Curatorial practices are shifting due to recent changes in the focus and structure of U.S. art museums (Brenson, 1998; Bryk, 2001; Willumson, 2007). As a result, curators experienced conflicts due to a loss of their original audience, the collapse of their traditional hierarchy, new staff roles in museums, and the museum's focus on visitors rather than art objects (Weil, 2003; Willumson, 2007). It was important to conduct this study to determine ways to resolve these conflicts so curators can properly function within their institutions and fulfill their larger goal of serving the public. Using a reconceptualized framework developed by van Mensch (1990), this study qualitatively explored curatorial practices at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The main data included four in-depth interviews with Rijksmuseum senior curators, observations at the Museum, and documents evaluation. The study uncovered how equality and collaboration among curators and staff can fulfill museum functions and may help resolve certain conflicts. It also revealed how in some cases curators can maintain their traditional functions while serving the broader public through the creation of exhibitions that facilitate education and provide meaningful connections. As a non-U.S. institution, the Rijkmuseum's curatorial practices provided insight regarding problems experienced by U.S. art curators. / A Dissertation Submitted to the Department of Art Education in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester, 2008. / October 9, 2008. / Curators, Museums, Curatorial Practices, Art Education / Includes bibliographical references. / Pat Villeneuve, Professor Directing Dissertation; Jeffrey Milligan, Outside Committee Member; Tom Anderson, Committee Member; Penelope Orr, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_176034 |
| Contributors | Suarez, Nicole, 1980- (authoraut), Villeneuve, Pat (professor directing dissertation), Milligan, Jeffrey (outside committee member), Anderson, Tom (committee member), Orr, Penelope (committee member), Department of Art Education (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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