MUSEUMS, HERITAGE SITES AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION INTRODUCTION Gail Lord, Co-President Lord Cultural Resources Cultural Heritage and Public Participation April 16 20 Ningbo, China
What is CULTURE? An active ongoing human process whereby people transform nature and society, producing meanings
Material Culture Transformation of the material environment around us
Photo: Tim Bies Y Benjamin Benschneide Physical Culture The activities needed for human health and reproduction
www.dintz.com Social-Political Culture All the ways that people communicate meaning through cognition
Paula Rego, The Dance 1988 Aesthetic Culture Meanings created in objects that are understood and appreciated by our senses and imagination
Heritage and museums include all four kinds of culture: 1. Communally owned, valued and preserved 2. Passed from one generation to the other 3. Tangible 4. Intangible Can only be fully understood when people participate.
Heritage The combined creations and products of nature and of humans, in their entirety, that make up the environment in which we live in space and time. A possession of a community, and a rich inheritance that may be passed on, which invites our recognition and our participation. 1982, ICOMOS Canada (Quebec) Charter for the Preservation of Quebec s heritage (Deschambault Declaration)
Museum Institutions created in the public interest. They engage their visitors, foster deeper understanding and promote the enjoyment and sharing of authentic cultural and natural heritage. Museums acquire, preserve, research, interpret and exhibit the tangible and intangible evidence of society and nature. As educational institutions, museums provide a physical forum for critical inquiry and investigation. Canadian Museum Association based on ICOM definition
Material Heritage Thompson ship model collection, Art Gallery of Ontario
Physical Heritage The Olympic Museum
Social and political heritage The Apartheid Museum The city of Dubrovnik
Social and political heritage The Apartheid Museum The city of Dubrovnik
Aesthetic Heritage The Boboli Gardens, Florence, Italy
Aesthetic Heritage The water town of Wuzhen
Participation Increases: Understanding Engagement Enjoyment Ability Creativity The number and breadth of visitors
Cultural Change Demands Participation: Education A Globally Competitive Workforce The Growth of Cities Cultural Tourism The Communications Transformation Identity and Language Universal Access Focus on Children
Education Our lives have been marked by the growth of the knowledge economy New Skills, New Residents Participation and Creation as an alternative to Consumption
Increased Education Levels Increasing number of Chinese university graduates: 2014 7,270,000 2013 6,990,000 2012 6,800,000 2011 6,600,000 2010 6,300,000
A Competitive Workforce In the Past Physical strength Follow orders Organized Some problem solving Memorization Basic communication OBSERVE Today Intellectual strength Lead Individualistic All problem solving Improvisation Great communication PARTICIPATE!
Dominance of Cities Cities represent half of the world s population, and 80% of global GDP Cities represent nearly 53% of china s population. China has 6 cities with populations of 10 million or more.
Cultural Tourism Consumer Experience
Cultural Tourism Observer Experience The Lion Grove Garden
Cultural Tourism Participation Experience
Cultural Tourism Participation, social space
Technology Transformation Participation from Consumers to Active learners
Technology Transformation Participation as a group S.A.N. Science Art and New Technology in Florence
Identity Language and ways of life
Accessibility Participation
Focus on Children Art Participation
Focus on Children Nature Participation
Focus on Children Experimentation
Public Participation in the 6 functions of museums and heritage sites 1. Institutional Planning 6. Research
Institutional Development Participation by community leads to enhanced support, economic development
Preservation and participation
Participation in Collections In the Past Tangible heritage Closed storage Today Tangible & Intangible Accessible Storage
Participate in Collections Tangible Heritage Tangible & Intangible Heritage
Collection Participation Accessible Storage
Participation in Program & Activities In the Past Inward looking Sole authority Today Outward looking Multiple voices
Participation in Programs & Activities Authoritative Multiple Voices The Scapes Project iphone App at the DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln, Massachusetts, United States
Participation: Programs and Activities Fort York Dinner kitchen offers open-hearth and bake-oven cooking classes, hands-on educational programs with staff and volunteers. Historic kitchen garden growing period plants Partnerships with artists to use the Fort as a site for art installations
Participation in exhibitions Contemporary Art in Heritage Sites Trust New Art contemporary art installations at selected National Trust historic properties aims to involve contemporary art fans with heritage sites University of Kent fine art degree show held at Chatham Historic Dockyards featuring contemporary art installations inspired by the historic site
Participation Exhibitions
Participation: Bannockburn Battlefield Visitor Centre, Scotland State of the art 270 degree, 3D immersive battle experience and show 30min strategy role-play game where visitors play against each other to determine the outcome of the battle 6 volunteers had faces laser scanned and transformed into 14th century characters; motion capture technologies showcase complex medieval battle movements
Participation in exhibitions Volunteers and Visitors as Curators Involves Bristol people and communities in: helping to decide what to preserve and exhibit producing films, stories, activities and displays volunteering and work placement opportunities Multimedia apps help visitors explore Bristol streets and neighbourhoods using elements from the collection
Participation Research
The Participation Continuum Observers may not participate themselves but can enjoy the participation of others. They may appreciate a participatory experience if they come across it, if what has been produced by others is presented in an attractive and engaging way. Followers have more specific intent than observers. They seek out specific experiences within an exhibition and will follow or become a member of a group in order to access content that interests them. Likers/Sharers are confident or interested enough to publicly mark their personal views on an experience and share these with others. This early stage of participation requires little in the way of commitment and is an easy and accessible way to encourage engagement. Collectors: More focused than sharers, collectors gather content for their own use later. They may or may not share the results of such a project. Commentators: More articulate than likers, they react to what others have produced with their own commentary, appreciation, or criticism. Creators are the most confident, engaged, and motivated participators. They are eager to create themselves whether on the spot or over a longer period of time, and to share what they have produced within the exhibition.
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