careers. So, we need more examples of contributing females.

Again, thanks for bringing this up. You gave me an idea for another story.