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Nationalconfabexamineschallenges,
opportunitiesforJewishmuseums
bydanschifrin,j.correspondent

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JustbeforeDay2ofthisyearsannualconferencefortheCouncilof
AmericanJewishMuseums,some200attendeesperusedthe
galleriesoftheMagnesmuseum.Whattheysawatthenewly
reborninstitutionnowapartofU.C.Berkeleyshowcasedbothtraditional
materialsandhighconceptideasintheformofanexhibitiononthefutureof
memory.

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Butaslivelyasthedisplayswere,whatcaughttheeyeofthecurators,
educatorsandothermuseumprofessionalsfromaroundthecountrywasa
hugeglasswallseparatingthepublicspacefromanarchivesandstoragearea.
Ninetypercentofourcollectionishereonsite,andasyoucansee,itsin
visiblestorage,MagnescuratorFrancescoSpagnoloexplained.Aspartofthe
museumsemphasisonopensourcingourcollectionweareabletoactivate
itforbothresearchersandthelargercommunity.

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Thisbalanceof
preservationand
opennessepitomizedthe
themesforthe2015
conference,OpenSource:JewishMuseumsand
CollaborativeCulture.
HostedbytheContemporaryJewishMuseumin
SanFranciscoandtheMagnesCollectionofJewish
ArtandLifeinBerkeley,the22ndannual
conferencecapitalizedonbeingheldforthefirst
timeintheBayArea,wheretechnology,
collaborationandexperimentationarepartofthe
regionsDNA.

LisaSilberstein(left)oftheOaklandMuseumwithLynette
Allen,ontheboardoftheCouncilofAmericanJewish
Museums.

Itwasdesignedtoemphasizenewthinking
amongJewishmuseumscomingtotermswith
significantchangesinJewishdemography,general
museumvisitorshipanddigitaltechnology.

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Thethreedayconferencebeganwithakeynote
fromNinaSimon,whose2010bookTheParticipatoryMuseumchallengedculturalinstitutionsto
collaboratemoredeeplywiththeirmembers,visitorsandsurroundingcommunities.Nowdirectorofthe
MuseumofArtandHistoryinSantaCruz,Simonarguedthatmuseumsshouldstrivelesstopresent
artandculturethantoinvitemeaningfulactionatalllevels.
Cultureisntsomethingyouaregiven,butsomethingyoudo,shesaid.
ThevalueofcollaborationwasechoedbyRabbiNoaKushner,whospokeaboutstartingTheKitchen,an
innovativeJewishcommunityinSanFrancisco,onsimilarprinciples.Akindofpopupsynagogue,The
Kitchenservesthe20and30somethingsthatJewishmuseums(andotherJewishinstitutions)are
desperatetoattract.
Kushnersadvice?Focuslessonidentitythanaction,sinceWhoisJewish?isamuchlessinteresting
questionthanWhowantstodoJewish?
ArefrainthroughouttheconferencewasthatthestoryofJewishlife,anditscastofcharacters,are
changingrapidly.
Museumconferenceattendeesviewscalemodelofthe1915
PanPacificexpo.

AviDecter,acofounderandcurrentboardchair
ofCAJM,suggestedthatJewishmuseumsand,
byextension,thelargerJewishcommunity

havebeenboundbyamasternarrative.Now,
however,thereisagrowingdiversityofpeople
[affiliatedwithJewishlife]andagrowingneedfor
differentnarratives.
Museums,hesaid,wouldbewisetolistentotheir
audiencesandletthemhelpusunderstand
whichofthesenarrativesisworking.
Additionally,peoplespokeaboutmuseumshaving
thecapacitytoofferauniquelytransformative
spaceforeducationandcommunity.
NewYorkUniversityprofessorBarbara
KirshenblattGimblett,theleadscholarforthe
MuseumoftheHistoryofPolishJews,spokevia
SkypefromWarsaw.Greatmuseumsareagents
oftransformation,sheexplained,notingthat
PolandsnewmuseumhasthecapacitytotellthestoryofJewishlifeinawaythatnootherPolishcivic
institutioncould.
LoriStarr,directoroftheContemporaryJewishMuseum,explainedthatherSanFranciscomuseums
potentialfortransformationtakesplaceinthewayweengagewithvisitorswherevertheyare,andin
whateverframeofmindtheybringwiththem.
Designedwithoutapermanentcollection,theCJMwascreatedtobeflexibleandresponsive,allowingfor
amaximumofconversation,collaborationandstorytelling,shesaid.
Thequestionofhowmuseumsandvisitorsshouldusetechnologywasacommontopicofconversation.
TimothyFrilingos,directorofexhibitionsattheWilliamBremanJewishHeritageMuseuminAtlanta,said
thatwhenadocentgivesatourtohighschoolstudents,thefirstthingheorshemightsayisputaway
yourphone.
Butforteensandmillennials,willbeingaskedtoputawaytheirtechnologypreventthemfromcoming
back?
KeirWinesmith,headofWebandDigitalPlatformsattheSanFranciscoMuseumofModernArt,triedto
allythisanxietybyaskingpeopletofocusontheirlargereducationalgoals.

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Ultimatelythestoriesyoutellaremoreimportantthanthetechnologyitself,shesaid.Imofteninthe
strangepositionofarguingagainstworkingwithdigital.Sometimesthebestsolutiontoacomplicated
museumproblemisjustasign.

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