"Curatorial Dreams: Critics Imagine Exhibitions engages museological theory and practice in an innovative and creative manner by asking scholars to propose and conceptualize exhibitions inspired by their critical concerns and substantive research. The 14 authors in Curatorial Dreams share a commitment to translating critical academic theory about society, culture, and history into broadly accessible imagined exhibitions, offering concrete, imaginative projects designed for particular museums and other sites of display which distill their concerns materially for non-specialist visitors. In doing so, the volume addresses the tensions and conflicts existing between academic museum studies and practical public museology. Museum criticism is rarely constructive: its driving concern is to find fault with exhibitions. Such critiques often threaten and alienate practitioners, who must negotiate historical legacies as well as practical and political constraints, even as they work to innovate. While the deconstructive critique of museums remains relevant, Curatorial Dreams builds upon the sense of optimism expressed by many museum professionals regarding museums' potential to contribute to an inclusive and enriching public shere."-- Provided by publisher. "The volume explores the value of curatorial dreaming as an intellectual exercise in humanities and social science scholarship, presents this way of translating theory into practice as a form of public scholarship, and shows how exhibitions can be a method for conducting reflexive, participatory research and crowd-sourced exhibition criticism."-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.