Tag Archives: Penn Museum

Justine Stiftel, Physics & Visual Studies, BMC ’20

Museum Studies Fieldwork Seminar (Prof. Scott)

Faculty Adviser: Monique Scott

Field Site: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

Field Supervisor: Joshua T. Lessard

Fieldwork Description:

At the Penn Museum, I had the opportunity to engage with the museum’s renovations and rebranding. The museum has been working to attract a broader audience than previously, and a major part of this work is becoming more accessible to disabilities. I took surveys of sound levels and ambient light levels in the galleries, to aid the exhibits team in their plans for future galleries. I also worked with Philly Touch Tours to understand the needs of visitors with low vision and worked toward 3D printing artifact replicas for these tours.

Final Presentation:

Stiftel_PraxisPresentation.pdf

Please click here to access a PowerPoint version of the presentation with additional notes.

Sean Keenan, History, BMC ’20

Museum Studies Fieldwork Seminar (Prof. Scott)

Faculty Advisor: Monique Scott

Field Site: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

Field Supervisor: Katy Blanchard

Fieldwork Description:

I have had an overall excellent experience during my Praxis course. The fieldwork that I’ve done at the Penn Museum has allowed me to get hands on experience within the field. This opportunity has taught me the necessary skills involved in rehousing and photographing a collection. I got the chance to hit upon my learning objectives, which has involved learning to build connections with the team I worked with as well as get a better understanding of museum practices involved in archeological materials. Having these experiences has and getting a chance to reflect on them during the class portion of the course has allowed me to truly appreciate my time there working with Katy and the other interns. I also really enjoyed hearing from my fellow interns and classmates regarding their own experiences and thoughts they had during their placements. Having participated in this experience has expanded my overall knowledge of how expansive the museum world actually is.

Final Presentation:

Sean Keenan_Penn Museum as an Excavating Body Final

Please click here to access a PDF version of the presentation.

Mira Yuan, Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology & Linguistics, BMC ’21

Museum Studies Fieldwork Seminar (Prof. Scott)

Faculty Advisor: Monique Scott

Field Site: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

Field Supervisor: Katy Blanchard

Fieldwork Description:

I interned at the Penn Museum in the Near Eastern Collection under Katy Blanchard, along with fellow museum studies students Alex Stern and Sean Keenan. As interns, we were cataloging, photographing, and rehousing material from the site of Beth Shean in Israel.

Some of the material from Beth Shean had been in the collection for nearly 90 years, but still didn’t have a picture on the database. Objects are far more likely to be included in academic research when people can see what they look like before contacting the collections keeper. Although our internship was cut short, we assisted in adding over 1,000 photos to the online collection.

Final Presentation:

Mira Yuan Blog Post Penn Museum Internship

Please click here to access a PDF version of the presentation.

Alexandra Stern, Classical & Near Eastern Archaeology (BMC) & History of Art (BMC), HC ’20

Museum Studies Fieldwork Seminar (Prof. Scott)

Faculty Advisor: Monique Scott

Field Site: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

Field Supervisor: Katy Blanchard

Fieldwork Description:

As the final component of my Museum Studies minor, I worked as an intern in the Near East section of the Penn Museum with Katy Blanchard, the Keeper of the Collection. As part of my responsibilities with Katy, I worked with another intern, Sean, and in conjunction with a third intern, Mira, to help  the collection’s significant holdings of material from Beth Shean. The larger goals of this project were threefold; our work with the collection helped make the basement in which they are housed a safer environment (for both the collections and the staff who work there), as the objects had not been rehoused since likely the 1930’s, to help prepare for an upcoming refreshing of the Museum’s Canaan and Israel gallery, and to help provide data for the continuation of the project in future years. In addition, the project gave each of us the chance to try our hand at collections management and object photography. Although our work was cut short, we were able to rehouse and photograph a significant percentage of the overall collection, contributing to both the basement environment and the Museum’s online catalog.

Final Presentation:

Stern Site Presentation (1) (3)

Please click here to access a PowerPoint version of the presentation with additional notes.