25/FA Museum Studies

AHD-2596-C

School of Visual Arts

Art History

Fall 2025

Class Times / Description

Class Times: 09/05/25-12/17/25, Fri 03:20PM-06:10PM

Course Description

How are art collections and museums formed? Who decides what a museum exhibits? Is a museum like a bank vault filled with precious objects, or is it more like a secular cathedral? This course will address these questions by surveying the history and philosophy of art collections and museums. Topics include: public, private and corporate art collections; the conservation and preservation of art; museum architecture; installation design; traveling exhibitions; museum education programs; exhibition catalogs; museum trustees; laws that impact museums; commercial galleries and non-profit artists' spaces.

Course Outcomes

After completing this course, students will:

describe museums and art galleries, and be able to curate an exhibition.

Course Requirements

GRADES: are based on Assignments, Attendance, Class Participation, and Academic integrity:

1) On-time assignments.

2) Regular attendance. If you have more than 2 absences, it will be hard for you to pass this course.

3) Participation in Zoom meetings: you need to be there mentally and physically, and you must contribute.

4) Academic integrity: Copying word-for-word from any source is plagiarism. If you use material from the Library, the Internet, or AI technology, say so and cite the source. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Students who commit academic dishonesty will fail the assignment and not receive higher than a C in this course. Repeated cheating is grounds for failure of the course.

Course Outline

1- Introduction to the class and Historical Museums (part 1)

CLASS

30:00 Intro to class; students introduce themselves

1 5:00 min break

15:00 SHORT STORY: Historical - National Palace Museum, Beijing and Taipei

20:00 SHORT STORY: Historical – Louvre, Paris

2 - Historical Museums (part 2)

CLASS

XX DISCUSSION of curatorial concepts

11 :22 SHORT STORY: Met NY

50:35 FILM: Inside the Met: All Things to All People?

15:00 min break

46:51  FILM: Inside the Forbidden City: Survival

Instructor EXPLANATION of Assignment 1  (due next session).

3 - Curating an exhibition

HOMEWORK

Complete Assignment 1  on the FILMS Inside the Met: All Things to All People? and Inside the Forbidden City: Survival

CLASS

XX DISCUSSION of curatorial concepts

15:01 SHORT STORY: Curating

41:17 CASE STUDY: Whirligigs

19:35 CASE STUDY: Sacred Geometry

15:00 min break

48:23 CASE STUDY: Freud Antiquities

28:04 CASE STUDY: Dreams

Instructor EXPLANATION of Assignment 2 (due next session).

4 - Acquisitions and Provenance

HOMEWORK

Do the READING “The Missing Madonna” [in FILES on Canvas] Complete Assignment 2 on the READING

CLASS

XX DISCUSSION of curatorial concepts

31:18 SHORT STORY: Acquisition and Provenance

25:05 SHORT STORY: Bubon Bronzes

15:00 min break

55:13 FILM: An Acquiring Mind: Phillip de Montebello

5 - Jobs in museums and galleries: Registrar, Installation Designer, Preparator, Conservator

HOMEWORK

Complete Assignment 3 on the FILM An Acquiring Mind

CLASS

30:00 EXHIBIT (15min - look at exhibit+leave a comment; 15 min discuss)

30:00 EXHIBIT (15min - look at exhibit+leave a comment; 15 min discuss)

7:46 SHORT STORY: Jobs in museums and galleries

4:41 SHORT STORY: Registrar

44:01 SHORT STORY: Installation designer

31:10 SHORT STORY: Installer/Preparator

?? SHORT STORY: Conservator

6 - Jobs in museums and galleries: Fundraising, Education, Publications

HOMEWORK

Do the READING: “The Modest Museum” [in FILES on Canvas]

Complete Assignment 4 on the READING

CLASS

30:00 EXHIBIT (15min - look at exhibit+leave a comment; 15 min discuss)

30:00 EXHIBIT (15min - look at exhibit+leave a comment; 15 min discuss)

15:00 min break

16:06 SHORT STORY: Fundraising

6:41 SHORT STORY: Education

6:58 SHORT STORY: Publications

7- Museums of Modern Art, Galleries, and Auctions

HOMEWORK

Do the READING: “The Dia Generation” [in FILES on Canvas]

Complete Assignment 5 on the READING

CLASS

30:00 EXHIBIT (15min - look at exhibit+leave a comment; 15 min discuss)

30:00 EXHIBIT (15min - look at exhibit+leave a comment; 15 min discuss)

15:00 min break

27:16 SHORT STORY: MoMA

39:18: SHORT STORY: Galleries and Auctions

8- Museum Architecture for the 21st Century

HOMEWORK: None this week

CLASS

30:00 EXHIBIT (15min - look at exhibit+leave a comment; 15 min discuss)

30:00 EXHIBIT (15min - look at exhibit+leave a comment; 15 min discuss)

15:00 min break

30:00 POWERPOINT Museum Architecture for the 21st-Century

9- Science museums

HOMEWORK

Complete Assignment 6 on the POWERPOINT (from session 8) Museum Architecture for the 21 st-Century

CLASS

30:00 EXHIBIT (15min - look at exhibit+leave a comment; 15 min discuss)

30:00 EXHIBIT (15min - look at exhibit+leave a comment; 15 min discuss)

15:00 min break

27:27 SHORT STORY: Science museums

1 :08: CASE STUDY Madness in America

10 - Art in time of war

HOMEWORK: None this week

CLASS

30:00 EXHIBIT (15min - look at exhibit+leave a comment; 15 min discuss)

30:00 EXHIBIT (15min - look at exhibit+leave a comment; 15 min discuss)

No break – long films

10 SHORT STORY: Art Lost in WWII

42:51  FILM: Rape of Europa (part 01)

44:34 FILM: Rape of Europa (part 02)

11  - Smuggling and Looting

HOMEWORK

Complete Assignment 7 on the FILM Rape of Europa

CLASS

30:00 EXHIBIT (15min - look at exhibit+leave a comment; 15 min discuss)

30:00 EXHIBIT (15min - look at exhibit+leave a comment; 15 min discuss)

15:00 min break

22:54 SHORT STORY: Smuggling - Egyptian antiquities

36:07 SHORT STORY: Parthenon sculpture

19:47 SHORT STORY: Benin bronzes

16:58 SHORT STORY: Euphronios Vase

12 - Conservation/Restoration

HOMEWORK: None this week

CLASS

30:00 EXHIBIT (15min - look at exhibit+leave a comment; 15 min discuss)

30:00 EXHIBIT (15min - look at exhibit+leave a comment; 15 min discuss)

15:00 min break

30:17 SHORT STORY: Restoration of Architecture

15:25 SHORT STORY: Restoration of Painting

18:57 SHORT STORY: Prado: Roger van der Weyden Crucifixion

7:34 SHORT STORY: Sistine Chapel

13 - Authentification

HOMEWORK: None this week

CLASS

30:00 EXHIBIT (15min - look at exhibit+leave a comment; 15 min discuss)

30:00 EXHIBIT (15min - look at exhibit+leave a comment; 15 min discuss)

15:00 min break

46:31 SHORT STORY: Authentification

18 min in begins story of Robert Simon, et al and Salvatore Mundi

14- Forgeries

HOMEWORK: None this week

CLASS

30:00 EXHIBIT (15min - look at exhibit+leave a comment; 15 min discuss)

30:00 EXHIBIT (15min - look at exhibit+leave a comment; 15 min discuss)

15:00 min break

4:36 SHORT STORY: Forgeries

55:32 FILM: The Forger and the Con Man

15 - Memorials

HOMEWORK

Complete Assignment 8 on the FILM The Forger and the Con Man

CLASS

30:00 EXHIBIT (make-up)

30:00 EXHIBIT (make-up)

15:00 min break

15:36 SHORT STORY: Memorial museums

3:04 VIDEO: Holocaust Memorial in DC

2:57 VIDEO: Holocaust Memorial in Berlin

7:12 VIDEO: Maya Lin, Vietnam Veterans Memorial

3:17 VIDEO: 9-11 Memorial

2:10 VIDEO: 9-11 Memorial: Tribute in Light