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Jun. 30 | 2012 Bode-Pearson Prize
Nominations for the 2012 Bode-Pearson Prize for Outstanding Contributions to American Studies due
Jun. 30 | 2012 Mary C. Turpie Prize
Nominations for the 2012 Mary C. Turpie Prize for Outstanding Contributions to American Studies Teaching, Advising, and Program Development due
Oct. 1 | Travel Grants for Graduate Students
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Resources: Abstracts of American Studies Dissertations
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Hernandez, Rebecca Sarah. "Past is Perfect in the Present Tense: Exhibiting Native America in Museums and Culture Centers," American Studies, University of New Mexico, July 2004.
This dissertation uses a Native American case study to examine how academic approaches to the writing of culture affect the process of representation. I contend that scholarly research has influenced and continues to have an impact on the practices of those responsible for exhibiting the creations and lifeways of others. Because exhibits often play a significant role in the overall understanding of culture past and present, it is crucial that the transference of information in these environments be challenged and reconsidered rather than presented as ‘truth.’ Whether intentional or not, much of the current exhibit information provided to audiences is selected with little or no appreciation for the long term effects it can have on the visitor. Two charts are used to demonstrate this theory. The first, “Types of Native American Art,” offers a list of canonical Native art forms; this is juxtaposed against “Other Types of Native American Art,” to provide examples of art and other Native objects created in genres that have often been ignored in academic discourse and research. This neglect has led to a lack of representation of these types of objects, and ultimately disregards contemporary experiences and current issues confronting American Indians. By offering alternative exhibit strategies, I conclude that Native America will be better appreciated and understood by the public at large when all indigenous material culture is incorporated in public displays.
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