AR 100 – OBJECT BIOGRAPHIES

OBJECT BIOGRAPHIES – DIGITAL ASSIGNMENT With one object a great deal can be discerned about the past. Humans, cultures, and societies form intense relationships with objects, and through the study of object, these relationship become accessible, even if anchored in the past. Inquiries can begin with the basics: Who owned or made an object? What was their relationship to the material, form, or represented content? And extend in scope and scale: What does an object tell us about ancient commerce and trade? Did it ‘function’ and, if so, where (setti ng, context, time frame, etc.) and how (animacy, magic, technology, etc.)? Focusing on a single object within a museum’s digital collection, this assignment asks you to engage these types of questions as you create a biography of your selected object. The aim is to explore a significant aspect of culture, society, or period in history through an object’s biographical history. GOALS 1) Understand the role of an ancient object within its cultural/historic contexts and how it came to be in a museum setting. 2) Develop basic research skills and the ability to transition for acquired knowledge to communicated concepts. 3) Develop skills for short-form, digital communication appropriate for non-specialist audiences. These skills can be used to communicate ideas or concepts to others in educational as well as professional settings, such as sales pitches, product proposals, or marketing strategies, among others. PART 1 1) Tour a Virtual Museum: Google Arts and Culture, https://g.co/arts/diRGXVXHVzTuxhvs7 • Over 2,000 museums from around the world are included in the google arts and culture digitization project. Most of these museums provide opportunities to use google street view within their various galleries. 2) Select an object. It can be something made of ceramic, metal, wood, or stone, and should be more than 200 years old. No paintings on canvas. I suggest focusing on the anthropology or archaeology museums, rather than those that center on contemporary or modern art. • Museum Recommendations: o The Met: https://g.co/arts/M4gAwLf4fFh9d6mt9 o The Kimbell: https://g.co/arts/oHo8UaiQqPSWrAa77 o Acropolis Museum: https://g.co/arts/HGVM6pWKrv1imPRG9 o The British Museum: https://g.co/arts/sPfnBUpMZAR9HZJn9 o The Brooklyn Museum: https://g.co/arts/je6hJo6tYnSL8xXr6 o The Israel Museum: https://g.co/arts/61wSKtzWAi429Uuw6 o Museo Nacional de Antropologia, Mexico: https://g.co/arts/VTTWrMkfeDEt1WR29 o The Pergamon Museum: https://g.co/arts/5Y1KsR6xq6U3dbre9 o Altes Museum: https://g.co/arts/UTL4P48f6PoV5BPL8 o Museo del Oro: https://g.co/arts/ZxW8FaG1ciur7aZ5A o Hong Kong Museum of Art: https://g.co/arts/pkPsVQ38GKLSvaUCA

o Frick: https://g.co/arts/5LHHpVjCrXyUD2tj6 o Dumbarton Oaks: https://g.co/arts/c2Q6ZM3UH2WLan6Z6 o The Museum of Islamic Art: https://g.co/arts/SzJyNwHAUVW3arnP6 o Rijksmuseum van Oudheden: https://g.co/arts/KNVCjgueGPizU8Q2A o Museum Nasional Indonesia: https://g.co/arts/LHt63VWM2c2eqCTR7 o Salar Jung Museum: https://g.co/arts/3yCPSeMHKbBFJTVu5 o Museo Nacional de Arqueologia Subacuatica: https://g.co/arts/2ANQ7oMpJCvnPnyw9 o The Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka: https://g.co/arts/68MHzNtuJnUzdEqZ9 o Museo Arqueologico Nacional: https://g.co/arts/5JgHQYwtrrbrNZYX7 o Museo Machu Picchu: https://g.co/arts/ibjhAB4icPvcXHAx6 o Hamburg Archaeological Museum: https://g.co/arts/R7dk5D3UDsBYMSa1A o Museo d’Arte Orientale: https://g.co/arts/PseAqiTsBuU7vtG78 o Indian Museum, Kolkata: https://g.co/arts/Dx7FcbTRZs2xkKWc7 3) Spend 10 minutes with the object without researching it. I want you to spend at least ten minutes on observation: looking at it, sketching it, or otherwise taking notes about it. Here are some questions to get you thinking: • What is it made out of? How was it made? • Who might have used it? What might it have been used for? Is it decorative or utilitarian or both? • Is it decorated? How? What might the decoration represent? • If it depicts a person or deity: who is that person? What clues give you signals of who that person might be? 4) Read the information on the object provided by the virtual museum. Spend another 10 minutes looking at the object and adding to your notes based on the provided information. • What did you guess right or wrong? • How does the plaque change your answers to any of the questions above? • What questions do you still have? 5) Come up with research questions about the object that will be the focus of your object biography. Here are some examples: • Who owned this object? • How did this object get to the museum? • How/Why was this object made? • What was this objects function/role in society? • What events did this object witness/participate in? • How does this object reflect the culture that made it? PART 2 1) Do some research about the object online and using the BU library resources. This should help you answer your questions about the object. This doesn’t need to be e xtensive, just look for the answers to your specific question.