Bob Billington

OUr speaker tomorrow is Bob Billington, director of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council. You can read about him here.

Simon Jenkins: Hoarding of art by museums is a scandal

AN article intended to be provocative, but I think it makes a good point. Two, actually.  Those of you who’ve read Appiah on cosmopolitanism will recognize the argument about the difficulty of proving ownership, and the value of letting art objects travel freely. Jenkins combines it with a second argument: the way that museums hoard objects is a scandal. Note the the British Museum has (mostly) mended its ways, and now sees itself as not just a storehouse of civilization, but a place that takes its role in dissemination of civilization seriously.

The Museum Loan Network was ahead of its time!

Archie Green, 91, Union Activist and Folklorist, Dies

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An obituary in today’s New York Times for Archie Green, one of the founders of modern folklore studies. Worth thinking about his work in relation to our readings and papers n oral history and community memory. He was quite the character!

Designing the new African American History Museum

One of the plans proposed for the new National Museum of African American History and Culture at the Smithsonian. Such interesting questions, mostly not raised by the article: how African? how should it relate to the American History museum, across the street? how traditional? What’s the role of slavery, architecturally, in the museum experience?

Manny Almeida’s Ringside Lounge

With the kind permission of the author, Sam Beck, I’ve put a pdf of this online for everyone to look at – essential reading for the exhibit. It’s on scribd: the address is http://www.scribd.com/doc/13721731/Sam-Beck-Manny-Almeidas-Ringside-Lounge?secret_password=ptrbtd8uxzv2ur1dstw. Note that it can’t be downloaded – you’ll have to read it online. Click the full-screen toggle to make it readable.

Subway Art Gallery Opening

Thanks to Katharine Mead for this video. She notes the interesting use of curatorial voice in the labels…. Why is contemporary art so easy to parody?

Vodpod videos no longer available.

more about “Subway Art Gallery Opening“, posted with vodpod

More on the Rose

Rose family protests Brandeis plan to reduce museum’s mission – The Boston Globe.

Link to the Fox Point exhibit web site

It’s here.

And now the Getty

Getty Gives In to Recession – ARTINFO.com.

Museum deaccessioning done right

A thougthful article: Museum deaccessioning done right – Los Angeles Times.