ART 119A — Introduction to Museum Studies
This course provides a broad introduction to the operation of various types of museums (art, historical, natural history, science) and galleries (academic, commercial, artist-run spaces). It is designed to introduce students to the various jobs and responsibilities that exist within museums including exhibition design and curation, education, archival research, collection management, and conservation. Emphasis is placed on exploring the historical, theoretical, and practical aspects involved in the collection and display of visual and cultural objects, especially as this relates to social conditions and political ideologies. Numerous landmark and contemporary exhibitions are used as case studies for exploring and analyzing these issues in specific contexts.