My interest in archaeology and history began during the first semester of my undergraduate program, when I took the intro classes to American Studies and archaeology. Each professor was so passionate about what they did, and the first few images of artifacts and excavation pits enthralled me, as did my first history lesson that strayed from strictly flattering viewpoints of American history. I found everything about the subjects exciting, and fortunately, the Avery Point Campus offered a variety of courses in both categories, being the reason why my degree is in American studies. This major allowed me to indulge in multiple disciplines, all while earning credit towards American Studies, giving me the freedom to figure out where my interests are. …show more content…
Much to my delight, I had the opportunity to participate in two internships at well-known museums, where I could view firsthand the inner workings of both fields. My internship at the Connecticut River Museum fulfilled my historical curiosity by archiving their extensive photograph collection, as well as aiding the curator in setting up new exhibits. The internship at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum, however, enabled me to explore the world of archaeology in a hands-on environment. I was lucky enough to be involved with their field school on the days I was there, which also included gaining lab experience. I learned how to dig, grid, sort soil samples, identify artifacts, and how to use a total station. These experiences were the highlight of my undergraduate career, and proved that following these paths would give me ultimate happiness in life. Overall, researching and searching for artifacts just feel right, and not only that, but I believe any new finds have the potential to improve society, mainly by shedding light on humanity’s
Go into UNCG Genie and hunt for Degree Works, checking to see what classes I can share between Classical Civilizations (my current concentration) and Classical Archaeology (what I’m seriously considering switching too). She did suggest that I wait until I take an intro to archaeology course to make absolutely sure, and that as soon as I am to just shoot her an email and she’ll put me in contact with the right person.
It all seemed a little overwhelming. How I ended up there still seems like a dream even today. Back in early 2001, while working in an art museum library in Nashville, Tennessee, I heard about the internships at the National Gallery of Art. They have quite the reputation in the art world. I bemused myself by daydreaming of one day being an intern there. At the time I heard about them I most certainly wasn't a good candidate. I only had the one art museum gig under my belt and I still really lacked direction in my career ambitions. But fast forward to 2002. I was no longer working at the art museum library (the position was eliminated due to budget cuts) and I was no longer living in Nashville (I moved to Tucson to attend SIRLS). There's probably nothing else like losing your job to really make you figure out what you want to do with your life. I realized several things: I wanted to continue working in an information provision setting, and I wanted to work with visual collections, specifically photographs. Because of those goals, I chose to immediately find my way in at the Center for Creative Photography as soon as I arrived on campus in Tucson. I started out as a volunteer and would go on to do an internship there. This critical experience was exactly what I needed to boost my resume to the level of D.C. intern candidate. So . . . six full months before June 9, 2003, I applied for an internship at the National Gallery of Art.
The St. Louis Art Museum is one of the United States most renowned art museums that is located in our very own St. Louis. It has over 30,000 pieces of exquisite art that I had the privilege to witness. While there, I mainly examined the art pieces that were modern art, since that is of what I have a good working knowledge. There is a wide range of art that I also got to witness including the sculptures and the museum itself. In the past year, they have recently installed a new sector of their establishment that has done nothing less than enhance the entire museum’s overall beauty. The St. Louis Art Museum, there are many beautiful works, but there were three special projects that caught my eye while I was there. The Contemporary art periods, Modern art periods, the American art periods, and the museum itself.
In the same way, the article “The Life of An Artifact” written by Michael Shanks mainly discusses some of the key points of interpretive archaeology and the relations between social sciences and material culture. The author believes that material culture plays an active role in society, and that the society is built upon the presence of artifacts. He emphasizes that “artifacts The 727 canvas is the painting that shows Mr. DOB, a whimsical, sharp-toothed character riding the wave at the center. The character Mr. DOB’s full name is Bobozite, and it represents the image of Doraemon, a cat-like robot character from an anime series. The painting possesses a life-cycle that makes up the continuity or regeneration of the artifact (Takashi Murakami's 727).
The most interesting gallery that I noticed was the People of the Pecos Gallery, about the life of prehistoric hunter-gathers of Texas. The floor of the gallery was uneven almost looked like a cave floor, to resemble the limestone canyons in the northern Chihuahuan desert of lower Pecos River region of the Texas and Coahuila Mexico were these hunters-gatherers lived which can be dated back to 9000 years ago. With the help of perishable artifacts found in around the caves of Pecos, the archaeologist have established the life of these people.
People go to see artifacts in museums for experience. What could be a better experience than going to the place they are from? Yes, the trip could cost a little more, but you cannot replicate the historical value an object holds in its origin country. The price is nothing compared to the true understanding of the history we gain from going out and visiting the place they should be. The place they should be is their home, where they were found and formed, their origin country.
When I read the description of the humanities class for school I was not very happy to learn that it was a requirement. I have taken many business classes and that seems to fit right it with what I do. The thought of trying to learn something about pictures, sculpture, literature, dance, film, theatre, and architecture just did not appeal to me. I had actually signed up for this class one other time but after receiving the book and looking through it I decided to drop it. I don't think of myself as an artist and also really don't have time in my busy and sometimes hectic schedule to stroll through a museum. Now that the humanities class is coming to an end I must say that it has opened my eyes. I feel as though I have learned some more of the meaning of art and how to actually look at different pieces. For the final project the assignment was to visit a local exhibit and pick out something that appealed to you and write about it. I found that I enjoyed my trip to the exhibit more than I thought I would and kind of wish I had more time to spend there. During my walk around the art I picked a picture that I truly enjoyed named the passing of the Eclipse.
At the WWI museum exhibit at the NC Museum of History, I discovered what life was like for North Carolinian soldiers who entered WWI in 1917. The exhibit contained numerous artifacts, historical videos, and other educational components. Among the historical artifacts, there were items such as personal belongings, weapons, food, and clothes. First Lieutenant Thomas R. Darden was one of the soldiers shown in the exhibit. His haversack, gas mask, map case, binoculars case, and other personal items were on display in one showcase. These were items that were actually used by Thomas Darden, who was assigned as a tank commander to assist the British. The stories that the exhibit portrayed of individuals really personalized
SHA, and other archaeological societies, institutions, scholars and archaeologists find it hard to conduct or even to get involved in such shows that are produced for the entertaining of fans and also for gaining revenue. The Society for American Archaeology (SAA) is working on clearing-house project that will help in building public awareness about archaeology and the way it is practiced, therefore the project is seeking input from professionals and the interested public, in order to share and contribute information and
My first experience at the museum was a good one. I had so much fun even after we were done with the Norton-Simon. Being a business major, I did not know that art could speak to me as it did. It has not influenced me so much as to change my major, but it did open my eyes to a whole new world. Now when I look at art, I do not just see a pretty picture, but what the artist is actually trying to say.
Imagine that one piece of history that is taken from a town. This piece of history tells l people how this town was built and all the important people that were apart of the community. “Returning Antiquities to Their Countries of Origin” by Joyce Mortimer can many people about how objects are getting taken from Museums. They should be returned immediately. There are so many artifacts out there that could be so important to people, and if someone can just imagine what it would feel to have one of the most important object taken from a museum and to be never returned again. Many people enjoy seeing these objects so why are they being taken?
Going into this Humanities class, I had no idea what I was getting into. I didn’t know what the Humanities were and how it would impact my education at all. I had taken a number of history classes in high school and in college before and expected the Humanities to flow with my history classes in a sense. In my previous history class’s topics such as wars, The Great Depression, assassinations, the settling of different parts of the world, slavery, witch-hunts, and the use of animals were discussed. I thought that the Humanities would fall somewhere on the line with history. I wasn’t wrong with this assumption, but I wasn’t right either. The Humanities, I have learned, is so much more than the history that surrounds what people did, acted like, made as art, ate, and learned. The Humanities made all the different interactions between people clear. People to people, people to land, people to art, people to animals, and many other interactions that people come across. This class opened my mind to everything that art is and can be and to how important is it to learn from the past, grow for...
I began, initially at CSM, as a volunteer archives assistant, learning how best to organise, accession and catalogue items in the collection. I have proven myself to be a committed, capable and reliable intern, and am responsible for assisting the curator and senior members of staff with their activities and
Has it really been a year? Yes in fact it has! I can't believe that today marks a year since I was walking into orientation for volunteering at the Georgia Aquarium. If you would have told me that I would be able to memorize facts on all of our mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and Georgia Aquarium itself, I would have said you were crazy and that there was NO way possible. It's been a wild ride so far but at the start of this whole experience, I didn't know what to expect and to be honest I had thoughts of fear going through my head as well. What if they didn't like me, what if they thought I was a joke, would this just be another place that I would be picked on. So many emotions were going on that day, but I can thankfully say every
My internship experience this semester was interesting. I interned at ESH/MESH with Bridgeway. My Supervisor was Emilie Banz. I didn’t do much but I did learn a lot from this experience. I met a lot of great people and watch PsyR in action. I met a couple of individuals who were really cool. My experience this semester has prepared me for the next.