Open Folklore

An exciting new venture called Open Folklore.

The American Folklore Society (AFS) and the Indiana University Bloomington Libraries are creating a prototype of a new scholarly resource called Open Folklore. The vision for this open-access online portal for folklore studies is to make a greater number and variety of useful resources, both published and unpublished, available for the field of folklore studies and the communities with which folklore scholars partner. In its full form, we intend for Open Folklore to be a multi-faceted project that combines digitization and digital preservation of data, publications, educational materials, and scholarship in folklore; promotes open access to these materials; and provides an online search tool to enhance discoverability of relevant, reliable resources for folklore studies. In its initial phase, the partners will construct a prototype to gather feedback from the folklore community to shape its future growth and development.

Idaho Museum of Natural History Accreditation

A brief article about progress at the , and the attempt to get re-accredited.

CFP: Museum Engagement and Applied Anthropology

Call for Papers: Society for Applied Anthropology Annual Meeting
Seattle, Washington (March 30 - April 2, 2011)

Session Title: Museum Engagement and Applied Anthropology

Session Organizer: Robert P. Connolly (University of Memphis)

The session is conceptually framed around The Participatory Museum by Nina Simon and the contribution that applied anthropologists bring to the discussion. Simon (2010:ii-iii) defines a participatory institution as: a place where visitors can create, share, and connect with each other around content. Create means that visitors contribute their own ideas, objects, and creative expression to the institution and to each other. Share means that people discuss, take home, remix, and redistribute both what they see and what they make during their visit. Connect means that visitors socialize with other people—staff and visitors—who share their particular interests. Around content means that visitors’ conversations and creations focus on the evidence, objects, and ideas most important to the institution in question.
The session aims to discuss the building of sustained and engaged relationships in museums along with the methodological and theoretic contributions of applied anthropology to the process.

Relevant questions session papers may address include:
• As cultural institutions how do museums demonstrate their value and relevance in the 21st Century?
• Can museums serve as “third places” for social engagement?
• What is the relevancy of shifting population demographics and inclusivity to community engagement through museums?
• How do theoretic orientations, such as the constructivist approach and free-choice learning, inform on the Participatory Museum.
• How does the Participatory Museum influence the authority of voice in both content and function of cultural institutions?
• What can applied anthropologists add to the discussion of Participatory Museums?
• How can museums function as dynamic venues for sustained and engaged relationships with a diversity of communities.

Although papers are not required to remain within the parameters of Simon’s discourse, for reference, her book is available at:

http://www.participatorymuseum.org/

If you are interested in participating, please send a brief summary of your proposed contribution to Robert Connolly at rcnnolly@memphis.edu by September 1, or before.

Tribal Museum Administrator Opening

JOB TITLE: CULTURAL/MUSEUM ADMINISTRATOR
SALARY: $73,683.49, PLUS BENEFITS
OPENING DATAE: May 24, 2010 CLOSING DATE: Open Until Filled
NOTE: To ensure consideration, apply within the first 10 working days of the opening date. If sufficient qualified applicants apply, the announcement could be closed at that time.
STATUS: Probationary/Permanent, Full-Time HRS/WK: Non-Exempt
DEPARTMENT: Natural Resources/Cultural Center/Museum JOB LOCATION: Topawa, AZ

STATEMENT OF JOB: Accomplishes established objectives by planning, organizing, directing and evaluating all functions required to operate and maintain activities and services provided by the Tohono O'odham Nation’s Cultural Center/Museum. Is responsible for long-range Cultural Center/Museum planning; implementation and maintenance of professional standards and serves as the liaison between with the Executive and Legislative Branches of the Nation’s Government, Cultural Center/Museum Board, advisory groups, other Tribal Museums and the professional museum, archaeology and anthropology communities. The listed tasks are ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY, and are not a comprehensive listing of all functions and tasks performed by positions in this class.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
1. Master’s Degree in Museum Studies, Native American Studies, Anthropology, Archaeology or a related field
2. Seven years experience in museum administration, research and related museum activities.

AND
• Bilingual O’odham/English preferred.
• Valid Arizona Driver’s License (No DUI's or major traffic offenses within the past three (3) years.)
• Must successfully complete and pass a background investigation and fingerprint check

HOW TO APPLY: Submit the following: (1) a signed & completed Tohono O'odham Nation employment application, (2) a signed & completed Authorization to Release Information document, (3) a signed & completed Background/MVR Investigations document, (4) if claiming Indian Preference, submit a certified document of Indian Blood certificate (C.I.B.) OR a copy of Tribal Enrollment Card, (5) current resume, three (3) Letters of Reference, copy of Degree and/or transcripts, MVR-39 Month Report, and copy of current valid Arizona drivers license to the Tohono O'odham Nation's Human Resources Department, P.O. Box 837, Sells, AZ 85634. Call (520) 383-6540, for an application or information. Applications and supporting documents become the property of the Tohono O'odham Nation.

Please keep copies for your own reference.

Preference in filling vacancies will be given to (1) enrolled members of the Tohono O'odham Nation, (2) enrolled members of other nation's or tribes, (3) other candidates. The Tohono O'odham Nation is committed to providing Equal Employment Opportunities. The Tohono O'odham Nation is an "Alcohol/Drug Free Work Place".

Repatriation News

A lot of repatriation news lately!

A heated article in Nature about a leaked copy of the GAO report on NAGPRA. [Ed note: Update, see the Indian Country Today article on the report as well, here.]

A voluntary international repatriation from the Field Museum to five Inuit communities in Labrador, Canada.

A positive story about the repatriation and reburial of human remains in Australia!

MU Museum of Anthropology

A good story, coming from the MU Museum of Anthropology, about the ins and outs of setting up an exhibit.

Exhibitions lodged in the MU Museum of Anthropology do not arrive prepackaged. Every three months, Jessica Boldt, assistant museum curator, must decide how to present delicate, varied pieces of history into a digestible package for visitors. "Whenever you put together an exhibit, there's always something you forget about or something that takes longer than you thought or you can't get something to look right," Boldt said. [Continue reading here]

Repatriation Position

Research Assistant, Human Remains Repatriation
E4 ($42,370 - $50,845)
Temporary Part-Time Position - Position Number 90293-01
(up to one (1) year term - three (3) days per week)

The Archaeology and History Divisionis currently seeking a dynamic individual who will, under the supervision of the Director, Archaeology and History, and the immediate supervision of the Physical Anthropology Researcher (position #10116), Archaeology and History Division, conduct inventories of the Canadian Museum of Civilization’s(CMCs) human remains collections and collections which may contain human remains; match collections with repatriation requests and catalogue information; undertake scientific research, description and documentation of collections and perform other related duties.

You can apply here.

Assistant Curator Position

The University of Arizona, Arizona State Museum (ASM), invites applications for an Assistant Curator of Archaeology (Mandated Programs Administrator) with tenure-equivalent status. The position serves as the ASM Director’s designee to administer Arizona Revised Statute §§41-841 et seq. and ARS §41-865 through ABOR Chapter VIII ASM Rules. The incumbent is expected to collaborate across a wide range of state, county, municipal, and federal agencies on issues related to the implementation of the Arizona Antiquities Act and the protection of the state’s archaeological resources. The incumbent is expected to conduct research, to teach and to engage in service related to ASM’s mission. Submit a letter of interest, curriculum vitae and the names, addresses, email addresses and telephone numbers of three references through the University of Arizona Careertrack website at www.uacareertrack.com. Letter of interest must not exceed five (5) pages in length and should address the candidate's research foci, relevant work experience, and familiarity with cultural resource statutes.

Duties and Responsibilities: • Administers A.R.S. §§41-841 et seq. through ABOR Chapter VIII ASM Rules. • Administers A.R.S. §41-865 through ABOR Chapter VIII ASM Rules. • Supervises professional archaeological personnel, or graduate students, engaged in work related to A.R.S. §§41-841 et seq. and §41-41-865. • Assists in development of rules, regulations, guidelines, and other materials relevant to implementation of A.R.S. §§41-841et seq. and §41-41-865. • Participates in assessment of cultural affiliation as required under state and/or federal repatriation legislation. • Inspects permitted projects as needed and maintains communication with affected parties. • Assists state, federal, and tribal agency archaeologists, cultural resource managers, land managers, the Office of the Arizona Attorney General, university attorneys, and county attorneys in law enforcement, archaeological site assessments, and other areas as required. • Coordinates with and provides support to the Arizona Site Steward Program. • Initiates research appropriate to ASM’s mission. • May apply for and administer grants. • Teaching efforts will include targeting non-University audiences such as law enforcement officers and site stewards. • May supervise independent studies and internships, train students in research methods, and encourage their participation in ongoing research initiatives. • Participates in internal and external education through lectures, presentations, training and exhibit development.

New Museum of Man Director

A report of the new director Micah Parzen (who, somewhat uniquely, holds both a J.D. and Ph.D. in anthropology) for the Museum of Man. Hopefully, this new hire will put the troubled museum back on track!

Museum’s £2m Shopping List

An update on renovations at the iconic Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology:

More than £2 million could be spent on improvements to a landmark museum in Cambridge, including a stylish new entrance.

Cambridge University’s Grade II-listed Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology is working on plans for a new entrance in Downing Street in a “restrained classical language”, in keeping with the Edwardian building. [Read more here]

Research Position Opening

The Delaware Tribe invites applications for a two year research position to assist the Delaware Tribe’s Historic Preservation Office in carrying out the objectives of a recently awarded NAGPRA consultation grant. We are seeking a four-field anthropologist with specialization in eastern woodland archaeology and experience with museum collections and GIS. M.A. is required; PH.D preferred. Although this is initially a temporary position, we are interested in a candidate who is able to help build the capacity of the Delaware Tribe’s NAGPRA program and is willing to pursue external funding sources in order to maintain the position on a full-time basis. The demonstrated ability to secure external grant funding is therefore a plus. The position will begin September 1, 2010 and will be housed within the Delaware Tribe’s Historic Preservation Office at Emporia State University. The position will require working on the upgrade and maintenance of our digital database of museum inventories, maintaining our GIS database of Delaware sites and helping us to complete our own research to support cultural affiliation claims to museum collections. Frequent travel will be required in order to carry out the grant objectives. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. To apply, please send a cover letter, vitae and the contact information for three references to Brice Obermeyer, Delaware Tribe Historic Preservation Office, 1417 West St., Emporia, KS 66801. Electronic applications can be sent to bobermey@emporia.edu.

Assistant Professor Opening

The University of Central Missouri Department of History and Anthropology invites applications for a Tenure Track position, Assistant Professor in Anthropology, Position #998616, beginning in January 2011. We seek a cultural anthropologist committed to undergraduate teaching and scholarship. The position requires curation of the numerous cultural collections in the University's museum. The applicant must present a record of success in the classroom, curatorial experience—especially with Middle Eastern collections, and evidence of scholarly promise. The teaching load would be four anthropology courses per semester, both introductory and upper-level. On-line teaching experience is desirable. A Ph.D. is required by January 1, 2011. Review begins on September 15, 2010 and continues until the position is filled. Applicants must submit on-line a letter of application, current CV, three current letters of reference, and evidence of teaching excellence to jobs.ucmo.edu. UCM also requires that all faculty applicants complete the on-line faculty profile at jobs.ucmo.edu. UCM is committed to diversity within its community.

First Annual South-Central Conference on Mesoamerica

Dear friends and colleagues -

It has come to my attention that some of you may not have received this
message; if you already have, please forgive the email clutter!
We are pleased to announce that the University of Texas at San Antonio will be
hosting the First Annual South-Central Conference on Mesoamerica on November 6
and 7, 2010.

You may be familiar with the Midwest and Northeast conferences on Mesoamerica
and the Andes, which are our models for the South-Central Conference. We hope
this will be a venue where scholars, students, and the interested public from
across the region can come together to share ideas, information, and
interpretations. There will be no registration fee, and we will try to
accommodate as many papers as possible. We hope this will become an annual
conference that will rotate among hosting institutions across the region.
In celebration of the conference's inaugural year, we are coordinating with an
exhibit curated by Jennifer Mathews at Trinity University's Neidorff Art
Gallery. The exhibit is entitled "Crafting Maya Identity: Contemporary Wood
Sculptures from Yucatán, México." On Friday, November 5, Trinity will host a
lecture by Dr. Jeff Kowalski entitled "Art versus Artifact: Great Divide,
Cultural Continuum, or Institutional Category?" as well as a gallery tour and
reception.

We are setting up a website for the conference where we will post a call for
papers, schedule, directions, etc. It should be fully operational by
mid-August, and we will send along the address at that point. If you know of
interested people who did not receive this email, please have them send their
email address to Jason Yaeger (jason.yaeger@utsa.edu).
Please let us know if you have any questions, and please pass this email
around to any interested parties. We look forward to seeing you in San Antonio
this Fall.

Sincerely,
M. Kathryn Brown, Laura Levi, and Jason Yaeger

[Ed note: For more on the art exhibit mentioned on Maya carvings, see here and here.]

Museum Jobs Website

Recently stumbled across this site. An impressive number of museum jobs are advertised at Job Target.

Secrets of the Silk Road

A new exhibit at the Penn Museum ...

Native Americans & Human Rights

A pretty powerful story about a conference of Native American leaders to talk about human rights violations in the U.S. Note particular reference to the struggle of Apache communities to gain back sacred objects from museums.

Also, check out this blog posting on a new book, Indigenous Cosmopolitans.

Assistant Curator Position

ASSISTANT CURATOR
Robert Lehman Collection
Full-Time

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of the world’s finest museums, is seeking an Assistant Curator to share curatorial responsibilities for the works of art in the Robert Lehman Collection and to advance research and scholarship. The Assistant Curator works closely with the Associate Curator-in-Charge in performing all curatorial and administrative duties. The position is presently conceived as a two-year appointment.

Primary Responsibilities and Specific Duties:
The Assistant Curator of the Robert Lehman Collection shares curatorial oversight and care of works of art in the Collection as well as undertakes research and documentation related to the works of art. The incumbent also assumes primary departmental responsibility for maintaining and advancing TMS database and will participate in exhibition-related duties. The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to public programs (Education and Volunteer Training) and collaborate with colleagues throughout the Museum. Additional duties include assisting the public and visiting scholars with inquiries regarding the Collection, participating in departmental projects and publications, and performing other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications:
The Museum would prefer specialization in Medieval or Renaissance Italian art and demonstrated experience in accomplishing original research on objects of Medieval or Renaissance art. Requirements include fluency in Italian and either French or German, a Ph.D.in the history of art preferred; MA in the history of art required, and experience in collections management systems (TMS). You must possess the ability to maintain precise and careful records and work closely with staff in the Department, with colleagues throughout the Museum, and with those in the academic community. Previous museum experience preferred but not required.

The Assistant Curator is full-time and includes full benefits. Salary will be commensurate with experience. Send cover letter, indicating position of interest, resume, salary history, and names of references, to:

employoppty@metmuseum.org
as a Word attachment only with the position title in the subject line
or mail to:

ATTN: HR-MW-ACRLC
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10028

Italy, Looting & Curators

The latest developments in the Italy-Curator-Looting saga, here and here.

Native Exhibits to Stress a Continuum

An Indian Country Today article:

When Denver Art Museum’s Native exhibits re-open to the public Jan. 23, 2011, they will present art across time rather than in blocs representing “historical” versus “contemporary” periods. ... [read more here]