Thematic Curation in Museums Today — Presentation Detail — Celebration of Scholars

Instructions

Student presentations must have a faculty sponsor.

Abstracts must include a title and a description of the research, scholarship, or creative work. The description should be 150-225 words in length and constructed in a format or style appropriate for the presenter’s discipline.

The following points should be addressed within the selected format or style for the abstract:

A clear statement of the problem or question you pursued, or the scholarly goal or creative theme achieved in your work.
A brief comment about the significance or uniqueness of the work.
A clear description of the methods used to achieve the purpose or goals for the work.
A statement of the conclusions, results, outcomes, or recommendations, or if the work is still in progress, the results you expect to report at the event.

Presenter photographs should be head and shoulder shots comparable to passport photos.

Additional Information

More information is available at carthage.edu/celebration-scholars/. The following are members of the Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Committee who are eager to listen to ideas and answer questions:

Jun Wang
Kim Instenes
John Kirk
Nora Nickels
Andrew Pustina
James Ripley

Thematic Curation in Museums Today

Name: Marisa Matheson
Major: Art History and Spanish
Hometown: Maple Grove, MN
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Senior thesis

Abstract

Curators at art museums and galleries have begun to break from traditional chronological and art historical methods of curation over the last few decades. In place of traditional methods, curators are experimenting with avant-garde curatorial methods, such as ahistorical and thematic hangs and displays, in their exhibitions. The shift towards new curation has become increasingly popular and has expanded from small galleries to large institutions. The success of new curation in comparison to traditional curation is highly controversial among many art historians, yet there remains a gap in the literature with regards to why this change has been occurring. This senior thesis project will uncover the underlying influences that have led to the growing popularity of thematic curation through an analysis of the evolution of art historical theory, the changing goals of art museums, and the impact of globalization on art and museums.

Poster file