Curator: The Museum Journal最新文献

This article explores the emergence of museology in China during the 1930s, tracing its development through the establishment of the Museums Association of China and the analysis of early publications. It examines the influence of Western concepts on Chinese museum theory and practice, particularly regarding exhibition techniques. Despite a primary theoretical focus, efforts were made to implement pioneering approaches. The study reveals the complexity of early Chinese museums, reflecting the tensions between national essence and foreign influence. These institutions played a critical role in the discourse on cultural identity and nation building, highlighting the delicate balance between preserving heritage and embracing Western methodologies. Through this lens, the article sheds light on the early days of museums in Republican China amidst political, intellectual, and cultural transformations.

This exhibition review explores Kingdom of Kindness: Abdul Abdullah, an immersive exhibition at HOTA's (Home of the Arts) Children's Gallery on the Gold Coast, Australia. Originating from a collaborative project with Surfers Paradise State School, the exhibition reflected the multicultural backgrounds of the students and Abdul Abdullah's artistic investigations on identity and inclusion. The exhibition emphasized themes of kindness, belonging, and connection, featuring interactive screens, activity stations, and the innovative component of the “talking rocks,” rock-shaped cushions embedded with children's voices. This review discusses the implications of this initiative within the broader scope of critical children's museology, advocating for inclusive practices that engage children as active participants in museum experiences. By positioning children as active producers of the curatorial process, the museum moves away from a generalist approach, creating genuinely inclusive exhibitions that respond to children's needs and provide them with an active learning experience.

As the mobile economy grows and personal devices become more prevalent, museums are actively utilizing apps to interact with visitors. Museum apps serve as mediators in the museum experience, enabling multidimensional interactions. Museum apps are unlike those that are meant for shopping or gaming because they connect visitors to the physical museum space, virtual environments, and other visitors before, during, and after their visit. Therefore, this study aimed to explore how multidimensional interaction features affect visitor experiences by categorizing interaction characteristics into three dimensions: app-focused, physical, and meta interactions. To examine user experiences within each category, we conducted a case study and visitor focus group interviews. Our findings revealed that visitors primarily interact with museum apps during their visit, which enables them to concentrate on physical exhibitions while also increasing their interest under certain conditions. However, visitors also identified limitations of the apps and expressed their expectations. Accordingly, the study proposes design directions for museum apps, focusing on app content and features to enhance effective visitor engagement and foster more interactive experiences.

Owing to the threat of closure owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, many museums have shifted to online communication. This study examined how museum digitization practices changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Lithuanian museum professionals. Although most prior studies investigate the situation during the brief period of lockdowns, we discuss digitization in museums during and after the crisis. The study attempts to answer the research question, “What effect did the COVID-19 pandemic have on the digitization process in Lithuanian museums?” A qualitative approach was employed, semi-structured interviews were conducted with museum professionals in Lithuania, and the compiled data were examined via Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA). The coding frame for QCA consists of two main categories: digital-related daily tasks, pandemics, and lockdowns. This study discovered that the pandemic expedited the digitization process in Lithuanian museums. During the extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic, museum professionals have adapted to new situations.

Museums have been called to fundamentally reimagine institutions, practices, and offerings to center racially minoritized and Indigenous communities and take meaningful action for racial equity and justice. In this article, we advance a transformative approach to front-end evaluation as a strategy that can shape the transformation of museum practices and help museums cocreate new offerings and opportunities with racially minoritized and Indigenous communities. We focus specifically on how transformative front-end evaluation can be leveraged to (re)define “successful” museums, visitation, and engagement and specify criteria to guide design, implementation, and evaluation of museum exhibitions, programs, and experiences. We share two case examples of how transformative front-end evaluation has been used to deepen understanding of the perspectives and priorities of racially minoritized communities and (re)define successful engagement and conclude with implications and next steps for the museum field and beyond.