In this page, I prepared a list of websites that talk about Curatorial Research. You will also find a lot of articles on this subject in the sections “Exhibitions” and “Scenography” in my blog.
Curator The Museum Journal
a forum for exploration and debate of urgent issues in the museum field among museum professionals, scholars, and students
Article: IPOP: A Theory of Experience Preference (PDF File)
Andrew J. Pekarik, James B. Schreiber, Nadine Hanemann, Kelly Richmond, Barbara Mogel
The theory and practice of IPOP emerged from structured observations and interviews with visitors to the Smithsonian Institution museums in Washington, D.C. from the 1990s to the present—a dataset useful in constructing a long view. This research has had one overarching intention: to serve museum visitors better, that is, to provide visitors with experiences that are above average, special, significant, and memorable. In numerous studies and interviews during the last 16 years, visitors have repeatedly spoken about their reactions to Smithsonian museum exhibitions in four typologies distilling their primary interests: I = ideas, P = people, O = objects, and—as we were obliged to add at a later stage—a second P for “physical.” The evidence suggests that exhibitions that strongly appeal to all four visitor typologies will be highly successful with visitors.
See article on Medium for the IPOP method
Article: Ideas, Objects, or People? A Smithsonian Exhibition Team Views Visitors Anew
Andrew J. Pekarik, Barbara Mogel
An exhibition team at the National Museum of the American Indian, working with a visitor studies specialist from the Smithsonian’s Office of Policy and Analysis, used visitor studies conducted by the entire team during planning for a reinstallation of part of the permanent collection. The studies evolved organically during the exhibition planning as questions and hypotheses arose among the team. The answers led to further studies. This research model brought team members together in a spirit of inquiry and a process of discovery, changed their perceptions of themselves and their subjects, and suggested a new typology of visitors.
Shaping a Richer Visitors’ Experience: The IPO Interpretive Approach in a Canadian Museum
Jean-François Léger
This article presents an interpretive planner’s perspective on the relevance to his work of the Ideas/People/Objects (IPO) visitor experience typology formulated by Pekarik and Mogel (2010). The value of IPO in shaping the visitor experience for an exhibition on Haitian Vodou is illustrated in practice from the perspective of a number of interpretive and exhibition design tools, with a focus on how the theory was applied on the ground. The success of the model hinges on fusing what are traditionally perceived as distinct approaches to interpretation (intellectual, personal or aesthetic), thus enriching the visitor experience and increasing satisfaction. In conclusion, the success of the approach is evaluated in terms of visitor comments.
MuseumNext
Youtube Channel | Soundcloud | Selection of articles from my Blog
Sparking positive change in museums
Founded in 2009 in England, MuseumNext brings together a passionate community of museum leaders, makers and innovators to ask ‘what’s next for museums?’
They believe that museums must look to the future to stay relevant in a rapidly changing world.
And by bringing together a community of people passionate about museums to share their experiences, they help to spark positive change in the sector.
They are not an association, foundation or trade show. MuseumNext is a purpose driven business, run by a small and dedicated team with a passion for museums.
They put their heart and soul into crafting unique events and sharing new ideas, and they are told that this shines through in everything that they do.
Above all, they are driven to serve those making change happen in museums around the world.
MuseumNext conferences take place in cultural capitals around the world. While each is different, what unites them is the friendly laid back atmosphere and a focus on real actionable advice.
Their events have one stage and no fluff, so you know that your time is going to be well spent.
Museomix is a 3-day creative marathon in museums. This international event takes place every year in November. It is open to participants from all walks of life. Museomix is not a competition. The organisation of a Museomix is supported by a majority of volunteers. Museomix is part of a context of open innovation with museums, companies, start-ups, local authorities and the general public. Museomix creates the conditions for innovation in museography, scenography, the relationship with the public, the relationship with the works and the digital transformation of museums. Museomix encourages professional encounters, multidisciplinarity, the discovery of other ways of working and other methodologies.
I participated in November 2019 in “Museomix Rumine 2019” held in Lausanne. It was refreshing and full of great people to meet!
Museums.ch
The Platform of Swiss Museums
The platform of Swiss Museums allows to find specific training courses, to get advice, to find a network of partners, etc.
ZKM – Center for art and media Karlsruhe
Youtube Channel
The ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe is a unique cultural institution worldwide, because it is a place that expands the original tasks of the museum.
It is a house of all media and genres, a house of both spatial arts such as painting, photography and sculpture and time-based arts such as film, video, media art, music, dance, theater and performance. The ZKM was founded in 1989 with the mission of continuing the classical arts into the digital age. This is why it is sometimes called the »electronic or digital Bauhaus« – an expression that is traced back to the founding director Heinrich Klotz.
Our aim is to share knowledge!
Founding director of the ZKM, Heinrich Klotz, once referred to the cultural institute as the »Digital Bauhaus«. Fully in keeping with its content, the ZKM is at home in the digital world. The new ZKM website, which we think of as a digital annex, offers the possibility for all interested visitors throughout the world to participate in the scientific research and cultural education offered at the ZKM. A further aim is to link expert knowledge to the public sphere.
This is why we are different:
We not only organize exhibitions, but also develop and produce – we cross-question what has become established and develop new contributions. What interests us from the past are personalities, discoveries, and developments that have either been overlooked or ignored, and which we now seek to bring to the surface.
But our main interest is in the present and future – and for this, art is our tool as nowadays the scope of art is no longer self-referential: instead, it takes up current socially relevant themes, approaches, and disciplines in other fields; it is interested not only in politics but, most significantly, in science. This is what we want to show, and share with you – not only onsite, but also online, via our website and the various networks.
Digitalization has captured us and we want to understand this digital world in which we live – which is becoming ever smarter and whose functions are becoming increasingly invisible. We want to work on this and work on the contents. We want to share this knowledge and insights with you – not only onsite but also online, via our website and the networks.
ICOM Internation Council of Museums
Youtube Channel
The International Council of Museums (ICOM), established in 1946, is the only organization of museums and museum professionals worldwide. Its mission is to promote and protect cultural and natural heritage, present and future, tangible and intangible. With 30,000 members in 137 countries, ICOM is a unique network of museum professionals, whose scope of action includes many areas related to museums and heritage.
It’s a very rich source of information.
We are Museums
Community | Youtube Channel
We Are Museums’ social innovation approach is to empower and enable leadership capacity for museums and their local communities via network and peer to peer learning and futures visioning, since 2013:
They cultivate ideas
They nurture relationships
They nourish the sector
They elevate culture
ONCURATING.org is an independent, international Web-Journal, published by Dorothee Richter (Head of the CAS/MAS Curating Programme at ZHdK). It deals with questions about curatorial practise and theory.
OnCurating.org is a non-profit association based in Zurich.
It runs the OnCurating Journal and an exhibition space in Zurich (oncurating-space.org). The journal is independent with focus on curating both on the web and in print. The publications are openly accessible on the website. It collaborates with different partner institutions.
Vimeo Channel with different lecturers >
The Best in Heritage / Projects of Influence
Annual, global conference featuring award-winning museum, heritage and conservation projects.
Youtube Channel
Intangible Cultural Heritage & Museums Project
The Intangible Cultural Heritage and Museums Project (IMP) wants to explore the variety of approaches, interactions and practices on intangible cultural heritage in museums in Belgium, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy and France. How can museums assist in the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage while working alongside its practitioners? How do you know if you’re taking the right approach? IMP aspires to inspire!
IMP is convinced museums can take up a role in the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage of members of intangible cultural heritage-communities, -groups or individual practitioners, who wish to transmit their cultural practices to future generations. The main question however, is ‘how’?
How can the intangible cultural heritage become an integral part of future museum practice and policies? How can the participation of the practitioners and their efforts for passing on their cultural heritage to future generation, receive a more focal place in museums? What skills and competences should museum professionals need to develop if they wish to support them? What policy and practice engagements are key?
INITIATIVES
IMP wants to build the capacities of museums, enabling them to consiously provide answers for their own organization. IMP will therefor
- organize five International conferences and Expert meetings on topics of shared areas of interest for contemporary ICH- and museum-practice
- initiate five co-creations between museums and practitioners of intangible cultural heritage
- give the floor to museums from Belgium, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy and France to share inspiring examples from today’s museum practice on intangible heritage – live during the conferences and online
- create a methodological toolkit with and for museum professionals
CONTEXT
IMP takes as its starting point the participatory and future-oriented Unesco 2003 Convention for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage. Intangible heritage includes the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge or skills which people pass on from one generation to another. Intangible heritage is found in (i.a.)
- oral traditions
- performing arts
- social practices, rituals, festive events
- knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe
- or the knowledge and skills to produce (traditional) crafts
These living practices are everywhere in today’s society and people see them as a part of their cultural heritage. They are a source of cultural diversity and give people a sense of identity and continuity.
WHO?
The Intangible Cultural Heritage and Museums Project is an initiative of Werkplaats immaterieel erfgoed (BE), Dutch Centre for Intangible Heritage (NL), SIMDEA (IT), Verband der Museen der Schweiz (CH) and CFPCI (FR).
IMP is co-funded by the Creative Europe program of the European Union and addresses the program priorities capacity building and transnational mobility. Made possible with the support of the Flemish government and the Swiss Federal Office of Culture.
Node – Center for Curatorial Studies, Berlin
Node Center for Curatorial Studies is a platform to teach, experiment, and investigate subjects related to curatorial studies, and contemporary art practices.
Node Center for Curatorial Studies was created in order to offer a platform to teach, experiment, and investigate subjects related to curatorial studies, and contemporary art practices.
The Center´s core activity stems from the Curatorial Studies Program that offers its participants the possibility of expanding their work experience, with professional feedback and technical support, by developing projects in Berlin.