shaping exhibition development around community perspectives
DESCRIPTION
Presentation from “Shaping Exhibition Development Around Community Perspectives” paper presented on panel “Reaching Deeper - Artists, Curators, and Educators Engaging Communities” at the 2013 Council of American Jewish Museum’s Conference, New York, New York, February 2013.TRANSCRIPT
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Shaping Exhibition Development
Zachary Paul Levine, Curator at Yeshiva University Museum
Artists, Curators, and Educators Engaging Communities
Around Community Perspectives Reaching
Deeper –
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Why the Eruv? (or What the heck is an Eruv and who cares?)
• An eruv is a ritual enclosure for the Sabbath
• Integrate religious and technical creativity
• Eruv history closely tied to Jewish history
• Gaining academic interest
• Artists working around the concept of eruv
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Get Your A-TeamAssembled an Advisory Board of Scholars
• Confounds the most knowledgeable
• Controversial, especially in New York
• Hundreds of thousands of Jews rely on community eruvs
The Panel’s Conclusions:
• Growing interest popularly
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At the Center
These issues are especially important to Orthodox Jews in particular
• Nobody else uses an eruv (no kidding!)
• NOT A LOOPHOLE! Illiteracy around Eruv in Jewish legal tradition
• Recent data on composition of Orthodox Jewish community
• Gender dynamics
• Field of Analysis: NYC
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On a (Kashered) Silver Platter
•Defined the focus: Eruv and Jewish Community in New York
In other Words … here’s your audience:
• Defined the Audience: Several Hundred Thousand Orthodox Jews
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Primary Targeted Communities:
• Eruv Enthusiasts (and builders)
• Jewish Schools• Synagogue Communities
Target: Big Apple Orthodox Jews
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Primary Targeted Communities:
• Eruv Enthusiasts (and builders)
• Jewish Schools• Synagogue Communities
• Cultivate awareness about the exhibition • Enhance the museum’s profile• Acquire a working database of community contacts
Early Outreach Goals
Target: Big Apple Orthodox Jews
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Museum Educators• Know who to call in the schools
• Align exhibition with school needs
•Generate buzz about the exhibition among educators
Putting Out the Call
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Education’s Role
Contact Influential Educators and Rabbis• Consultations
• Program Design and Planning
• Networking
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Contact Influential Educators and Rabbis• Consultations
• Program Design and Planning
• Networking
Interpret Communal Needs
• Identify objects
• Highlight objects
• Identify Essential Lessons
Education’s Role
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Putting Out the Call
• Knows people who make eruvs
• Understand the historical and practical dimensions
•Make Connections
Eruv Scholars (Rabbis, Enthusiasts, Others)
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• What do people know and not know?
• Life before eruvs
• Impact on women, children, and the infirm
Gathering Information
Getting Communal Voices - Survey
• Stories
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• Interviews with eruv creators • Stories about controversies
•Maintaining eruvs
Leaders – Films
• Finding objects
•What do people know and not know?
• Life before eruvs• Impact on women, children, and the infirm
Gathering Information
Getting Communal Voices - Survey
• Stories
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•Discovered stories about eruv history in NYC• Uncovered objects (eruv gates on telephone poles)•Made connections with leaders and their communities
Gathering Information
Effects
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•On the eruv in general (using lasers!) • Eruv history in NYC (Thousands of strings)• Eruv present in NYC
The Artists
Art Pieces on the Eruv
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Meeting Expectations?
•Greater relevance for schools
• Better alignment with programs (youth and adult)
• Education brought into interpretative planning
Education Department’s Role – Success
• Initially, attracted students
• Art pieces enhanced didactic quality
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Meeting Expectations?
• Added community voices into the exhibition• Tightened the narrative’s argument from the beginning• Placed the narrative in the NYC area (artifacts and interactive content)
Community Awareness – Success
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Meeting Expectations?
• Community buzz – Did not appear to last• Community ambassadors (synagogues, experts) – Did not advocate• Limited press attention
Unfulfilled Expectations – Limited Press and Few Visitors
• External factors
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Meeting Expectations?
• Hurricane Sandy
• Bus Strike
•Maybe too Jewish?
Caveat – External Factors
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And Beyond…
• Benefits of cooperation between curatorial and education departments
• Value of applying community input to interpretative planning
Lessons Learned
• Challenging to expect participants to act as ambassadors