University Essays by Melissa Wells
Museums across the world rely on the answers given in visitor questionnaires and the analyses of ... more Museums across the world rely on the answers given in visitor questionnaires and the analyses of visitor observations. The information collected helps museum professionals to mould their museums and galleries to give what their public wants to see, perceive and experience. However, visitor research and evaluation is often an after thought, or not even a thought at all. Focus is largely on presenting stunning exhibitions, and yet, how do the museum professionals know if a exhibition is going to do well, if they do not ask the public their opinions?
If the history written in the public record or the institution’s record is incorrect, what do you... more If the history written in the public record or the institution’s record is incorrect, what do you do, how do you know its incorrect, and what repercussions can it have on someone’s heritage?
This essay will explore the history and theory of physical disabilities and their interactions wi... more This essay will explore the history and theory of physical disabilities and their interactions with museums, within the theme of culture and identity. Further, it will be from the context of how people with disabilities have accessed museums in the past and how museums have made themselves more accessible to those with disabilities in the present and possible improvements for the future.
In this essay I will cover governing strategies, opportunities for non-native speakers to learn T... more In this essay I will cover governing strategies, opportunities for non-native speakers to learn Te Reo, fluency in more than one language, the use of Te Reo between staff members and to visitors, the use of Te Reo on exhibition labels and museum signage, and the use of Te Reo in social media posts. But to start this essay off, I will offer a brief history of the use of the Māori language in New Zealand so that it provides some context to my topic.
In this essay I will be analysing the question ‘what is Māori history?’ with secondary questions... more In this essay I will be analysing the question ‘what is Māori history?’ with secondary questions such as: who writes it; who defines what Māori history is and what is recorded; and if all the histories that have been written by Pākehā about Māori, had been written by Māori, how different would that history be? I will be focusing on a particular part of New Zealand - Te Tau Ihu (the Top of the South Island) as an example of the issues surrounding Maori history and the literature written about it, and I will be using the Golden Bay Museum as a case study on the presentation (or lack thereof) of Māori history in a community.
Gold mining is an enterprise which seems to implore a certain feverishness and those who rush dow... more Gold mining is an enterprise which seems to implore a certain feverishness and those who rush down its path seem to carry the hope of striking it rich. Gold rushes have been documented since the late seventeenth century, with many in various countries being worthy of mention. [...] When it comes to scholarship in this area, historians have studied migration, colonisation, trade, transnationalism, and the environment extensively. However, research on gold miners’ personal lives and the activities that they were involved in, appears to be demonstrably lacking in scholarship, especially in relation to activities involving music.
Conference Presentations by Melissa Wells
Museums and galleries are great platforms to alter attitudes and inform the public. In my talk I ... more Museums and galleries are great platforms to alter attitudes and inform the public. In my talk I will cover three main things – Firstly, some basic facts on chronic pain, secondly, both good and bad exhibition/building examples (these will be in Wellington, as that is where I am based), and thirdly, practical applications of what you can do to help raise this awareness.
University Dissertations/Theses by Melissa Wells
The original idea for this research came from a combination of the work that Richard Sandell has ... more The original idea for this research came from a combination of the work that Richard Sandell has done on social inclusion in the United Kingdom, and my personal experiences with chronic pain. The aim of this research is to make known the experiences of chronic pain survivors in New Zealand and also to bring understanding about a range of invisible illnesses where chronic pain is a major symptom. Research methods used include surveys using quota sampling and content analysis, case studies, and an exhibition proposal.
People living with chronic pain make up one in five New Zealanders, meaning just over 900,000 people have this condition/disability/illness. Yet, have you heard anyone talk about it? Cancer is often spoken about, but it only effects around 20,000 New Zealanders. Mental health problems are contemporaneous but only effect approximately 582,000 people in New Zealand. However chronic pain cannot kill, or can it? Many people who have chronic pain have other co-morbid disorders such as depression. Chronic pain needs more publicity, it yearns to be spoken about and understood. People with chronic pain have said that they feel misunderstood and unheard not only by family, friends and colleagues but also by their medical professionals as well.
This research looks at whether there would be support from both the chronic pain community and healthy New Zealanders for an art exhibition about chronic pain. The exhibition would contain art produced by people with chronic pain and depict their daily lives with their condition(s). It also offers a contribution to museum studies and current practice by attending to a gap in the New Zealand literature, not even well covered by overseas literature, on this subject. It is the first dissertation to focus on pain in a museum/gallery setting in New Zealand and opens up public interaction and discussion about a taboo topic.
New Zealand museums and galleries have to have the ability to challenge preconceived opinions and ideas about chronic pain, as well as the opportunity to engage with a large and often invisible community.
The Otago Museum has grown enormously, particularly in collection size, since it was first establ... more The Otago Museum has grown enormously, particularly in collection size, since it was first established in 1868. Much of the expansion in its collection can be attributed to one man, Henry Devenish Skinner, and especially the importance he attached to the collection and display of Māori and Polynesian artefacts. This thesis investigates the long history of museums internationally, the more recent appearance of museums in New Zealand society, the life of H.D. Skinner, and the issues relating to exhibiting indigenous artefacts and how this leads to the invention of identities. It contributes to the understanding of three important topics. Firstly, where the Otago Museum fits into a national and international context. Secondly, why H.D. Skinner was a pioneer in the world of museums and anthropological research, which includes an appreciation of him as one of the greatest museum directors the Otago Museum has ever had. Thirdly, how indigenous culture has been displayed, with an investigation of the perceptions and tensions from both Māori and Pākehā on the use of indigenous artefacts to generate stories within museums. The importance of this research is as a case study. It is a snapshot in time of the way in which the regional and cultural history was exhibited and how museums created and still do create our identity, as a people and as a place.
Book Reviews by Melissa Wells
Review on John H. Falk. Identity and the Museum Visitor Experience. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast ... more Review on John H. Falk. Identity and the Museum Visitor Experience. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press, Inc., 2009. 301 pages. [Contents, preface, notes, references, index, about the author]. US$29.95. ISBN 978-1-59874-163-6. Paperback.
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University Essays by Melissa Wells
Conference Presentations by Melissa Wells
University Dissertations/Theses by Melissa Wells
People living with chronic pain make up one in five New Zealanders, meaning just over 900,000 people have this condition/disability/illness. Yet, have you heard anyone talk about it? Cancer is often spoken about, but it only effects around 20,000 New Zealanders. Mental health problems are contemporaneous but only effect approximately 582,000 people in New Zealand. However chronic pain cannot kill, or can it? Many people who have chronic pain have other co-morbid disorders such as depression. Chronic pain needs more publicity, it yearns to be spoken about and understood. People with chronic pain have said that they feel misunderstood and unheard not only by family, friends and colleagues but also by their medical professionals as well.
This research looks at whether there would be support from both the chronic pain community and healthy New Zealanders for an art exhibition about chronic pain. The exhibition would contain art produced by people with chronic pain and depict their daily lives with their condition(s). It also offers a contribution to museum studies and current practice by attending to a gap in the New Zealand literature, not even well covered by overseas literature, on this subject. It is the first dissertation to focus on pain in a museum/gallery setting in New Zealand and opens up public interaction and discussion about a taboo topic.
New Zealand museums and galleries have to have the ability to challenge preconceived opinions and ideas about chronic pain, as well as the opportunity to engage with a large and often invisible community.
Book Reviews by Melissa Wells
People living with chronic pain make up one in five New Zealanders, meaning just over 900,000 people have this condition/disability/illness. Yet, have you heard anyone talk about it? Cancer is often spoken about, but it only effects around 20,000 New Zealanders. Mental health problems are contemporaneous but only effect approximately 582,000 people in New Zealand. However chronic pain cannot kill, or can it? Many people who have chronic pain have other co-morbid disorders such as depression. Chronic pain needs more publicity, it yearns to be spoken about and understood. People with chronic pain have said that they feel misunderstood and unheard not only by family, friends and colleagues but also by their medical professionals as well.
This research looks at whether there would be support from both the chronic pain community and healthy New Zealanders for an art exhibition about chronic pain. The exhibition would contain art produced by people with chronic pain and depict their daily lives with their condition(s). It also offers a contribution to museum studies and current practice by attending to a gap in the New Zealand literature, not even well covered by overseas literature, on this subject. It is the first dissertation to focus on pain in a museum/gallery setting in New Zealand and opens up public interaction and discussion about a taboo topic.
New Zealand museums and galleries have to have the ability to challenge preconceived opinions and ideas about chronic pain, as well as the opportunity to engage with a large and often invisible community.