Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia college. / Vita. List of books quoted.

This dissertation explores the intangible cultural heritage of the collection of musical instruments from the Mandé region of West Africa (present-day Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and the Gambia) currently held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. It uses the geographical shadow of the Mandé empire—once the locus of economic power globally—to circumscribe a collection of twenty-three instruments at the museum that share historical and socio-cultural characteristics, although the ruptures between them are also illustrated through individual analysis of each. It then considers their significance over time at the museum, in current debates concerning African cultural heritage and in terms of community access. The culmination of eleven years of musical study and practice in and out of Senegal, the U.K. and the U.S., this dissertation argues for a practice-oriented rather than object-oriented analysis of cultural heritage.

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This thesis explored the 1941 docent-training course for members of the Junior League held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The research focused on understanding what place this philanthropic organization held in the American art museum at that time. This course at the Metropolitan Museum of Art was formed as an attempt to teach Junior League members to become trainers of docents and volunteers in their own communities. Additionally, I looked into the background of the museum staff members Francis Henry Taylor and Roberta Murray Fansler Alford Capers and the Junior League member Helen T. Findlay. Utilizing historical research methods, four augments were formed regarding why this docent-training course occurred; (a) the new leadership and structure in the museum facilitating those training, (b) the collaborative work of Helen T. Findlay and Francis Henry Taylor and their passion towards art education for all audiences, (c) the Junior League’s continued commitment to community involvement, and (d) the fundamental need women had for involvement outside the home. The research concludes with a reflection toward the difficulties and hardships that accompany conducting historical research into the women of art education including non-traditional forms of historical documentation. / text

Thesis (M.A.)--Baylor University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 52-55)

Pour respecter les droits d'auteur, la version électronique de ce mémoire a été dépouillée de ses documents visuels et audio-visuels. La version intégrale du mémoire a été déposé au Service de la gestion des documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal. / L’exposition Orazio and Artemisia Gentileschi : Father and Daughter Painters in Baroque Italy se tint au Metropolitan Museum of Art à New York du 14 février au 12 mai 2002. De tout ce qui fut écrit en lien avec cet événement, il ressort deux tendances principales. Tandis que certains clament la prééminence d’Orazio Gentileschi sur sa fille en se basant sur le message véhiculé tant dans l’exposition que dans son catalogue, d’autres, rassemblés autour des féministes, remettent en question cette vision en relevant les partis-pris culturels jouant en défaveur des femmes. Le jumelage expositionnel constitue un événement muséal temporaire dans lequel deux artistes sont juxtaposés afin de faciliter un jugement comparatif. Parmi les épisodes récents de cette nature, on compte notamment Matisse-Picasso. Nous nous pencherons ensuite sur deux artistes issus d'une même famille, mais appartenant à deux générations différentes, à savoir : Orazio et Artemisia Gentileschi. En relation avec l’exposition qui leur fut dédiée en 2002, nous nous demanderons plus précisément comment la prédominance que désiraient accorder les commissaires à Orazio Gentileschi s'articule devant la célébrité affirmée d’Artemisia depuis 1916. Le dossier critique de l'événement servira de point de départ à notre étude. Toute exposition constituant un discours, nous analyserons les commentaires et critiques provenant tant des revues savantes que populaires. La théorie de la réception de Stuart Hall aidera à catégoriser les différentes interventions selon qu'elles appartiennent au code hégémonique, c'est-à-dire à la vision exprimée par les commissaires, au code oppositionnel, correspondant ici à la critique féministe, ou encore au code négocié qui représente une synthèse des deux tendances précédemment mentionnées. / Orazio and Artemisia Gentileschi: Father and Daughter Painters in Baroque Italy took place at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York from 14 February 14 to 12 May 2002. Of all that was written about the event, two main tendencies stand out. While some claim Orazio’s preeminence by basing their assumption on both the exhibition and its catalogue, feminists call into question this assumption by drawing attention to cultural biases that disfavor women’s artistic recognition. The exhibitional pairing formula constitutes an extension of this phenomenon by allowing the public to make up their own judgement. Among recent episodes of that nature, we can think of Matisse-Picasso. We are also going to study two artists of the same family, to wit, Orazio and Artemisia Gentileschi. Relative to the exhibition dedicated to them in 2002, we are going to ask ourselves how Orazio’s dominance defended by the two exhibition organizers is articulated with Artemisa’s celebrity. The critical dossier of the event will serve as the starting point of our analysis. Considering that every exhibition constitutes a discourse, we are going to examine both popular and academic comments and critiques of the event. Stuart Hall’s reception theory is also going to assist us in determining if these interventions belong to the exhibition curators’ dominant code, the feminist critique’s oppositional code or the negotiated code that represents a blend of the former two positions.

The pattern of American institution building through private funding began in metropolises of all sizes soon after the nation's founding. But by 1840, Manhattan's geographical location and great natural harbor had made it America's preeminent commercial and communications center and the undisputed capital of finance. Thus, as the largest and richest city in the United States, unsurprisingly, some of the most ambitious cultural institutions would rise there, and would lead the way in the creation of a distinctly American model of high culture. This dissertation describes New York City's cultural transformation between 1840 and 1940, and focuses on three of its enduring monuments, the New York Public Library, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Metropolitan Opera. It seeks to demonstrate how trustees and financial supporters drove the foundational ideas, day-to-day operations, and self-conceptions of the organizations, even as their institutional agendas enhanced and galvanized the inherently boosterish spirit of the Empire City. Many board members were animated by the dual impulses of charity and obligation, and by their own lofty edifying ambitions for their philanthropies, their metropolis, and their country. Others also combined their cultural interests with more vain desires for social status. Although cohesive, often overlapping social groups founded and led most elite institutions, important moments of change in leadership in the twentieth century often were precipitated by the breakdown of a social order once restricted to Protestant white males. By the 1920s and 1930s, the old culture of exclusion--of Jews, of women, of ethnic minorities in general--was no longer an accepted assumption, nor was it necessarily good business. In general, institutions that embraced the notion of diversity and adapted to forces of historical change tended to thrive. Those that held fast to the paradigms of the past did not. Typically, when we consider the history and development of such major institutions, the focus often has been on the personalities and plans of the paid directors and curatorial programs. This study, however, redirects some of the attention towards those who created the institutions and hired and fired the leaders. While a common view is that membership on a board was coveted for social status, many persons who led these efforts had little abiding interest in Manhattan's social scene. Rather, they demanded more of their boards and expected their fellow-trustees to participate in more ways than financially. As the twentieth century beckoned, rising diversity in the population mirrored the emerging multiplicity in thought and culture; boards of trustees were hardly exempt from this progression. This dissertation also examines the subtle interplay of the multi-valenced definition of "public" along with the contrasting notion of "private." In the early 1800s, a public institution was not typically government funded, and more often functioned independent of the state, supported by private individuals. "Public," instead, meant for the people. Long before the income tax and charitable deductions for donations, there was a full range of voluntary organizations supported by private contributions in the United States. This dissertation argues that in a privatist spirit, New York elites seized a leadership role, both individually and collectively, to become cultural arbiters for the city and the nation.

L’exposition Orazio and Artemisia Gentileschi : Father and Daughter Painters in Baroque Italy se tint au Metropolitan Museum of Art à New York du 14 février au 12 mai 2002. De tout ce qui fut écrit en lien avec cet événement, il ressort deux tendances principales. Tandis que certains clament la prééminence d’Orazio Gentileschi sur sa fille en se basant sur le message véhiculé tant dans l’exposition que dans son catalogue, d’autres, rassemblés autour des féministes, remettent en question cette vision en relevant les partis-pris culturels jouant en défaveur des femmes. Le jumelage expositionnel constitue un événement muséal temporaire dans lequel deux artistes sont juxtaposés afin de faciliter un jugement comparatif. Parmi les épisodes récents de cette nature, on compte notamment Matisse-Picasso. Nous nous pencherons ensuite sur deux artistes issus d'une même famille, mais appartenant à deux générations différentes, à savoir : Orazio et Artemisia Gentileschi. En relation avec l’exposition qui leur fut dédiée en 2002, nous nous demanderons plus précisément comment la prédominance que désiraient accorder les commissaires à Orazio Gentileschi s'articule devant la célébrité affirmée d’Artemisia depuis 1916. Le dossier critique de l'événement servira de point de départ à notre étude. Toute exposition constituant un discours, nous analyserons les commentaires et critiques provenant tant des revues savantes que populaires. La théorie de la réception de Stuart Hall aidera à catégoriser les différentes interventions selon qu'elles appartiennent au code hégémonique, c'est-à-dire à la vision exprimée par les commissaires, au code oppositionnel, correspondant ici à la critique féministe, ou encore au code négocié qui représente une synthèse des deux tendances précédemment mentionnées. / Orazio and Artemisia Gentileschi: Father and Daughter Painters in Baroque Italy took place at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York from 14 February 14 to 12 May 2002. Of all that was written about the event, two main tendencies stand out. While some claim Orazio’s preeminence by basing their assumption on both the exhibition and its catalogue, feminists call into question this assumption by drawing attention to cultural biases that disfavor women’s artistic recognition. The exhibitional pairing formula constitutes an extension of this phenomenon by allowing the public to make up their own judgement. Among recent episodes of that nature, we can think of Matisse-Picasso. We are also going to study two artists of the same family, to wit, Orazio and Artemisia Gentileschi. Relative to the exhibition dedicated to them in 2002, we are going to ask ourselves how Orazio’s dominance defended by the two exhibition organizers is articulated with Artemisa’s celebrity. The critical dossier of the event will serve as the starting point of our analysis. Considering that every exhibition constitutes a discourse, we are going to examine both popular and academic comments and critiques of the event. Stuart Hall’s reception theory is also going to assist us in determining if these interventions belong to the exhibition curators’ dominant code, the feminist critique’s oppositional code or the negotiated code that represents a blend of the former two positions. / Pour respecter les droits d'auteur, la version électronique de ce mémoire a été dépouillée de ses documents visuels et audio-visuels. La version intégrale du mémoire a été déposé au Service de la gestion des documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

While I have always loved to go to the art museum I have often found it difficult to convince friends and family to go with me. It seems to be a particularly daunting task for visitors with disabilities and specifically those with vision impairments. This study surveys the accessibility of the programming for visitors with visual impairments at 25 art museums in the United States of America and how they communicate that information to potential visitors. It highlights museums that go beyond what is required by the Americans with Disabilities Act and create programming that is enjoyable for all. This study will be a reference to create a more enjoyable experience for all.

While I have always loved to go to the art museum I have often found it difficult to convince friends and family to go with me. It seems to be a particularly daunting task for visitors with disabilities and specifically those with vision impairments. This study surveys the accessibility of the programming for visitors with visual impairments at 25 art museums in the United States of America and how they communicate that information to potential visitors. It highlights museums that go beyond what is required by the Americans with Disabilities Act and create programming that is enjoyable for all. This study will be a reference to create a more enjoyable experience for all.