Museum Education and Communication

Hallel. Carmel. Bezalel

The Exhibitions:
Halel. Carmel Winery
'Judaica Now!':
Goblets and Kiddush Cups
of the Bezalel School

These two exhibitions: "Halel. Carmel Winery" and
"'Judaica Now!': Goblets and Kiddush Cups of the Bezalel
School" focus on two pioneering phenomenon. Both of them,
each one in its own specific field, established a material
and cultural infrastructure for the renewal of the Jewish
settlement in Eretz Israel. The two integrated exhibitions
presented here show the primary aspects where these two
enterprises overlap. The principal point here is the fact that
their produce, wine in Rishon Le‑Zion and art in Bezalel,
symbolized the regenerated Jewish settlement. Moreover,
most of their products were purchased by Jews in the
Diaspora as an emotional gesture of love for Eretz Israel
together with a contribution for the realization of the idea
for its settlement.
The "Halel. Carmel Winery" exhibition tells the story of
the winery from its historical perspective. The winery
symbolized the realization of the dream of settling
Eretz Israel. Thus, it became a source of pride and a center
of attraction for the leaders of the people and the world
who pinned their hopes on it and visited the winery. The
historical exhibition aims to show how innovative the
Rishon Le-Zion winery was during its early years as it was
recognized as the prominent modern agricultural-industrial
plant in the Middle Eastern region. The winery played a key
role in the economic life of Rishon Le-Zion and the Jewish
settlements in the surrounding area. The exhibition displays
its development, achievements, challenges, transitions,
connections with the Diaspora and how it influenced
Rishon Le-Zion and the Yishuv in Eretz Israel. The exhibition
focuses mainly on the first few decades of the winery's
existence which were also the most momentous years in
its history, during which a modern industrial model was
developed leading to a breakthrough in the country.
The Bezalel exhibition 'Judaica Now'!: Goblets and
Kiddush Cups of the Bezalel School"is displayed from the
contemporary artistic standpoint. In this exhibition also
some 48 exhibits of contemporary wine and Kiddush cups,
handmade by artists and designers belonging to the Bezalel
School, are displayed. The philosophy and artistic language
of the School's members, men and women, were apparent as
expressed in the holy vessels and articles. The participants in
this group show had all attended Bezalel either as students
or teachers, some served as department heads. A large
group among these artists later became the elite of leading
Judaica artists, whose creations now enrich the collections of
important museums in Israel and throughout the world.

Curators:
"Hallel. Carmel Winery": Yona Shapira
"'Judaica Now!': Wine goblets and Kiddush cups of the
Bezalel School": Dr. Shirat‑Miriam Shamir, Ido Noy


הלַלֵּ. כרמל. בצלאל
התערוכות:
הַללֵּ. יקב כרמל
'יודאיקה עכשיו!':
כוסות וגביעי יין לקידוש
של אסכולת בצלאל

שתי התערוכות עוסקות בשני מפעלים חלוציים: יקב ראשון־לציון
ובית הספר לאמנויות "בצלאל". שניהם, כל אחד בתחומו, הניחו
תשתית חומרית ותרבותית ליישוב היהודי המתחדש בארץ ישראל.
שתי התערוכות המוצגות במשולב, מציגות את נקודות ההשקה בין שני
המפעלים. העיקרית שבהן היא העובדה שתוצריהם, היין ואמנות בצלאל,
היוו סמל ליישוב היהודי המתחדש ונרכשו על ידי יהודי הגולה כמחווה
רגשית של אהבת ארץ ישראל וכתרומה למען הגשמת הרעיון של
יישובה. היקב מוצג מן הזווית ההיסטורית ואילו בצלאל מוצג מנקודת
מבט אמנותית עכשווית.
היקב היה סמל להגשמת חזון יישוב ארץ ישראל, מקור לגאווה ואבן
שואבת למנהיגי עם ועולם שנשאו עיניהם אליו וביקרו בו. התערוכה
"הלל. יקב כרמל" מבקשת להציג את החדשנות של יקב ראשון־לציון
בשנותיו הראשונות כמפעל תעשיה חקלאית מודרני הבולט במרחב
המזרח התיכון ועומד במרכז חיי הכלכלה של ראשון־לציון ומושבות
הסביבה. בתערוכה מוצגים התפתחותו, הישגיו, אתגריו, גלגוליו,
קשריו עם הגולה והשפעתו על ראשון־לציון ועל הישוב בארץ־ישראל.
עיקר התערוכה עוסק בעשורים הראשונים לקיום היקב שהיו השנים
המשמעותיות בתולדותיו שבמהלכן עוצב בו מודל תעשייתי חדשני
ופורץ דרך בארץ.
התערוכה, "׳יודאיקה עכשיו!׳: כוסות וגביעי יין לקידוש של אסכולת
בצלאל" מציגה 48 גביעי יין וקידוש עכשוויים מעשה ידיהם של אמנים
ומעצבים השייכים לאסכולת בצלאל. מהתערוכה ניבטת תפיסת העולם
ושפתם האמנותית של חברי וחברות האסכולה כפי שאלו מקבלות ביטוי
בתשמישי קדושה. משתתפי התערוכה הקבוצתית, עברו כולם בבצלאל:
בין שלמדו או שלימדו בו או בין שהובילו אותו כראשי המחלקות. חלק
נכבד מאמנים אלה נעשו לאמני היודאיקה המובילים, שיצירותיהם
מעטרות את אוספי המוזיאונים החשובים בישראל ובעולם.

אוצרים:
הלל, יקב כרמל: יונה שפירא
'יודאיקה עכשיו!': כוסות וגביעי יין לקידוש
של אסכולת בצלאל: ד"ר שירת־מרים שמיר ועידו נוי

Empathy is one's ability to connect with others by relating to their personal experiences. It takes insight and a willingness to engage. The Empathetic Museum posits that cultural institutions can relate to their communities in the same way, and should align the work they do with the experiences, values, and needs of the communities they serve. This assessment tool and associated resources can help organizations look within, and move towards a more empathetic future.

Learn more at www.empatheticmuseum.com

Media, entertainment, and other forms of popular culture play a significant role in shaping our perceptions of others. For many of us, popular culture is the primary way we learn about people who are different from us. The problem, though, is that many representations are based on cultural stereotypes, which tend to marginalize and caricature members of non-dominant groups. Through these representations, we see a limited, and distorted, view of others. Both entertainment and news media are powerful forces in creating and perpetuating negative cultural stereotypes, especially about racial and ethnic groups. In television and film, characters from non-dominant racial and ethnic groups often fall into formulaic tropes, and their storylines easily follow cliché narratives. The consistency of these representations reinforces stereotypes and makes them more readily available in our minds. Over the last decade, museums have experienced a strong cultural shift from object-oriented towards audience-oriented strategic approaches. The new approaches need to be addressed due to social change and the advent of communication technology as a result of the establishment of new forms of community. This research paper examines the relevant literature on this transformation and presents supportive evidence of the impact that social media have upon the relationship between museum institutions and their audiences. The Department of Museums Malaysia’s Facebook page provides a comprehensive evaluation of the museum’s general social media strategy. Given the widespread and dominance use of Facebook and other social media, the degree of engagement of museum institutions and social media seem to have become an inseparable factor on the scale of effectiveness of the relation with museum audiences and the levels of visitor attendance. The purpose of this research aims to provide an initial comprehensive set of insights into the use of social media by museum institutions by using one of the most prestigious museums in Malaysia as a case study.

In the interest of guest, staff, and volunteer safety and with guidance from local health officials, CMC closed to the public on March 14, 2020, due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19. Union Terminal remained closed for four months. CMC staff pivoted to delivering programs remotely while continuing to plan for a future when we would return to in-person visits. As we prepared to reopen, medical advisors
recommended eliminating all physical touch throughout the museums. After spending years thinking about how to make exhibits more interactive through physical design (such as bronze models, flipbooks, and button-operated sensory stations) and technology (including touchscreens), our new challenge was to offer the kinds of inquiry and engagement that are at the core of our reenvisioned experiences without relying on touch.

The charge to reopen without touch-based experiences quickly focused our priorities. We believed that we could deliver many of our touch-based exhibits through personal devices. The Pew Research Center reports that smartphone ownership is rising rapidly, with 81 percent of American
adults owning smartphones in 2019.1 This gave us confidence that most guests would be able to access content we converted to a mobile experience. In just a few months, we went from thinking about having an app someday to a robust “CMC In Hand” mobile experience that recreates more than 35 of our guests’ favorite gallery experiences. And we realized the project for $50,000, roughly a quarter of what we had previously estimated for building an app.

Concerns about COVID-19 threatened to eliminate many of the exhibits that have been most popular since we reopened postrestoration. A new touch-free reality pushed us to be creative in imagining new ways of connecting with our guests, both on- and off-site. CMC’s agile and affordable approach to developing an app allowed us to have a robust experience ready to go as we reopened to the public. We are planning for its longterm integration into the museum’s offerings.


This article first appeared in the journal  Exhibition (Spring 2021) Vol. 40 No. 1 and is reproduced with permission. www.name-aam.org.

The Indonesian Institute of Sciences revitalizes the Indonesian Ethnobotany Museum into the National Museum of Indonesian Natural History (Munasain) for improving professional disemination. Munasain is relatively less visited by tourists than the Zoological Museum and the Soil and Agriculture Museum in Bogor City. This study aims to determine the profile and perceptions of those interested in Munasain to find the cause of the lack of visits and provide solutions. Questionnaires were distributed to 4 0 0 respondents. The results showed that the most interested in Munasain is the age group of 21-30 years (38.0%). Most respondents obtained information about Munasain from social media (67.5%). The Munasain theme of interest was 38.6% of ethnobotany, 32.3% of historical and cultural collections, 27.3% of natural history. Munasain considered special because it is a complete source of knowledge (31.2%), the display is interesting (2 9.0 %), and has superior collection of ethnobotany (18.3%). The themes of interest of the respondents were Indonesian natural and cultural history (59.3%), ethnobotany 3 8.7 % and other themes 2.0%. For future development, 43.8% of respondents stated the need for socialization and promotion, 31.5% expected an increase in benefits for the community, 16.0% wanted more attractive displays and 8.6% expressed the need for additional collections.

This article is a self-reflection on the curation of the exhibition “ISRAELS - Portraits of Israel in Tourist Guidebooks and Photo Albums of Israel.” It focuses on the various curatorial and design considerations and processes that the exhibition entailed. The article addresses issues
such as turning a detailed academic study into straightforward visual language, incorporating the photographic and textual layers of the books displayed with the exhibition’s additional layers, presenting 3D objects in 2D graphic designed posters, and setting the exhibition in an unusually complex display space.

This paper is an attempt to comprehend the overall situation of the museums in Bangladesh as well as the functional efficiency and to raise a call to revitalize the museums. Present research focuses on three distinct aspects: a list of different types of museums in Bangladesh, their functional interpretation and some proposals for visionary practices in museums of Bangladesh. This research found that total 157 museums are present in Bangladesh which could be divided into 14 categories. As a prosperous country we need more efficient step to develop our museum sector as it is a bridge between the past and future of a nation. It shows thoughts and creations of the best minds of the nation, of the world, and transmits the spirits to the young and inquisitive minds of children, students and youths. Failure to this transmission and exposure to the visitor will result in the extinction of the museum itself. Do the museums of Bangladesh have achieved the capability to face this truth? Are they supporting the education system effectively? Are they prepared for the demand of the future generation? The answer to all these questions will lead us to rethink and restructure our concept of museum for a better future.

La presente monografía pretende profundizar en los espacios comunes
entre universidades y museos, tanto desde la perspectiva de la investigación
o la experimentación, como desde la actividad docente y la generación
de ámbitos compartidos para el conocimiento. Son muchas las
universidades que cuentan con un importante patrimonio cultural conservado
en colecciones y museos escasamente conocidos. En un intento
de potenciar la colaboración y la permeabilidad entre las propias universidades
y las instituciones museísticas, la última década ha sido testigo
de un notable incremento de actividades sinérgicas que nacen de la necesidad
de un enriquecimiento mutuo y merecen ser destacadas por su
singularidad. Además de la relación entre museos y universidades, como
referentes culturales y educativos, esta obra colectiva aborda temáticas
plenamente actuales vinculadas a la faceta social del museo, en sus vertientes
inclusiva y comunicativa, que se nutren y retroalimentan desde la
actividad universitaria.

не каждый музей располагает специалистами, которые
грамотно и точно могут поставить задачи для создания эффективного, предназначенного для конкретной аудитории информационного ресурса. Поэтому исследования и работы, проводимые
сторонними организациями, зачастую не соответствуют ожиданиям. При этом корректная постановка задач по созданию ИР
и успешное продвижение музея в виртуальном пространстве
напрямую связаны с проведением социологических и маркетинговых исследований, эксклюзивным подходом к целевой аудитории,
варьированием методик. Проанализированные в настоящей статье данные позволили понять коммуникационные процессы, актуальные связи между событиями и реакцией на них посетителей.
Объединение усилий специалистов из крупных музеев для оценки
эффективности информационного ресурса является положительным примером и значимым прецедентом в области освоения музейного виртуального пространства.

El Museo Escolar de Pusol (MEP) es un Proyecto Educativo-Museístico que se desarrolla desde 1968 en la escuela unitaria de la pedanía rural de Puçol (mapa 1), en Elche, provincia de Alicante (mapa 2), España m. Su principal actividad es la educación de escolares utilizando el patrimonio y la cultura local como recursos didácticos, al tiempo que conserva y pone en valor dichos recursos con su labor museística tomando como punto de partida y eje conductor del proceso una museología de carácter comunitario.
PoEM es el nuevo Proyecto Educativo Museístico del Museo Escolar de Pusol. Constituye el resultado de cuatro años de trabajo colaborativo y de coproducción realizados con la ayuda de la sociedad local y de la investigadora en Museología Social, Lorena Sancho Querol.
Además de la historia, la cultura y la relación con medio que caracterizan al MEP, en el PoEM damos a conocer la misión, la visión, los valores y las metodologías museológicas y pedagógicas que definen las líneas de acción del Museo Escolar. Finalmente presentamos el nuevo Modelo de Gestión Participativa del MEP, que ha sido definido a partir de las buenas prácticas de participación de la sociedad en el museo escolar: el Modelo Granado.