Faculty Sponsor(s)
Hillary Crane
Location
Jereld R. Nicholson Library: Grand Avenue
Subject Area
Anthropology
Description
This study investigates how small academic museums, like the Linfield Anthropology Museum, interact and engage with their community. A chronological approach was used, where the way that the museums interacted with the community over time was analyzed, as well as interviews with people involved in the museum, and their perspective on the changes in the museum. This study focused on four exhibits and the shifts in the location of the museum. The museum’s move to a more open, decentralized space created new opportunities for both the museum and its community.
The shift to a more decentralized, open exhibit space has created new opportunities for both the museum and its community. The outside community feels more connected to the museum now in a way that it did not when the museum was isolated in its own room, and the exhibits show the specific ways in which the community and the museum have interacted over the years. This shared identity, which the museum can remind the community of through exhibits, has the potential to make the outside community more united, especially if the museum continues to follow the shift and focus on the community.
Recommended Citation
Miller, Zoya, "Community Engagement through Academic Museums: A Case Study of the Linfield Anthropology Museum" (2018). Linfield University Student Symposium: A Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Achievement. Event. Submission 52.
https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/symposium/2018/all/52
Community Engagement through Academic Museums: A Case Study of the Linfield Anthropology Museum
Jereld R. Nicholson Library: Grand Avenue
This study investigates how small academic museums, like the Linfield Anthropology Museum, interact and engage with their community. A chronological approach was used, where the way that the museums interacted with the community over time was analyzed, as well as interviews with people involved in the museum, and their perspective on the changes in the museum. This study focused on four exhibits and the shifts in the location of the museum. The museum’s move to a more open, decentralized space created new opportunities for both the museum and its community.
The shift to a more decentralized, open exhibit space has created new opportunities for both the museum and its community. The outside community feels more connected to the museum now in a way that it did not when the museum was isolated in its own room, and the exhibits show the specific ways in which the community and the museum have interacted over the years. This shared identity, which the museum can remind the community of through exhibits, has the potential to make the outside community more united, especially if the museum continues to follow the shift and focus on the community.
