fangyi-blog7

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Reflect on your  blog posts this semester. Summarize the arc of your understanding of course themes. In what ways have your knowledge and perspective changed? What will you do with this new awareness?

Picture: From Chinese app "red" - art picture.

I think the blog post of this semester is helpful for the way we think about the course. In the semester, we learned about how to co-create with the communities.

The readings and the project3 we have designed are all the And for the 5 steps we have read, it said about the abandon, prepare, engage, co-create and evaluate. When I wrote my assignment3, I use it in the co-create part. I think for me, at first, I didn't understand what can be a co-create, what's the difference between co-create and cooperate. But then I realized for a community and museum, co-creation is what builds their connection, and for community, only the co-creation can make them gain the things/knowledge they want to know. We need to really not always think about how we want it to be, but also always give this right to the community and hear their voice.

For this change of thoughts, I think I still need to continue learning, to know more about co-creation, and make sure I can do the real co-create with community, not just seems like co-create with them, but actually is me always decide what I need to do. and I should always hear the community's voice, accept everything and consider about that.

Overall, all the blog posts I did this semester was helping me think more deeply and thinking with a purpose. These helped me have a better understanding of every weeks readings and also the help me figure out my mind in my heart.

#museum

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From your perspective, personal experience, and course reading, what are some challenges of family learning in museums? How might you as an emerging museum educator address these challenges?

Going into the museum is a good way for families to enjoy their family time, but there are some challenges for both family and museum. Cause for a family, they often include members of different age groups, from young children to grandparents. Designing activities and exhibits that engage all age levels can be a challenge. And each family member may have different interests and learning styles. Also, families have different knowledge background, it's hard to make sure they all have fun and enjoy the family time in the museum, it might be boring for little kids or it might can't be understood by older people. Keeping the attention of family members, especially younger children, can be difficult. Anyway, family visiting and learning have some big challenges now.

Here's the presentation I did in class, it shows up how can museums be "family-friendly exhibition", as I said, it mentioned in the week's reading, be a family friendly exhibition should be organize events specifically designed for families, such as family days, where interactive activities and workshops are tailored to the interests and abilities of various family members. I think it will be a good way to design activities that encourage collaboration and teamwork. Provide opportunities for family members to share their perspectives and learn from each other. Foster a positive and inclusive atmosphere through interactive and group-based experiences. And based on my personal experiences, I haven't went to a museum with my grandparents, so I think it's really a good thing to think about and solve how to make museums really get into families, make it as a lifestyle.

#museum #family

[fangyi-blog7]

Reflection on my personal program

For my assignment3, I have a basic outline for now, I chose the NYU students as the community and the Museum of Chinese in America, I think it's a good connection.

I think designing a project is really not an easy task. A lot of considerations need to be taken into account, starting from the mission of the museum as well as the needs of the museum, so that a project can be better designed. When designing a museum project, it is necessary to consider a number of aspects, such as formulating the theme and content of the exhibition, designing the exhibition space including display cases, panels, lighting, etc., choosing appropriate display technology and multimedia elements, considering interactivity, providing opportunities for audience participation, and considering the accessibility of the design to people with disabilities. Educational activities and programs should also be developed to engage students and the public. Provide guided tours and interpretation equipment to help visitors better understand the exhibitions. Secondly, we have to consider the position and role of the museum in the community, work with the local community, incorporate local cultural elements, design spaces that can accommodate temporary exhibitions and activities, and enhance the flexibility of the museum. On the basis of these we need to set a detailed budget, conduct market research, assess the popularity of the museum in the local community, ensure the feasibility and sustainability of the project, and develop an effective publicity plan to attract more visitors. And utilize social media and other channels for promotion, in my project I chose to promote on both Chinese and American social media. I think there are some shortcomings in my project, first of all, I didn't really co-create with the community, what I did was to create a project for the community, which doesn't meet the requirements of the project, I think I should find a better way to co-create with the community, so that the project can run better, and secondly, there are too few details, if it is run as a real project, it will encounter many, many difficulties in running it.

So, these thing are the most important thing I need to make it better first.

#museum

[fangyi-blog7]

Accessibility of National Postal Museum

In the summer semester, I worked with one of my classmates in the National Postal Museum, ensuring accessibility in museums is crucial for several reasons, as it promotes inclusivity, diversity, and a positive experience for all visitors. Here are some key reasons why accessibility is important in museums: Accessibility ensures that museums are welcoming to people of all abilities, including those with disabilities. This inclusivity allows a broader range of individuals to enjoy and benefit from the cultural and educational offerings of the museum. Museums are educational institutions, and everyone should have equal access to the wealth of knowledge and cultural artifacts they house. By making museums accessible, they contribute to providing an equal opportunity for learning and enrichment. Accessible museums help accommodate visitors from diverse backgrounds, including those with different abilities. This promotes cultural diversity and encourages people of all walks of life to engage with and appreciate the exhibits. In many places, there are legal requirements and ethical considerations that mandate equal access to public spaces, including museums, for individuals with disabilities. Ensuring accessibility helps museums meet these obligations.

Here are some accessibility about National postal museum.

Here are some general tips on how to find accessibility information for museums:

Official Website: Visit the official website of the National Postal Museum. Many museums provide detailed information about their accessibility features on their websites.

Contact Information: Look for contact information on the museum's website. You can call or email the museum to inquire about accessibility features and services.

Accessibility Services: Museums often have dedicated accessibility services or departments. Inquire about any available services, such as wheelchair rentals, guided tours, or assistive listening devices.

Online Reviews: Check online reviews and forums to see if other visitors have shared their experiences regarding accessibility. Websites like TripAdvisor or Yelp might have relevant information.

Accessibility Guides: Some museums provide accessibility guides or brochures that outline the available features and services. These may be available for download on the museum's website.

Social Media: Check the museum's social media accounts for any updates or posts related to accessibility. Museums sometimes share information and respond to questions on platforms like Twitter or Facebook.

Local Accessibility Resources: Contact local disability organizations or visitor centers in Washington, D.C. They may have information about the accessibility of popular attractions, including the National Postal Museum.

[fangyi-blog7]

What framing questions are you asking yourself in order to create an equitable co-creation process with your selected museum participant community?

Yes, there are so many questions we need to think about when we need to co-create with a group of people, to make it a excellent experience.

First of all, when we choose a community, it's important to do as much as research to know more information about them, so we can do the next steps more smoothly and better. Some questions about this step can be:

Who Are the Participants?

Who are the key stakeholders and participants in this co-creation process? What are their background? and what their needs are when they want to come into museum?

We suppose to be in the museum for connecting the museum and participants, so it's the most important thing for us.

What is the goal of Co-Creation?

Why are we engaging in co-creation with the museum community?What specific goal or purpose we want through this process?

From last semester, we have been trying to create programs on our owns, so before I create it, I need to think about what I want it to be, so I can plan how much effort and time I need to be on it.

What methods will I use for participants?

What objects will maximize participant engagement?

As the article below said: "Objects that directly and physically insert themselves into the spaces between strangers can serve as shared reference points for discussion. If an ambulance passes by or a fountain splashes you in the breeze, your attention is drawn to it, and you feel complicit with the other people who are similarly imposed upon by the object. Similarly, in bars, darts or ping pong balls that leave their playing fields often generate new social connections between the person looking for the flying object and the people whose space was interrupted by it.In cultural institutions, active objects often pop into motion intermittently. In some cases, like the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, the action is on a fixed schedule, and passersby naturally strike up conversations about when it will happen and what’s going on. Other times, the action is more spontaneous. For example, living objects, like animals in zoos, frequently motivate conversation when they move or make surprising sounds. Inanimate objects can also exhibit active behavior—think of the discussions among visitors that naturally arise as model trains chug along their tracks or automata perform their dances."

So it's very important that we find objects that resonate with everyone.

References:

#museum

[fangyi-blog7]

What does empathy mean to you, and how will you use empathy in your museum practice?

"Empathy refers broadly to mental transposition, putting oneself in the shoes of others. It is the ability to cognitively perceive, grasp and understand the emotions and feelings of others. It is mainly reflected in the aspects related to emotional intelligence such as emotional self-control, empathetic thinking, listening skills, and expression of respect."

In my opinion, I feel like empathy is putting yourself in another person's place and think about what are you feeling if the same thing happens to you. Then you probably will handle it in a different way. I think in my real life, people who have more empathy often make me feel more comfortable, and I also always trying to have empathy when I face some situation and also in the process of getting along with others.

It will be the same when we face the participants in our museum work. when people come into museum, they always have different needs/background and have different purpose, so we need to make sure let everyone feel comfortable when they come into museum.

I still remember when we went to the aviation museum in Virginia, we were talking about a war between the United States and Japan, and then I was thinking although it has a truth about the war, but we still need a different way when we face different participants, if we are with the Japanese, then we need to think about their feelings to make sure when we finish telling the story of the war, they won't feel uncomfortable about that. So we need to do everything based on our empathy, based on truth.

I really like the empathy map of this week, it's helpful for us to know about the thoughts and needs of participants, I think it gave me ideas about how to make everyone's museum trip in meaningful with me.

Fangyi.

#museum

[fangyi-blog7]

What kind of ancestor will you be?

As a future museum educator, I have imagined so many ways about what can I be and what I need to do to contribute the most to museum.

For museums, we need to understand not only what we need to communicate but also what the participants are thinking, so it is important for us to understand what the participants are saying and doing, what they are thinking, what they are feeling, and whether we will be good museum educators and how we will implement museum education. Like recently when we were working on a paper on the topic of what community is, I was thinking about what we should do when we're dealing with people from different museum communities to make sure that we're communicating what they want to hear to people from each community.

After reading this week's literature, I believe that to be a good museum worker we need to be innovative in our thinking and create innovative themes and educational approaches, 1.starting with the literature that says: when we start the design thinking process- at first, we need to have Empathize, research user's needs,2. and In the Define stage, you will organize the information you have gathered during the Empathize stage. You’ll analyze your observations to define the core problems you and your team have identified up to this point. Defining the problem and problem statement must be done in a human-centered manner. 3.During the third stage of the design thinking process, designers are ready to generate ideas. You’ve grown to understand your users and their needs in the Empathize stage, and you’ve analyzed your observations in the Define stage to create a user centric problem statement. With this solid background, you and your team members can start to look at the problem from different perspectives and ideate innovative solutions to your problem statement.4.By the end of the Prototype stage, the design team will have a better idea of the product’s limitations and the problems it faces. They’ll also have a clearer view of how real users would behave, think and feel when they interact with the end product.5. Designers or evaluators rigorously test the complete product using the best solutions identified in the Prototype stage. This is the final stage of the five-stage model; however, in an iterative process such as design thinking, the results generated are often used to redefine one or more further problems. This increased level of understanding may help you investigate the conditions of use and how people think, behave and feel towards the product, and even lead you to loop back to a previous stage in the design thinking process. You can then proceed with further iterations and make alterations and refinements to rule out alternative solutions. The ultimate goal is to get as deep an understanding of the product and its users as possible. [1]

The truth is that I have some ideas inside me but they are so complex and immature that I don't know how to express them I'm constantly reading a lot of literature to make my ideas more mature.

#museum

[fangyi-blog7]

What role can museum educators play in helping their organizations become more inclusive and empathetic?

“We are in more urgent need of empathy than ever before.”

I read some articles about museum and empathy and participants, it makes me think a lot. It brings up Museum is"us" not "it". When we talk about them only as brick-and-mortar institutions or as ‘it’, it becomes easier to distance ourselves from the human-centered work we do. So it’s absolutely essential to remember that museums are made of people: from directors, board members, patrons, and curators to educators, guest services staff, registrars, conservators, security guards, volunteers, maintenance and facilities workers, members, visitors, etc. So when we put ourselves in the museum, and feel we are the part of museums, we can create more things that can make participants feels like they are really close to the museum, and they can understand better of the museum. For example, when we talk about something, we need to treat us as participants, and think about what they may want to know and what they may interested in, then we need to create different ways for different participants--based on the truth of museum.

Cause after reading the articles of this week, I feel like: Being a museum educator, the most important thing is telling the truth, and we can use some skills to do extra things based on it. In "The Four Truth", it says the four truths is Forensic-personal Narrative-societal-reconciliatory. In my opinion, the museums already finished the first step: forensic and about what can we do is personal narrative ,so only when we finish this part better, the participants can contact to the society finish the reconciliatory.

Fangyi.--9/25

#museum

[fangyi-blog7]

Why is it important for museums to tell inclusive stories that are relevant to the communities they serve?

I'm a person from China who is interested in Museum field, in China, There are not many things about race or different races of community. Based on the same culture and same race as well as the same environment where they grow up - They have the same empathy for the same things at the museum.

But I totally understand it's not the same situation in the United States. Because it's a country of immigrants, so here has so many race and even not the same culture. Then it's really important try to let everyone can understand what are museum saying. For visitors, it's important for them to learn stories that relevant to the communities they serve. cause In the development of museums, there is a great deal of disinterest and reluctance to participate, and there are many issues of color, so we're thinking that much of the reason for this indifference is that museums don't empathize with the visitor's point of view.

“In 2000, museum leader Lonnie Bunch’s essay“Flies in the Buttermilk: Museums, Diversity,and the Will to Change”highlighted the lackof progress. (It is important to note that Bunchand colleagues of color have been raising theseissues for the many years they have been in thefield (Cole and Lott 2019). Studies funded byAAM (Farrell and Medvedeva 2010) and theMellon Foundation (Schonfield andWestermann 2015) tell the same story. In par-ticular the Mellon survey found:•A lack of diversity in professionalmuseum rolesthat did not reflect thedemographic composition of the US popu-lation•The existence of“structural barriers toentry in these positions for people ofcolor”(emphasis ours)While the Mellon study focused on diversityin art museums, two work force surveys conductedjointly by the Association of Science-TechnologyCenters (ASTC) and the Association of Chil-dren’s Museums (ACM) produced similar datafor the very low number of people of color in lead-ership positions in the science and children’smuseum sector (ASTC-ACM 2011, 2016).Silos: disparate attempts at inclusionSinceExcellence and Equity the field has mounted multiple efforts to achieve diversityand inclusion, as Jennings and Jones-Rizzi (2017, 66-67) recount: the hiring of people of color to be“community outreach coordinators;”the creation of diversity fellowships placing people of color in curatorial or management roles; temporary exhibitions featuring artists or scientists of color; grants to promote the at ten-dance of people of color at museum conferences.”[1]

Telling the story of the community as a unit of the museum will make people interested in their own community and then empathize with it, so they will be interested in the museum's storytelling. Museums serve the people so it's important to let people feel what they're talking about.

#museum

[fangyi-blog7]

Compare the historical and present perspectives on museums and community engagement.

The history of the museum is a warning and a decisive factor in the present state of the museum. why the history matters ?

The original form of the museum can be traced back to more than 2,000 years ago, during which it underwent several major changes until it evolved into the image it has today. The changes in the function and nature of museums and their relationship with the society manifested in this long process have an important role to play in our understanding of today's museums as well as guiding the future development of museums has an important role to learn from.

The museum phenomenon originated in the desire of people to collect and treasure those precious, rare and monumental objects that surrounded them. As early as ancient times, we find such collecting activities, either out of piety, out of nostalgia for dead relatives and the worship of ancestors, out of pride and cherishing of one's own creativity, or as a symbol of group spirit. With the further development of the history of civilization, especially the polarization of the rich and the poor and the formation of the concept of private ownership, coupled with the looting of war, the collection of rare and precious objects and the implication of showing off their status. Another important motivation for collecting is the curiosity of human beings about the outside world and the desire the knowledge.

Here is Spencer R. Crew says in Museum Perspective on "The Presence of the Past" "The good news is that history does matter to Americans. As one interviewee stated, "knowing the past gives continuity and meaning to life" (p. 68), or, in other words, it provides a larger context for events that take place every day. This is important for many of the respondents, since making good decisions or gaining a better understanding of life's challenges often depends upon the ability to bring perspective to the process. For museums and historic sites, the news is even better. In the hierarchy of sources of knowledge about the past, these entities earned high marks. In fact, they were considered among the most trustworthy of sources about the past in the eyes of the individuals interviewed. This was a higher trustworthiness than personal accounts from respected individuals like grandpar-ents, parents, and other family members. This information represents a great compliment, but also a tremendous responsibility. It means that our visitors have high expectations when they come through our doors. Our presentations and interpretations of the past have great meaning for visitors. If we did not recognize this fact before, it certainly has been driven home in the past few years. During that time history presentations have been prime targets in the culture wars. How we present history has generated great interest and debate. The public recognizes the influence our work has and is concerned when our views do not correspond with their own. This concern is often at the center of debates about "revisionist history" and the negative reactions it provokes in some quarters." As an educator at the museum, facing up to history will help education.

#museum

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What is community? What does it mean to co-create with community?

What is community?

In general, community is a group of people who are together based on their interests, beliefs and so on. They share common interests and aspirations, and can provide a sense of belonging, identity and individual value.

A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, town, or neighbourhood) or in virtual space through communication platforms. Durable good relations that extend beyond immediate genealogical ties also define a sense of community, important to their identity, practice, and roles in social institutions such as family, home, work, government, TV network, society, or humanity at large. Although communities are usually small relative to personal social ties, "community" may also refer to large group affiliations such as national communities, international communities, and virtual communities.Human communities may have intent, belief, resources, preferences, needs, and risks in common, affecting the identity of the participants and their degree of cohesiveness.

People who love enjoy the beach time can be a community; people who love dogs and cats can be a community, and for me, We came to the United States from China to study. we are far from our home, so for us, we have the same feeling inside our heart, we become a community. We met and discussed Chinese news and hot topics, and tried different foods from different places.

Also in museum field, people who love visit the museum can be a community. They go to different kinds of museums, learn the story behind each museum, share thoughts and opinions, it's a pleasure for them. 

What does it mean to co-create with community? 

When a community comes into a museum, they're different people, they have the same passion for the museum, but they all think differently. So for a community, they can offer different ideas to the museum. Maybe it leads to the co-create with community.

Co-creation is the practice of involving people in the making of anything a museum can produce: object interpretation, displays and exhibitions, educational resources, artworks, websites, tours, events, festivals – you name it, it can be co-created. The people involved might be individuals, or they might belong to a community group or to another organisation, but critically they are not part of the museum’s staff or governing structure. There are differences of opinion over who should initiate a co-created project. Some people believe for co-creation to be significant and genuinely meaningful, that it is the participants who should define the project’s goals, and not the museum. This guide takes a more pragmatic approach, and defines co- creation as any participative work undertaken with the community for the mutual benefit of all involved. Co-creation is sometimes referred to as co- curation, when talking specifically about exhibitions or programmes. For the purposes of this guide, the terms are used interchangeably.

Here is a "Co-creating Community Projects" about the museum.

As Cassie Chinn, Deputy Executive Director at the Wing Luke Asian Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience, put it in a blog post for the Pew Center for Art & Heritage said: “Our desire is to know communities intimately. What breaks their hearts breaks ours, what fuels their passion fuels ours…It’s as if time spent in our exhibitions is time spent with someone else, person to person. And well, perhaps through the text panels, photographs, artifacts, documents, and multimedia installations—all of the stuff of exhibitions—in the end, that might be the best way to describe it: getting to know someone, meeting together, and creating something new.” 

--Fangyi 09/05/2023

#museum #blog