shaping exhibition development around community perspectives
DESCRIPTION
Presentation from “Shaping Exhibition Development Around Community Perspectives” paper presented on panel “Reaching Deeper - Artists, Curators, and Educators Engaging Communities” at the 2013 Council of American Jewish Museum’s Conference, New York, New York, February 2013.TRANSCRIPT
Shaping Exhibition Development
Zachary Paul Levine, Curator at Yeshiva University Museum
Artists, Curators, and Educators Engaging Communities
Around Community Perspectives Reaching
Deeper –
Why the Eruv? (or What the heck is an Eruv and who cares?)
• An eruv is a ritual enclosure for the Sabbath
• Integrate religious and technical creativity
• Eruv history closely tied to Jewish history
• Gaining academic interest
• Artists working around the concept of eruv
Get Your A-TeamAssembled an Advisory Board of Scholars
• Confounds the most knowledgeable
• Controversial, especially in New York
• Hundreds of thousands of Jews rely on community eruvs
The Panel’s Conclusions:
• Growing interest popularly
At the Center
These issues are especially important to Orthodox Jews in particular
• Nobody else uses an eruv (no kidding!)
• NOT A LOOPHOLE! Illiteracy around Eruv in Jewish legal tradition
• Recent data on composition of Orthodox Jewish community
• Gender dynamics
• Field of Analysis: NYC
On a (Kashered) Silver Platter
•Defined the focus: Eruv and Jewish Community in New York
In other Words … here’s your audience:
• Defined the Audience: Several Hundred Thousand Orthodox Jews
Primary Targeted Communities:
• Eruv Enthusiasts (and builders)
• Jewish Schools• Synagogue Communities
Target: Big Apple Orthodox Jews
Primary Targeted Communities:
• Eruv Enthusiasts (and builders)
• Jewish Schools• Synagogue Communities
• Cultivate awareness about the exhibition • Enhance the museum’s profile• Acquire a working database of community contacts
Early Outreach Goals
Target: Big Apple Orthodox Jews
Museum Educators• Know who to call in the schools
• Align exhibition with school needs
•Generate buzz about the exhibition among educators
Putting Out the Call
Education’s Role
Contact Influential Educators and Rabbis• Consultations
• Program Design and Planning
• Networking
Contact Influential Educators and Rabbis• Consultations
• Program Design and Planning
• Networking
Interpret Communal Needs
• Identify objects
• Highlight objects
• Identify Essential Lessons
Education’s Role
Putting Out the Call
• Knows people who make eruvs
• Understand the historical and practical dimensions
•Make Connections
Eruv Scholars (Rabbis, Enthusiasts, Others)
• What do people know and not know?
• Life before eruvs
• Impact on women, children, and the infirm
Gathering Information
Getting Communal Voices - Survey
• Stories
• Interviews with eruv creators • Stories about controversies
•Maintaining eruvs
Leaders – Films
• Finding objects
•What do people know and not know?
• Life before eruvs• Impact on women, children, and the infirm
Gathering Information
Getting Communal Voices - Survey
• Stories
•Discovered stories about eruv history in NYC• Uncovered objects (eruv gates on telephone poles)•Made connections with leaders and their communities
Gathering Information
Effects
•On the eruv in general (using lasers!) • Eruv history in NYC (Thousands of strings)• Eruv present in NYC
The Artists
Art Pieces on the Eruv
Meeting Expectations?
•Greater relevance for schools
• Better alignment with programs (youth and adult)
• Education brought into interpretative planning
Education Department’s Role – Success
• Initially, attracted students
• Art pieces enhanced didactic quality
Meeting Expectations?
• Added community voices into the exhibition• Tightened the narrative’s argument from the beginning• Placed the narrative in the NYC area (artifacts and interactive content)
Community Awareness – Success
Meeting Expectations?
• Community buzz – Did not appear to last• Community ambassadors (synagogues, experts) – Did not advocate• Limited press attention
Unfulfilled Expectations – Limited Press and Few Visitors
• External factors
Meeting Expectations?
• Hurricane Sandy
• Bus Strike
•Maybe too Jewish?
Caveat – External Factors
And Beyond…
• Benefits of cooperation between curatorial and education departments
• Value of applying community input to interpretative planning
Lessons Learned
• Challenging to expect participants to act as ambassadors