Of Us and Other "Things": the Content and Functions of Talk by Adult Visitor Pairs in an Art and a History Museum
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University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Dissertations (ASC) Annenberg School for Communication 1990 Of Us and Other "Things": The Content and Functions of Talk by Adult Visitor Pairs in an Art and a History Museum Lois Helayne Silverman University of Pennsylvania Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/dissertations_asc Part of the Fine Arts Commons, History Commons, Interpersonal and Small Group Communication Commons, Mass Communication Commons, Place and Environment Commons, Social Psychology and Interaction Commons, and the Sociology of Culture Commons Recommended Citation Silverman, Lois Helayne, "Of Us and Other "Things": The Content and Functions of Talk by Adult Visitor Pairs in an Art and a History Museum" (1990). Dissertations (ASC). 5. https://repository.upenn.edu/dissertations_asc/5 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/dissertations_asc/5 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Of Us and Other "Things": The Content and Functions of Talk by Adult Visitor Pairs in an Art and a History Museum Abstract Surprisingly little is known about the processes by which objects in museums come to hold meaning for visitors. Reconceptualizing the museum within a mass media framework in which visitors actively negotiate meaning through talk with their companions, this study explores four questions: 1) What are the kinds of interpretive acts that visitor pairs make in museums? 2) Are there patterns to these responses? How might they vary depending upon museum type and gender configuration of pair? 3) What are the social functions of such talk? 4)What does this suggest about the role of the museum in society? To investigate these issues, the talk of 60 visitor pairs - 15 male-female pairs and 15 female-female pairs at one art and one history museum respectively - was tape-recorded as these pairs viewed a target exhibit at their own pace. Each visitor completed an individual interview and questionnaire afterward. The content of visitor talk was analyzed and a 7-step qualitative procedure utilized to compare and interweave the three types of data. All visitor talk in both museums was found to consist of five major interpretive acts - establishment, absolute object description, relating competence, relating personal experience, and evaluation. Visitor pairs combined and emphasized these acts in seven different ways to form interpretive frames - distinct ways of talking and thinking about objects. These frames further collapsed into three major modes of meaning-making - Objective, Subjective, and Combination. In addition to making meaning of objects, visitors' talk was found to communicate several aspects of their individual and relational identities. The invocation of interpretive frame varied most by relationship type, as represented by gender configuration and amount of time pair members knew each other. In sum, visitor pairs filter their competencies and tendencies through the context of their relationship to produce a shared interpretive approach. The resulting talk constructs and reflects the meaning of objects and of selves operative within the relationship. The museum is concluded to be a modified mass medium, a locus for the negotiation of cultural meaning, particularly identity. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Department Communication First Advisor Larry Gross Keywords interpretive act patterns, visitor pair conversation, art/history museum context, recorded data/interviews/ questionnaire, male-female/female-female dyads Subject Categories Communication | Fine Arts | History | Interpersonal and Small Group Communication | Mass Communication | Place and Environment | Social Psychology and Interaction | Sociology of Culture This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/dissertations_asc/5 OF US AND OTHER "THINGS": THE CONTENT AND FUNCTIONS OF TALK BY ADULT VISITOR PAIRS IN AN ART AND A HISTORY MUSEUM LOIS HE LAYNE SILVERMAN A DISSERTATION in COMMUNICATIONS Presented to the Faculties of the University of Pennsylvania in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. 1990 ') I' COPYRIGHT LOIS HE LAYNE SILVERMAN 1990 DEDICATION To Philip Silverman, in loving memory "Never did I realize till now what the ocean was: how grand and majestic, how solitary, and boundless, and beautiful and blue" - Herman Melville iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS During the inevitable low moments of this process, I often bolstered myself by revising a crucial piece of this work - these acknowledgements. While rewriting is often tedious, it has been a savored joy to thank several important people in a variety of ways over the past two years for their contributions to this project. While this page at last fixes certain words for posterity, the feelings they represent are nearly inexpressible. It is particularly difficult to convey the extent of my gratitude to and appreciation of Larry Gross, advisor of this dissertation. Larry's support, encouragement, generosity, insight, and humor formed the guiding light down this dark path, as well as throughout all of my graduate studies. I feel fortunate to have been his student. I am also grateful to Paul Messaris, committee member, whose perspectives have been invaluable to me since my earliest courses at Annenberg. I thank Christine Bachen for her contributions during the early stages, and Joe Turow, who stepped in later in the process with important input to round out a challenging yet helpful dissertation committee. This research was supported in part through the Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program. Many thanks to the administration of The National Museum of American History and The National Gallery of Art, respectively, for allowing me to study and interview the visitors to these important institutions. I am indebted to the study participants, whose willingness made it possible for me to do the kind of project I wanted to do. While the Smithsonian program enabled me to meet many wonderful people, I treasure three in particular. Dr. Christopher With, Director of Art Information at the National Gallery, was directly responsible for facilitating my presence there, providing useful facts, stimulating chats, and much-appreciated interest and support. Mary Dyer, Internship and Fellowship Coordinator at NMAH, always had or found the answers in her unique way. And, in a category all her own is Dr. D.O. Hilke. Offically, my Smithsonian Fellowship project advisor, D.O. has also been colleague, teacher, dissertation midwife, and most importantly, friend. I am overwhelmingly grateful for her iv expertise, generosity, and incredible supply of right words at right moments. Several other individuals made unique contributions, and I thank them each. Amy Jordan and Diane Umble provided essential feedback and support during the development of this work at its proposal stage. During the analysis and writing, victor Caldarola with rigor and care became insightful critic and chief dissertation . comrade. Lane Browing has been an important and stylish colleague throughout my graduate school days. Mary Alexander, Randi Korn, and Linda Snow Dockser have been lifelines to the museum profession, as well as cherished friends. Gail Transeau's special gifts helped me to find in this task strengths and beginnings of all kinds. With Julie Weiss I shared many wonderful hours of talk and tarot. David Thelen provided the golden carrot before my nose, and a belief in me that worked like high octane. I am particularly grateful to Steve Neugeboren, my definitive d.c. friend, who kept me singing and dancing through it all. His company and his kindness, especially during the final laps, have been nothing short of precious. Pursuing doctoral study brought many gifts to my life, among them three relationships which truly transcend all categories (as did the phone bills). I thank Barbie Zelizer for her friendship and spirit through a range of emotions unimaginable on this journey. I am always grateful to John Encandela for the dance and the elastic tie, especially the renewal ushered in together in 1990. Most of all, I thank Michael Willmorth for the past eight years of understanding and joy. In those earliest lunchtime talks of synaesthesia I found not only my constant grad school companion but a one of a kind person with whom I've learned the spectrum of friendship. It is impossible to express the depth of my gratitude to and respect for my parents, Harvey Silverman and Marlene Silverman, and my sister, Lisa Silverman. I thank them now and always for their love, generosity, and faith throughout my pursuit of this goal, and all others. I am particularly grateful to my parents for their cheerleading and understanding, which truly helped keep me going, and to my sister, for her generosity, and for being my role-model now as in the past. I also thank David Siegler for helping me keep things in perspective with pep talks and humor. True to the topic of this research, it is through interaction with these individuals that this particular "thing" has come to hold meaning for me. v ABSTRACT OF US AND OTHER "THINGS": THE CONTENT AND FUNCTIONS OF TALK BY ADULT VISITOR PAIRS IN AN ART AND A HISTORY MUSEUM LOIS HE LAYNE SILVERMAN LARRY GROSS Surprisingly little is known about the processes by which objects in museums come to hold meaning for visitors. Reconceptualizing the museum within a mass media framework in which visitors actively negotiate meaning through talk with their companions, this study explores four questions: 1) What are the kinds of interpretive acts that visitor pairs make in museums? 2) Are there patterns to these responses? How might they vary depending upon museum type and gender configuration of pair? 3) What are the social functions of such talk? 4) What does this suggest about the role of the museum in society? To investigate these issues, the talk of 60 visitor pairs - 15 male-female pairs and 15 female-female pairs at one art and one history museum respectively - was tape-recorded as these pairs viewed a target exhibit at their own pace. Each visitor completed an individual interview and questionnaire afterward.