Product Description
Aims to tackle the question of how we can encourage people to develop a deeper sense of community, in such a way that the process in itself does not promote exclusions of those who do not belong. The museum, this book argues, can and should increase toleration in an increasingly intolerant world. ... Read more

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Millions of Chairman Mao badges were produced during China's Cultural Revolution, and were worn by almost all Chinese people, from Premier Zhou Enlai down to the smallest child. Made in a wide variety of materials (aluminium, plastic, bamboo, porcelain, gold, silver, copper, iron and lead) and with an extensive range of shapes, sizes and designs, they immediately became collectors' items. To give an idea of scale, in China today serious collections start at 10,000 different Mao badges. This catalogue starts with the modest collection of 300 Mao badges at the British Museum. It is the first serious catalogue of its kind in a Western language. While Chinese catalogues assume an extensive prior knowledge of Chinese revolutionary history, this new English catalogue is designed for the beginner and specialist alike, offering a narrative history, as well as extensive glossaries of the symbolic imagery and slogans found on the badges. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Helpful, spendy reference monograph rates 3 stars to non-collectors.
This books does everything it purports to and is a big help to the casual occidental collector.It is also the only English language publication on Mao badges that I am aware of.Therefore it was an essential purchase to me.For others, people who are not collectors or who can read the Chinese, this book is a discretionary purchase that may not be worth the money.
The purpose of this publication is to catalogue the collection of Mao buttons found in the British Museum.The collection of 348 items is large enough to enable the author to hit all of the main points concerning Mao buttons; although, a respectable collection lets at least a thousand buttons bloom, evidently.This should be no surprise as billions of Mao buttons were produced during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) when the button craze was in full swing.

The author of the book, a curator at the British Museum, does a good if, ahem, repetitive job of explicating the Chinese political button phenomenon beginning with a very brief discussion of pre-Cultural Revolution buttons and ending with a piece by piece description of the medals in the British Museum.
A great thing that she does along the way is explain the symbology of Mao buttons and includes both the English translations and the Chinese characters inscribed on the medals so that a person may both identify specific elements of the medals in his collection and grasp theirmeaning.This is especially helpful in regards to the ideopraphic pin bars which were often worn in accompaniment with the iconic pictorial badges.She also thoughtfully included pictures of the obverse and reverse of every item in the collection; an important point in identifying the manufacturers of the buttons; heretofore never done in Mao button references.
Two things that may irk buyers of this book is that it is paperback bound, and not particularly well-made.Still, the color reproductions are adequate, and the combination of English translations and Chinese characters is very well-executed.

I look forward to the day a book is published that focuses exclusively on Mao button aesthetics for, while the bulk of the Mao badges produced were rather proletarian, a fair number of them veer into art territory.Unfortunately, the British Museum collection contains only a single example of the genuinely remarkable bamboo pieces, and few of the appealing porcelain models; the bamboo and porcelain issues being generally more rare and attractive than the ubiquitous aluminum models.
In fact, even the casual collector of Mao buttons will rapidly come to the following ironic conclusions:Mao buttons can be boring because there are so many of them and they all look alike; Mao was doing Warhol long before Warhol did Mao.
I suspect that this book will soon be out of print and will immediately become collectible. ... Read more

Product Description
In the years since the completion of Jørn Utzon s Sydney Opera House countries throughout the South Pacific have displayed a particular fascination with the possibility that architecture may be able to embody regional cultural identity.This book examines a number of major museums, art galleries and cultural centers that have been constructed in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific regions.The majority of these buildings, landscapes or structures have been completed in the last few years and all have employed different architectural strategies to shape their designs.This collection of nine critical essays by leading scholars of contemporary architecture provides an important survey and assessment of Antipodean cultural architecture.Emphasizing common traits, the introduction to the text asks how this phenomenon might be understood and why it may be relevant in different regions around the world.Acknowledging the pluralistic nature of Antipodean architecture, the conclusion offers an alternative hermeneutical framework, one that accepts the fragmentary nature of the contemporary cultural landscape ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Marsupial Structures
In this era of google image searching, might it be possible to read a book about visually striking architecture, without photographs? I read Antipodean Structures with the assumption that it could be done, and my assumption was confirmed. In any case, this book goes well beneath the shiny exteriors of buildings like the National Museum of Australia, Federation Square, even The Sydney Opera House. These and five other buildings are examined in terms of societal aspirations in the millennial period, and I'm not sure that could have been done so convincingly in a book that pandered to the market's appetite for archi-sexual imagery.

All of the essays are good, but I will make special mention of Davina Jackson's engaging commentary on Federation Square (it presents as a relatively catchy read in an otherwise dense volume), and Philip Goad's very detailed discussion of the National Gallery of Victoria (this too is an enjoyable read, and a thorough piece of history writing). But I most enjoyed Ostwald's and Fleming's Introduction and Conclusion. These gave me the clearest sense yet of the cultural and geographical factors behind the phantasmagorical architecture of this region. The authors don't say it quite so bluntly as I'm about to, but: ideas received from the Northern hemisphere, breeding within isolated colonies of architects are amplified in this region, leading to buildings as strange as the region's wildlife.

A scholarly and probing analysis of a subject too often broached via imagery. Four Stars. I'll save the fifth star for the reprint, if it includes black and white images.
... Read more

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Britain is now a multi-cultural society, and museums and galleries are composed of objects which derive from many cultures. Nevertheless, until recently, museum and gallery audiences have been largely white and middle class. Today, many museums wish to broaden their visitor profile to include those to whom museums have not been hospitable in the past. Significant moves in this direction have been made already, although much remains to be achieved. This book introduces the issues which need to be addressed in order to reorientate museum philosophies and policies, and, through case studies, gives examples of how a more inclusive audience may be developed. ... Read more

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Museums face the task of representing the similarities and differences that exist between groups, such as national identities and indigenous and minority voices, material and intangible heritage, and current status and past history. In order to achieve this aim, a complex and not always easily compatible set of interests have to be taken into account, from those of the museum itself, to those of its main audiences, sources of support, and the groups that are, or wish to be, represented. The approach taken by Scandinavian museums in response to this challenge highlights a very active concern for forms of cultural diversity and how they are interrelated.

By bringing together debates and discussions of diversity, this volume offers insight into the Nordic region and its diverse peoples, from the Sámi and the Inuit to newer immigrants. It presents a set of historical reviews on the formation of national museums and emerging and contested perceptions of national identity. Furthering the general debate on representations of diversity and museums, it also offers museum curators possible ways forward. ... Read more

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In Museum Governance, Marie Malaro addresses a range of issues facing museum administrators and trustees, arguing they can handle their duties intelligently only if they understand two points—why our country sustains a nonprofit sector and what constitutes trusteeship. Armed with this knowledge, trustees can sort out knotty problems relating to corporate sponsorship, entrepreneurial activities, and fundraising in ways that preserve the integrity of the nonprofit.

Malaro first explores the principles of nonprofit governance. She explains the purpose and use of professional codes of ethics and offers practical advice about board education and its role in fostering the long-term health of an organization. She then applies these principles to situations frequently confronting trustees, discussing how to set collection strategies, balance mission and entreprenurial ventures, handle deaccessioning, maintain effective board oversight, approach automation, and deal with repatriation requests. ... Read more

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The remarkable arts and culture of the Kuna of Panama are accessible as never before in this comprehensive, beautifully illustrated volume. From the familiar reverse appliquÈd molas to music, dance, and verbal arts, the Kuna live their values and bind their people together. This focus and strength has helped them to resist outside forces and maintain their culture and self-determination in the face of peoples and governments far more powerful. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Incredible information & photographs
I agree that this book is an authentic documentation of one of the world's most fascinating group of Indians.

WOW!
I bought this book from the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.

I have been fascinated with Native American tribes in South American for most of my life, particularly Panama and Colombia.This book is so thorough inexpressing all aspects of life for the Kuna (or Cuna) that I would almostsay this is the only book you would need to learn about the Kuna.It trulyis incredible in its information as well as its photographs.It is VERYwell done!Bravo Senorita Salvador! Espero ver mas libros de usted! ... Read more

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This is a multi-disciplinary study that adopts an innovative and original approach to a highly topical question, that of meaning-making in museums. ... Read more

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Reinventing the Museum gathers 35 seminal articles reflecting over 100 years of dialogue within the musem community about what it means to be a high-quality, relevant institution. Important reading for museum professionals, students, and anyone interested in museums and their development. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Reinventing the Museum
I need this book for a graduate course, and it's much more readable and interesting than a lot of the other material I'm reading. Insightful, with short chapters that are accessible and interesting. ... Read more

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The larger-than-life stories in this fascinating book recount the first 125 years of the American Museum of Natural History, in New York, which derives its fame and collections from a spectacular series of expeditions "to the ends of the earth." More than 240 photos, 90 in color, capture all the excitement, danger, and difficulty of exploration and discovery. 10 maps. ... Read more

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From the Rainbowís Varied Hue examines the rich and varied cloth traditions of Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago. A wealth of illustrations, both contemporary and historical, introduce the reader to traditions that range from the blood-red, polished abaca cloths of the B'laan and the dazzling headcloths of the Tausug to the striking plaids in magenta and orange silk created by the Maguindanao. Essays explore in detail the textile traditions of the Bagobo, the B'laan, the Maguindanao, and the Maranao. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great Book
This book is great for anyone interested in textiles, especially in regards to the Philippines. It is filled with wonderfully and detailed illustrations as well as information.

For anyone who has a textile library this would be a informative and beautiful addition.

I am a textile majour so I should know. ... Read more

Product Description
The Jewish Calendar 2004 - now in its 19th year of publication - displays selected pieces from the Skirball Cultural Center and Museum, including paintings, photography, sculpture, textiles, and folk art. Spanning 16 months, from September 2003 to December 2004, the calendar includes national and Jewish holidays (the latter through 2009), as well as Sabbath candle-lighting times, weekly Torah portions, four wallet-size pocket calendars, and background information about Sabbath and holiday candle blessings. ... Read more