Museums beyond walls in the context of the third place's concept

The article focuses on museums’ activity that reaches beyond the walls of their premises in the context of a concept of the so-called third place. The third place – as a gathering place which is neither one’s home, i.e. first place, nor workplace, i.e. second place – was described by an American sociologist Ray Oldenburg in 1999 in his book The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community. Three study cases have been used in the article: Museum Forum (project carried out by the National Museum in Kraków), Bródno Sculpture Park (project co-conducted by the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw), and the method of work implemented by the Ethnographic Museum in Kraków, including in particular the project Dzikie Planty (Wild “Planty” Park). I discuss assumptions the projects have been based on, how they fit in an overall strategy of the museums, and reasons why they have been undertaken. Finally, I wonder whether having been conducted in a fully accessible public space and conducive to users’ interaction make it justified to categorise them as the third places in the meaning given by Oldenburg. Although Oldenburg’s concept has been regarded by museum theorists as not applicable to museums, I have come to the conclusion that projects conducted by museums in a non-committal context of an open space meet the conditions the third places do

Experimental Philosophical Aesthetics as Public Philosophy

Experimental philosophy offers an alternative mode of engagement for public philosophy, in which the public can play a participatory role. We organized two public events on the aesthetics of coffee that explored this alternative mode of engagement. The first event focuses on issues surrounding the communication of taste. The second event focuses on issues concerning ethical influences on taste. In this paper, we report back on these two events which explored the possibility of doing experimental philosophical aesthetics as public philosophy. We set the stage by considering the significance and current state of efforts in public philosophy, and by introducing the emerging sub-discipline of experimental philosophical aesthetics. Then, we discuss the research and outreach aspects of the two events on the aesthetics of coffee. Finally, we conclude by reflecting on the prospects and potential pitfalls of experimental philosophy as public philosophy

Do Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) matter for innovation and value creation in knowledge-based business? Aims, forms and practice of collaboration in Italy

Purpose: This paper provides the first results of a scoping study exploring in detail how Cultural and Creative Industries(CCI) can represent a source and resource of critical and creative thinking as well as a set of processes to be deployed in order to foster and support innovation. Scope: Focusing on a sample of Italian companies, the aims, the forms and the specific practices of collaborations between CCI and knowledge-based and traditional businesses are identified and discussed. Method: In order to derive and test theories, trace causal pathways, explore hypotheses, researchers have designed and implemented qualitative research methods and conducted investigation mainly based on web-available data, archives and interview-based information. Results: The case examples of relevant Italian companies effectively provide evidences of the impact and modalities of adopting initiatives to develop innovation capacity. Recommendations and conclusions: The investigation of a sample of Italian companies suggests that most of the attention is focused on collaborations aimed to reinforce company image and reputation, to develop corporate social responsibility and to improve brand recognition

Recent approaches to Holocaust memory work: Lithuania and the British at the turn of the millennium

I gave a paper on the British/Lithuanian ITF 'Liaison Project' as part of a panel on 'National and Transnational Narratives of the Holocaust' at the 'Holocaust Memory Re-Visited' conference, Uppsala University, 21-23 March 2013. Included here are the conference programme and a review of the conference that appeared in 'H-Soz-u-Kult', which is based at the Humboldt University, Berli

Motivations Matter: Findings and Practical Implications of a National Survey of Cultural Participation

Presents findings from a national survey of 1,231 Americans. Examines the motivations and expectations of those who attend plays, musical performances, and other arts events. Looks at practical implications for audience participation building

Spartan Daily, February 11, 2014

Volume 142, Issue 6https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/1466/thumbnail.jp