Description
About the Author
Richard Kurin is director of the Smithsonian's Center for Folklife Programs and Cultural Studies and oversees the Festival of American Folklife, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, and a variety of cultural education programs that have won Academy, Emmy, and Grammy awards.
Reviews
Written by the director of the Smithsonian's Center for Folklife and Cultural Studies, this book is not an "official" accounting of Smithsonian policies, activities, and decisions but a personal essay based on firsthand knowledge. Intending to present a sorely needed casebook of professional practice for "culture brokers," Kurin offers a descriptive and analytic view of the process by which various types of major cultural presentations such as exhibits, museums, and festivals are developed, enacted, and situated. Regarding the Enola Gay controversy, he discusses the complex concept of "the search for truth and narrative" within "multiparadigmatic, deconstructed frameworks that make multiple versions of reality a fact of life." Kurin concludes that curation is process-oriented, not static, and is "a proactive effort to serve the public, increase understandability, and use the museum as a vehicle of inter- and intracultural communication." This down-to-earth, enjoyable, and thought-provoking title is highly recommended.? (from Library Journal; Jennifer L.S. Moldwin, Detroit Inst. of Arts Lib. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.)
Book Information
ISBN 9781560987574
Author Richard Kurin
Format Paperback
Page Count 332
Imprint Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press
Publisher Smithsonian Books
Weight(grams) 533g
Dimensions(mm) 228mm * 154mm * 20mm