Museum Studies at IUPUI offers many opportunities for unique, hands-on experiences in a professional context. Below are some samples of recent internship projects completed by MSTD students at area museums.

Finding Tools to Create a New Museum Experience through Visitor Evaluation at the Indianapolis Museum of Art

Tiffany Leason (MA Program) Summer and Fall 2006

The primary focus for this project at the Indianapolis Museum of Art was to facilitate visitors’ interaction with art, while collecting data on their behaviors and responses to interactive installations. This study took place in the McCormack Forefront Galleries for the traveling exhibit “On the Edge: Contemporary Chinese Artists Encounter the West” (June 30 – September 24, 2006) and later in Star Studio for a period of Julie Tourtillotte’s “Near and Far: Looking at Patterns” (August 6 – December 31, 2006). The guiding question for this project was, “What installation elements prompt museum visitors to more in-depth interaction and encourage the creation of a product and meaning?”

Tiffany created an instrument to record visitors' behavior and engagement with exhibit elements. This tool was adaptable to each installation and can be revised for future use. Open-ended interviews were also conducted with visitors who became engaged with Xu Bing’s “Square Word Calligraphy Classroom.”

After all of the observations and interactions with visitors in both installations, Tiffany analyzed the data and prepared a PowerPoint presentation for the management team of the Education Department, which led to an open forum about the findings and possible future applications. Tiffany says, “It is possible and highly successful to have an activity that suits people of different ages and abilities. In the case of ‘Square Word Calligraphy Classroom,’ the art installation was the activity itself, which contributed to the high rate of participation. I gained valuable hands-on experience with creating tools for research and evaluation. Working in the two separate interactive art-making areas of the museum helped me to better understand art education, universal design for learning and designed spaces, and what makes an engaging interactive and art activity, which will help to inform my future exhibit planning, development, and design work.”

Into the Bush: Archaeological Collections Management at the ancient Maya burial site of Caves Branch Rock Shelter, Belize, Central America

Gwendolen Raley (MA Program) Summer 2006

Since 2005 summer excavations have been underway at the ancient Maya burial site of Caves Branch Rockshelter located in the Belize Valley, Belize, Central America. Excavations at the site are supported by theBelize Institute of Archaeology and the Belize Valley Archaeological Reconnaissance -- Western Belize Regional Cave Project (BVAR-WBRCP), in conjunction with the University of Mississippi. BVAR-WBRCP is an archaeological project which investigates the use of caves by theancient Maya in Belize, Central America.

Gwendolen has an extensive background in archaeology, archaeological laboratory methods and procedures, and museum collections management and cataloguing procedures which have enabled her to function effectively as Laboratory Director at Caves Branch Rock Shelter since 2005. As Laboratory Director, Gwendolen manages the field lab and directs the processing and cataloguing of artifacts that have been freshly recovered via excavations at Caves Branch Rock Shelter and a couple of newly discovered sites in the area. In addition, she educates and supervises field school students in laboratory methods and procedures, and ensures that they understand the importance of lab work in the field.

As the lab is located a short distance away from the archaeological site at Ian Anderson's Caves Branch Adventure Co. & Jungle Lodge, Gwendolen and students in the lab function as "on-site" interpreters who educate visiting adventure tourists about the lab, the site, the artifacts, the project, and the Maya.

Gwendolen says of her work, "I derive an immesurable amount of self-worth and personal satisfaction from participating in the recovery, preservation, and interpretation of the ancient past. I enjoy being able to combine my museum experience with my archaeology and lab experience because they embody similar elements. Talking with the tourists is loads of fun because everyone is mesmerized by our collection of bones, pottery, and other artifacts. It is my personal vendetta to educate people of the importance of lab work in archaeology because without lab, it's just grave-robbing!"

"Devising a Reinstallation Plan for the Clowes Gallery
at the Indianapolis Museum of Art"

Cathy Hamaker (MA Program) Fall 2005

The IMA continues to undergo an enormous museum-wide renovation, and each gallery is being systematically re-installed. As Cathy has a background in the study of medieval European art, she was excited to have the chance to participate in devising a plan to reinstall those galleries at the museum. While the museum has a fine collection of medieval and renaissance art, there had not been a great deal of rotation of objects on display, and many fine items in collections storage had not been seen by the public for decades.

The project consisted of two major phases. The first was a re-examination of the museum's collection in this area, to search for suitable pieces which might be added to the reinstallation list. Cathy spent much time poring through the cataloging software, researching and listing objects for possible inclusion; she and the curator would then examine the artworks themselves in storage to determine their condition and usability.

Once a list was compiled, Cathy then developed a planning document, setting out goals and objectives for the reinstallation itself and suggesting ways to improve the flexibility of the installation while continuing to meet the needs of the museum and its donors. This document included a didactic plan for the exhibition, a re-examination of the possible use of gallery spaces, and an object list with photos (when available) showing the items to be included. This gave the curator a document to use as a partial foundation when beginning the actual reinstallation of the galleries in 2006.

Cathy says, "I had a great time with this internship. It gave me practical experience not only in my field of concentration (exhibit development) but also in curatorial practices and object handling, which was new territory for me. Curator Ronda Kasl was a huge help both in planning this project and in her enthusiastic support of the work I did."