BotanyHall:DioramasinContextColleenO’Reilly&AislingQuigley

PhotosbyKateMadison

TheGoalsofBotanyHall:DioramasinContext

● PushbeyondsurfacereadingsofBotanyHall,explorethe intellectualcomplexityandrichhistoryofthedioramas,andarguethatthismustbedoneusinginterdisciplinarymethods

● UseBotanyHalltoexploretheoretical questionsaboutobjectsthatbridgeartandscience,putincontextwithothermuseums

● Exploretheuseofdigital/online toolsforthesepurposes

● Experimentwithcollaborativehumanitiesresearch(university-museum,arthistory-informationscience,grad-undergrad)

Spring2016

Summer2016:LIS2225MuseumArchives

KateMadisonandEmilyEnterline,MLISStudentsDr.NoraMattern

provenance:“understandingboththestructureandprocesses oforganizationsthatcreatetherecordsinquestion”

BearmanandLytle,“ThePowerofthePrincipleofProvenance,”Archivaria,21,Winter1985-86

“referstothe individual,family,ororganizationthatcreatedorreceivedtheitemsinacollection.”

SocietyofAmericanArchivists

Summer2016“Thereweremanychallenges inundertakingaprovenanceprojectonBotanyHallattheCarnegieMuseumofNaturalHistory.Thebiggestchallenge,overthecourseoftheterm,wasindefiningtheconceptof“provenance”inhowitrelatedtoanexhibitspaceandbotanicaldioramascreatednotasartobjects,butaseducationalexhibits...Bytheendoftheterm,wehaddecidedtodefineprovenance,inthecaseofBotanyHallatCMNH,asintellectual ownershipoverthecontentandstructureoftheexhibition space...

WhatwewantedmosttounderstandthroughourresearchwastheuniverseofdocumentationwithinCMNH.Anearlychallengewasgettingaccesstorelevantrecords...OurunderstandingoftheuniverseofdocumentationwithinCMNHisofawidelydispersedanddisconnectedworldofrecordsdividedbetweenthedifferentactivesections ofthemuseum…”

- KateMadison‘16

Summer2016

AttemptatProvenance

1927AndreyAvinoff[1884-1949]andOttoE.Jennings[1877-1964]andGardenClubofAlleghenyCounty{1928Penna.SpringFloraGroup,1929ArizonaDesertGroup,1931TropicalGroup,1933Mt.RainerGroup,1934Penna.BogGroup};by1940(WorksProgressAdministration)andFrankA.Linder[unknown];by1942OttmarF.vonFuehrer[1896-1965]andHannevonFuehrer[unknown];by1973LeroyK.Henry[1905-1983]andDorothyE.Pearth[1914-1996];{1965PresqueIsleGroup,1973Penna.HardwoodForestGroup,1976KitchenHerbGardenGroup}.

- KateMadisonandEmilyEnterline‘16

Fall2016:MuseumStudiesAcademicInterns

Threeresearchprojects:

LeslieRose- ScalarbookonwomenwhoplayedkeyrolesinthehistoryofBotanyHall,exploring theroleofgenderinthisspace

BridgetLynch- Mini-documentaryincludinginterviewswithmuseumstaffonthedioramasandtheirevolvingroleinthemuseumovertime

ElizaWick- PaperandPrezionthebackgroundpaintings,therelationshipbetweenthe2Dand3D,andhowthepaintingsbridgeartandscience

Fall2016

“Myprimaryfocuswastherolewomenplayedinthecreationofthedioramasfrompastandpresent.Thissubjectinterestedmemostbecauseitwasapointwherebotany,museumstudies,andgenderstudiesintersected.” - LeslieRose

“MyfinalPrezipresentationdiscusses...problemsoftrustworthinesswithsubjectiveimagessuchasartpaintingsthatareusedfortheeducationofscience.Afterarguingforwhywecantrusttheseimages,Iultimatelyprovewhythosesameartisticqualitiesarethewhatmakethedioramasoeffectiveasaneducationaltool..”- ElizaWick

“Museumsareatimelessentity,protectorsofthepastandhistoryforfuturegenerations,butnowthattechnologyhasbecomesuchastapleinpeople’slives,howdodioramascompetewithit?..ShouldBotanyHall’srepresentationofnaturebeadaptedtofitthecurrentcontextoftheworld?”- BridgetLynch(narrationfrommini-documentary)

Fall2016

“ScalarisaplatformthatcreatesadigitalbookthatallowsreaderstonavigatetheirownpaththroughthenarrativesthatIpresent.Thepicturesanddocumentsfoundinthemuseum’sarchiveswerevitalintheunderstandingandcreationofthisprojectandIfeltthatIneededaplatformthatshowcasedthat.”- LeslieRose

“Theautonomycanbeveryexcitingasitisbasedonself-inquiry,yetitcanalsobeextremelyoverwhelmingwhenyouhavelittledirectiononyourprocessandend-product....Overall,thisinternshipwasextremelyhelpfulinstrengtheningmyconfidenceinmyresearchandpreparationandtimemanagementabilities.” -ElizaWick

“NotonlyhaveIgainagreatdealofknowledgeaboutBotanyandthehallandtheworkingsofthemuseum,butithasallowedmytorealize theamountofworkanddrivethatisrequiredforaninternshipthatislargelyindependentwork..Fromflippingthrougholdarchivesinthemuseumannextoconstantlyrewritingascripttofinallyfilminginthemuseum,itwasawonderfulopportunitythatallowedmetolearnbymyownmistakesaswellasgivingmeinsightintotheprofessionalrealmofthemuseumworldandthedocumentaryfilmmakingworld.”- BridgetLynch

Constellations:http://constellations.pitt.edu/dioramasincontext

CMNHTumblr

Nextsteps…

Wordpress:https://sites.haa.pitt.edu/botanyhall/

SharingourResearch

TheFuture...

Potentialoptions:- workshops(ourown;ConsumingNature)- conferences(ICOMNATHIST2017)- publication

Suggestions?Questions?CollaborationOpportunities?- email:cwo8@pitt.edu and/oraoq1@pitt.edu