Stories of the Material Record
Location
King Building 227
Document Type
Presentation
Start Date
4-27-2018 1:00 PM
End Date
4-27-2018 2:20 PM
Abstract
This project seeks to tell the stories of six pieces in the collection of the Allen Memorial Art Museum spanning centuries and cultures. Museums rarely have the time or resources to conduct provenance research on previously-acquired objects, a reality doubly applicable for a small museum like the Allen. By using the ever-expanding resource of the internet to communicate with institutions and individuals worldwide — including archives, museums, conservation authorities, and researchers — Stories has found six narratives deeply rooted in their time. These stories speak not only to the state of archaeology, dealership, and museum curation throughout the 20th century, but to under-recognized personal relationships and discoveries, laying bare the often-ignored human element of the discipline.
Keywords:
museums, provenance, material record
Recommended Citation
Bolles, Christian, "Stories of the Material Record" (04/27/18). Senior Symposium. 33.
https://digitalcommons.oberlin.edu/seniorsymp/2018/presentations/33
Major
Archaeological Studies
Advisor(s)
Drew Wilburn, Archaeological Studies
Project Mentor(s)
Drew Wilburn, Archaeological Studies
April 2018
Stories of the Material Record
King Building 227
This project seeks to tell the stories of six pieces in the collection of the Allen Memorial Art Museum spanning centuries and cultures. Museums rarely have the time or resources to conduct provenance research on previously-acquired objects, a reality doubly applicable for a small museum like the Allen. By using the ever-expanding resource of the internet to communicate with institutions and individuals worldwide — including archives, museums, conservation authorities, and researchers — Stories has found six narratives deeply rooted in their time. These stories speak not only to the state of archaeology, dealership, and museum curation throughout the 20th century, but to under-recognized personal relationships and discoveries, laying bare the often-ignored human element of the discipline.
Notes
Session III, Panel 8 - Archaeological | Studies
Moderator: Drew Wilburn, Associate Professor and Chair of Classics, Chair of Archaelogical Studies, Irvin E. Houck Associate Professor in the Humanities