26th Annual Student Research Conference
The Curator as Historian: The Relationship between History and Practices within a Historical Museum
Brittany G. Nanney
Ms. Amanda Langendoerfer and Dr. David Robinson, Faculty Mentors
From the mid-20th century to the 21st century museums have become a point of public access to history, a place where the past becomes tangible. At the head of these public institutions are curators, whose job is to establish policy, develop collections, display exhibits, and even to influence public opinion. This paper examines the relationship of a curators higher education (which usually consists of a doctorate degree within a specialized area of history pertinent to the museum in which s/he works), prior work experience and prevailing acceptable practices within the museum field. The study of curators published works in history and museums exhibits reveal this relationship, which has evolved in interesting ways as the past 50 years have seen many changes in museum policy, collections, exhibits, and public engagement with historical museums.
Keywords: Museum, Curator, History, 20th Century, Museum Studies
Topic(s):History Senior Seminar
History
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 401-1
Location: VH 1236
Time: 2:30