Museum Of People And Cultures

Understanding The Cultural Impact Of Museums

NMDC believes that museums make a real difference to peoples lives. It is an argument that is frequently used to advocate and promote our work to stakeholders but what does it mean and how might we investigate it? What is the nature of the impact that museums have on the individual and how does this play out in communities, societies and even nations?

A 2010 paper by Professor Sara Selwood Making a difference: the cultural impact of museums explored the wide range of impact and influence NMDC members and their projects have on reflecting, exploring and defining cultural heritage and cultural values in the UK.

The nature of the difference that British museums make is partly shaped by their own values, those of their public and private sector funders, and their audiences access and receptiveness. Whom British museums make a difference to and what they make a difference about can be expressed in a number of ways. These can be both specific and generalised: school childrens willingness to learn adults appreciation of art and science Northerners understanding of their Roman inheritance Britons understanding of their own social histories, etc.

Brigham Young University Museum Of Peoples And Cultures

The Brigham Young University Museum of Peoples and Cultures, located in Provo, Utah, is the university‘s museum of archaeology and ethnology. The Museum of Peoples and Cultures has a wide variety of collections containing over a million objects. Most of the 7,000 collections come from the regions of South America, Mesoamerica, Central America, the American Southwest, the Great Basin and Polynesia. However, there are many objects from other parts of the world which are available for study and research.

A New Home For Museum Of Peoples And Cultures

The BYU Museum of Peoples and Cultures has a new home.

The Museum opened in a newly renovated space next door to Outdoors Unlimited at the corner of Canyon Road and 2230 North in Provo.

In celebration of the new space, the Museum is debuting a new exhibit telling the history of the Museum at BYU through important artifacts from the collections. Items from all over the world, from South and Central America to Asia and Polynesia and right here in Utah, will be on display in this exhibit.

The Museum is always free and is located at 2201 North Canyon Road. The regular hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

On Monday, February 23, from 7-9 p.m., there is a special Opening Night event: the public is invited to come explore the new space and exhibit and take part in the hands-on activities and enjoy refreshments.

The museum’s big debut will be on Friday, February 27, from 7-10 p.m., as part of the event. Each of BYU’s five museums – Museum of Art, Bean Life Science Museum, Education in Zion, Museum of Paleontology and the Museum of Peoples and Cultures – will keep their gallery spaces open late and provide a variety of entertainment and activities throughout the evening.

New Space and a New Exhibit

Students Run the Show

“Really the students are doing everything,” said Nelson. “Because of the depth of experience and involvement they’ve been able to have, the students leaving our program have had good luck getting museum jobs.”

Connecting With Community

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International Spy Museum Brings On Two New Vps Creates New Position Focused On People Culture

January 18, 2023 WASHINGTON Today the International Spy Museum announces two major new hires to its leadership team: Melissa M. Ricks as Vice President of People and Culture, a role the Museum created to further its strong people-first culture, and Kathryn Keane as the Vice President of Exhibitions and Collections.

Melissa M. Ricks comes to the Museum from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, where she was the Vice President of Human Resources and Administration, focusing on talent acquisition diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives performance management and staff development. Her over 20 years of experience in human resources and background in nonprofit work will allow her to build this brand-new position into something lasting and valuable at the Museum.

Melissa Ricks is the perfect candidate to help us craft this new role dedicated entirely to our most important and highest-valued resource the people who make this Museum great, exclaimed Tamara Christian, president and COO of the International Spy Museum. Her experience, passion, and innovative spark will be directed into further empowering and energizing our remarkable staff members and volunteers, maintaining a strong SPY culture, and ensuring that we are keeping diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility front of mind.

About the International Spy Museum

For more information, please visit spymuseum.org.

Brief History Of Museums At Byu

Museum efforts at Brigham Young Academy began as early as 1879, when James E. Talmage was appointed curator of the Brigham Young Academy Museum. We know from his notes that the museum collected natural history, geological, and archaeological objects. By the 1930s, BYUs museum collections were located in Room D of the Education Building . Over time, the original museum collections were split up. The University now has four museums – the Paleontology Museum, the Museum of Art, the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum, and the Museum of Peoples and Cultures . The MPC is Brigham Young Universitys archaeological and anthropological museum.

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John Hinckley Recipient Of Outstanding Achievement Award For Contributions To Utah Archaeology

There was standing room only the night of Oct. 7 when museum patrons gathered at Brigham Young Universitys Museum of Peoples and Cultures to celebrate Utah County resident John Hinckley for his lasting contributions to archaeological research. The Utah Board of State History honored Hinckley with an Outstanding Achievement Award for his preservation of Fremont archaeological sites on his property near Utah Lake.

Hinckley has graciously turned his property into an outdoor classroom where BYU students are mentored in archaeological excavation and research. This tradition was begun by his father, G. Marion Hinckley, who allowed BYU professors to bring students to do field archaeology on the Hinckley land since the 1940s.

During that time, hundreds of students have discovered artifacts and participated in excavations at the Hinckley Mounds, including students from both Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University. During a 2015 field school, Hinckley opened the Fremont sites to the public, and over 600 fourth graders studying Utah history and prehistory made visits. Boy Scout groups also participated in the excavation to earn an archaeology merit badge.

Through his efforts, Hinckley has provided countless opportunities for experiential learning and has inspired the next generation of Utah archaeologists.

Searcy said he and his team discovered an additional part of the site in August. Its still yielding, he said.

Growing Popularity Of Dress Shoes

The world has changed a lot since the outbreak of COVID-19, and with it, so have our fashion choices. One trend that has been on the rise since the pandemic began is the growing popularity of dress shoes.

Formal styles are now all over red carpets and catwalks, sported by trendsetters like rapper A$AP Rocky Rocky and US actor-director Donald Glover.

And French designer Simon Porte Jacquemus wore black loafers and dressed his models in them for his last show in December, despite his high-profile sneaker collaboration with Nike.

Some are still struggling to get over the old connotations. “There are never loafers at a Hermes show,” said Pierre Hardy, who heads up shoe design at the French label. “It was really the preppie, right-wing, reactionary shoe.”

But Hermes still produces and sells loafers, and Hardy understands why sales have been spiking.

“After the lockdowns, people grew tired of everything being cosy. Now we have permission to go out and we want elegant, chic things,” he said.

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The History Of The Moccasins

Moccasins have been worn by indigenous people in North America for thousands of years and its names derives from the Algonquian word “makasin,” which means “shoe.”

The traditional moccasin is a slip-on shoe made from a single piece of hide, with the seams sewn on the outside. They were typically made from the hides of deer, elk, or bison, and were often decorated with beading, quillwork, or other embellishments.

Moccasins were an essential part of many indigenous cultures, and were used for hunting, fishing, and other activities. They were also worn during ceremonies and other important events, and were often passed down through generations.

In the last century, the moccasin shoes were adapted and became popular in the western culture as well, especially in the form of loafers, boat shoes and driving shoes.

Heritage Recreation And Culture Services

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Dia De Los Muertos Celebration

Tuesday, November 1st | 7-9 PM

Our annual Dia de los Muertos celebration will be held from 7-9pm here at the museum. Enjoy performances by Mariachi Los Pumas, have your face painted by the talented Theatre & Media Arts Department, make colorful flower crowns, decorate a family picture frame, learn about the significance of ofrendas, and more!

*Are you a family with young children? Come at 6:00pm for early access.

Please RSVP to our Eventbrite page here

Development Of Heritage Properties

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Goodbye Trusty Trainers: Traditional Loafers Are Stepping Out And Back Into Fashion

Theo FarrantAFP

As Paris Fashion Week kicks off this week, people are ditching their trusty trainers for something a little more old-fashioned: traditional dress shoes.

Data from industry website Business of Fashion shows 45 percent of well-heeled American and British men are planning to buy smart shoes in 2023, compared with around a third who were opting for trainers.

In particularly the ultra-classic model, the moccasin, a design that has been around since the days of the Wild West, is making a significant comeback and leaving sneakers in the dust.

While you may still associate moccasins with the shoe of choice for annoying posh conservatives or what your grandad wears while gardening, this classic design has been updated to modern times and is now available to buy in various bold colours, prints and unique materials.

“It is traditionally a rather classic model, very urban, a bit “preppy” and we have seen, in fact, new models arriving on the moccasin market, a bit cooler, a bit more “casual”, with large soles, colour variations, materials, which means that, as a result, the moccasin is aimed at many more customers, also younger customers,” explains Graziella Dubief, the director of footwear purchasing for Galeries Lafayette in Paris.

Native Peoples Of Utah County Highlighted In New Exhibit

A new Utah Valley exhibit at the Museum of Peoples and Cultures invites visitors to get to know the people who once inhabited Utah County.

A lot of people who live in Utah Valley dont realize there is a long history here, museum director Paul Stavast says. They just assume its history begins maybe just a little bit before the pioneers got here. That is not correct at all. People have lived in Utah Valley for thousands of years.

The exhibit features artifacts from the Archaic, Fremont, and Ute peoples, as well as Mormon pioneer artifacts excavated from the ruins of the Provo Tabernacle. Walking through the small gallery, visitors can examine a horse quirt used to spur horses in Ute horse races, or see canine bones dating back to around 3,600 B.C.

History student Hannah Smith helped select the artifacts for the displays, and under the direction of Stavast, she was responsible for the research and text for the exhibit. Her work was part of an internship for the Museum of Peoples and Cultures and later turned into a regular, continuing student position.

Above: Hannah Smith poses with Hayden Crofts at the Utah Valley Exhibit. Smith played a major role in the research, text, and design for the exhibit.

Smith hopes to have a career working in museums and designing exhibits in particular. Working in a museum is cool, because I can use my research but also my creativity, she says.

For more information about the Museum of Peoples and Cultures, visit their website.

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The Relationship Between Culture And Space Within The Museum

Layla Sanjoori

Introduction

Museums act as sites of curiosity for tourists, essential features of a citys heritage, and microcosmic spaces for the exploration of cultures throughout the world. Conversely, museums are also spaces where colonial oppression is reinforced, cultures are misinterpreted, and hegemonic notions regarding the production of knowledge are fortified. The modern museum has been articulated as a means to epitomise modernitys necessity to organise a sort of perpetual and indefinite accumulation of time in an immobile place . This discussion serves to examine discourse surrounding museums through the relationship between culture and space, centring on the notion that museums are not, nor have ever been innocent. Through this discussion, one can infer that museums are spaces where power, regulation, and control is organised over cultures and the individuals who belong to them.

Spaces for Cultural Representation

Whose Culture?

When the British tried to expand their own trade in the 19th century, the Benin people killed their envoys. So, in 1897 the British sent an armed expedition which captured the king of Benin, destroyed his palace and took away large quantities of sculpture and regalia, including works in wood, ivory and especially brass.

Power and the Museum

Bibliography

Ahmed, S., . Strange Encounters: Embodied Others in Post-Coloniality. London: Routledge.

Bal, M., . Double Exposures: The Subject of Cultural Analysis. New York: NY. Routledge.

Greenstone Forgeries On Display

Mayan Greenstone displays artifacts from the museums vast collection of Mesoamerican greenstone artifacts. What makes these particular artifacts so intriguing? Many are forgeries.

The exhibit highlights the research done last year by former BYU student Chloe Burkey and anthropology postdoctoral fellow Marion Forest. Burkey and Forest worked to systematically authenticate the collection, using an innovative collection of techniques to spot each forgery.

The new exhibition gives visitors the opportunity to try their hand at spotting the fakes while also appreciating the ancient craftsmanship of the genuine artifacts. Museum visitors will be impressed, not only by the relics, but also by the experiential learning opportunities available to students through the Museum of Peoples and Cultures.

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Milwaukee Museum Days Offers Discounted Admission Fees For Visitors

MILWAUKEE, Wis. Januarys dreary weather can make for the perfect backdrop to stay inside and grow your knowledge with Milwaukee Museum Days.

This is typically a pretty dark month for a lot of museums, and they could really use a little extra foot traffic, said Claire Koenig, Communications Director at Visit Milwaukee.

Nearly 30 of the citys cultural institutions are offering free or discounted admission fees from January 19 to 29, hoping to encourage people to check out all the city has to offer.

We think these museums are so incredible and ours have a quality that is found in any other major city in the world really and we hope that becomes a much less surprising fact, said Koenig.

Koenig says the ten-day festival helps the city out in many ways, bringing in visitors from all across the region and country, and giving a much-needed boost to some museums that could really use it.

The pandemic was really hard on museums. And while the worst is over, they’re definitely still feeling the effects of it. And so again, we’re trying to do anything we can to get people through their door to increase awareness of these museums, said Koenig.

History Of The Museum Of Peoples And Cultures

The museum has continued to grow and improve over the years. Recent awards include a State Certificate Award for Excellence in All Areas of Museum Operations as well as the 2011 Award of Merit from the American Association for State and Local History. Since 2000, the MPC has received over $250,000 in Federal and State grants for various research projects. In the same time period, $1.5 million in object and cash donations have significantly increased the quality of the collections. All exhibits at the MPC are designed and installed by students in BYUs museum certificate program. Public programs, like our popular date nights and FHEs, are also planned by student employees and volunteers.

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