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I Local: a Cultural Approach to Climate Change Exhibits Kate Local: A Cultural Approach to Climate Change Exhibits Kate Tallman A Capstone in the Field of Museum Studies For the Degree of Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies Harvard University Extension School March 2020 i Author Statement This research is the culmination of my sincere belief that museums are stewards for the best and worst histories of humanity, they are ethically beholden to the community in caring for and presenting those histories, and they endeavor to embody dynamic, resourceful, welcoming spaces for all constituents. My previous work in smaller institutions provided context for museums' difficulties when pursuing inventive, engaging exhibits and programming with focused missions and collecting plans. This project began when I was introduced to the work of Dr. Marcy Rockman with the National Park Service. The realization that every single museum has the ability and resources to tell climate stories paired well with my passion for museum ethics. I applied her philosophy to the museum sector and created the template with the end goal of aiding a small museum in maximizing their collections through new narratives. My greatest hope is that this research will remove barriers, enable museums to engage in the climate conversation, and better serve those in their community. I would like to acknowledge Maggie Paul at the Northwest Museum of Art, and Laurie Pasteryak at the Fairfield Museum and History Center for giving me full access to their wisdom, enthusiasm, and for making the case studies possible. Endless gratitude goes to my husband Andrew, for his unwavering and borderline irresponsible support, and to the kid for ensuring plenty of popcorn was eaten and breaks taken. This would not have been possible or even likely without both of you. My most profound appreciation to Angela Linn for her consummate mentorship and her services as an ever-ready sounding board. And finally, many thanks to my reader, Sarah Sutton. Her dedication to the field and steady optimism are invaluable. ii Table of Contents Author Statement ........................................................................................................................................... ii List of Figures ................................................................................................................................................ v Introduction .................................................................................................................................................... 1 Why Should Museums Address Climate Change? ...................................................................................... 2 What does the Average Climate Exhibit Look Like? .................................................................................. 4 Barriers to Participation............................................................................................................................. 4 The Ethics of Climate in Museums .............................................................................................................. 6 Stewardship of the Public Trust .................................................................................................................. 6 Organizational Sustainability ..................................................................................................................... 8 The Psychology of Locality ......................................................................................................................... 11 Placemaking .............................................................................................................................................. 11 The Power of Imagery ............................................................................................................................... 14 Finding the Story ......................................................................................................................................... 17 A Cultural Approach to Climate Change Template ................................................................................ 19 Case Studies .................................................................................................................................................. 25 The Museum of Northwest Art ................................................................................................................ 25 Museum Description .......................................................................................................................... 25 Exhibition Description ....................................................................................................................... 26 Planning .............................................................................................................................................. 28 Exhibition Reception .......................................................................................................................... 30 iii The Fairfield Museum and History Center ............................................................................................ 31 Museum Description .......................................................................................................................... 31 Exhibition Description ....................................................................................................................... 32 Planning .............................................................................................................................................. 34 Exhibition Reception .......................................................................................................................... 36 Review ................................................................................................................................................. 36 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................... 38 Appendix ....................................................................................................................................................... 40 Works Cited ................................................................................................................................................. 41 iv List of Figures Figure 1. Percentage of adults who are worried about global warming ....................................... 12 Figure 2. Percentage of adults who think global warming will harm them personally ................ 12 Figure 3. Climate Themes and Narrative Threads present in collection examples ...................... 24 Figure 4. “What Remains” on display during the Surge exhibition ............................................. 27 Figure 5. “Volume XX, Unwinding Through Time” on display during the Surge Exhibition ..... 27 Figure 6. “The Tempestry Project” on display during the Surge exhibition. ............................... 28 Figure 7. Photo of entranceway to Rising Tides exhibition. ......................................................... 32 Figure 8. One of the talk back boards at Rising Tides .................................................................. 34 Figure 9. View of the South Gallery. ............................................................................................ 34 Figure 10. Exhibit on fishing traditions in the region ................................................................... 35 Figure 11. Climate Themes and Narrative Threads present in collection examples .................... 37 v Introduction Museums are extraordinarily unique institutions, possessing diverse missions, funding, scope, and collections. However, each organization strives to be of service to its community and demonstrate their collections' value in perpetuity. The necessary goal of community service often raises questions of relevance and execution. Institutions continually evaluate practices for the best methods to serve their patrons. Programming, exhibits, and events present creative possibilities, but smaller museums with restrictive or inconsistent funding find their imagination limited by fiscal risk. These institutions care for collections directly tied to the museum mission, and this specificity can lead to stagnating narratives, leaving the institution struggling to attract new generations of visitors (Simon). Larger museums with more encyclopedic collections benefit from flexibility in finding stories in more diversified collections. Perceived limitations due to collection size or scope are particularly evident when asking an institution to look for climate change stories, a global reality, within their arts or historical collections. Museums without a science-focused mission may feel that presenting climate stories would be outside their area of expertise; however, this would be an incorrect assumption. Maximizing local, non-scientific collections to tell climate stories is under-utilized. Evidence shows it can significantly increase action on an individual, regional, and global scale while benefiting the museum and the public (Rees)(Dunaway). Prior to demonstrating how this is possible, it is necessary to review why this approach fulfills the ethical standards of the museum industry including stewardship of the public trust and governance responsibilities, and why the use of regional cultural imagery is particularly suited to the task. 1 Why Should Museums Address Climate Change?
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