Council for Museum Anthropology Virtual Spring Symposium, The Future is Now: Emerging Perspectives in Museology and Museum Anthropology | March 25-26, 2022
Over the course of two days, thirty people presented twenty-two papers ranging from designing, producing and preserving accessible touch objects, to exploring relationships between memory and work, to envisioning a Waialua Heritage Center. The conference supported 113 attendees on March 25 and 62 attendees on March 26 from fifteen countries including: Austria, Canada, Denmark, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan, Norway, Scotland, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the United States.
From the awards committee, chaired by CMA Board Member Laura Peers:
As prize-winners: It was difficult to select two clear prize-winners, but presentations by Amelia Smith and Inge Zwart were especially compelling:
Amelia Smith “Not Your Average Cistory: Why We Need a Transgender Museum Studies”: Smith’s presentation on a key emerging topic of transgender representation was lauded by one assessor as “a well-argued call for change in the museum field.”
Inge Zwart “Participation in Museums: Backstage Ideals and Frontstage Realities”: Zwart’s presentation gave a strong analysis of her case study on how the museum’s “backstage” transforms into a new front stage.
In addition to a cash award, prize-winners mentored through a publication opportunity on the Museum Anthropology blog.
The CMA Awards Committee assessors for the presentations also wish to recognize the following presentations as Highly Commended:
- Halena Kapuni-Reynolds “He Piko no ke Kaiāulu (A Navel for the Community): Remembering and Reconceptualizing a Keaukaha Cultural Center”: Kapuni-Reynolds presented rich ethnographic data, well contextualized, with a clear delineation of strong community engagement.
- Bradley Clements’s contribution to the panel, “The Memory is the Work, the Work is the Memory”: Clements’ detailed analysis linked material research with broad historical and cross-cultural issues of key importance today.
- Leonie Treier “Collecting, Altering, Displaying – Examining George Catlin’s Material Construction of Native American Culture”: Trier demonstrated especially strong material research methodology and the kinds of analysis that can be derived from it.
