Briley Rasmussen, PhD Assistant Professor and Director of Museum Studies, School of Art + Art History Global Fellows Program UF International Center Creativity and the Museum At a June 2018 conference on the future of museums, Chris Michaels, Digital Director at the National Gallery in London posited that museums should position themselves within the creative industries He argued that museums could establish strategic partnerships within these industries to function as collaborators and vital engines for business The following week, Tristram Hunt, Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum spoke at a symposium about the role of the museum in fostering creative careers The temporal proximity of these discussions led me to question how art museums are currently defining and have historically defined the concept and acts of creativity and how this is leveraged to argue the relevance of the museum in contemporary society My larger body of research considers aspects of the rhetoric around creativity I investigate the networks between the history of art museum education and the social and political climates in which museums operate I recently completed a book length manuscript Creative the World Over: The Museum of Modern Art, and the Politics and Practice of Creativity This project explores the intersections of the museum and cultural politics, the individual and society through an examination of the history of education programs at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) from 1929 to 1969 This cross-disciplinary study centers on the career of the museum’s first director of education, Victor D’Amico He promoted a progressive pedagogy he called ‘creative teaching.’ Through his practice and programs at MoMA, D’Amico centered the individual and the importance of creativity in larger cultural conversations about modern art and democracy in the mid-twentieth century Creativity was central to this discussion of the social and civic purpose of the modern art museum The conversation around role of creativity and art museums in fostering democracy is a marked difference from the contemporary discourse I was hearing that focused on fostering commerce The UF Global Fellows program creates opportunities for junior faculty to ‘kick-start’ international research projects The Global Fellows program will enable me to establish research project, expand my research and collaborative networks beyond the US, and situate my research in a larger global context As a Global Fellow I will work with collaborators in the United Kingdom to establish a research project that will interrogate historic and contemporary conceptions of creativity and how these have been leveraged in discourses about the value of the arts and museums Together we will work to expand our project network to create an international collaborative project that will reach beyond the US and UK My primary collaborator on this project will be Dr Pam Meecham, Professor of Education and Museum Studies, Institute of Education, University College London Support from the Global Fellows Program will enable me to travel to the UK to hold conversations with Dr Meecham and convene additional potential collaborators, forming a transdisciplinary group of project partners This project will explore questions such as: What are historic definitions of creativity and creative practice? What is the role of art making in museums? How have amateur artists and DIY crafts been historically viewed, discussed, and presented in museums? What social and economic factors have influenced how concepts of creativity are utilized by museums and how? What is the relationship of creativity to labor and economics in different periods? Through these meetings, we will establish the core focus of this project and plan for funding bids to support a symposium, a publication, and other project activities The Global Fellows program will enable me to develop this international project, work with new colleagues, and gain experience navigating international agreements and funding that will support future research projects and the internationalization of the Museum Studies program at UF This experience is critical to my research and career because of the increasing globalization of the museum community Being able to work collaboratively with colleagues in museum studies and practice, as well as adjacent fields will make my work stronger and more valuable to the global museum community As the Director of UF’s Museum Studies Program, these connections will also support my teaching and new opportunities for my graduate students I am very committed to participating the Global Fellows program and attending the Global Workshop series These workshops will provide me with valuable knowledge to make this project more successful I have already worked to establish contacts and interest in working on this project The Global Fellows program will be critical to enabling this collaboration to move forward October 17th, 2018 To whom it may concern, I am writing in support of Dr Briley Rasmussen’s application for the Global Fellows Program Dr Rasmussen’s interest in exploring how societal understandings of creativity fit into our perceived value of museums and of art is one that will serve her program and our college well, while also advancing her own research agenda as she progresses towards tenure Dr Rasmussen comes to this project with existing international experience in the UK, both through her studies in London and in Leicester, and through her ongoing professional work abroad She has demonstrated a clear commitment to and interest in maintaining this aspect of her career, and participation in the Global Fellows Program would allow her to take the next step Dr Rasmussen’s stated goal of having the project she is currently focused on be the stepping stone to expand her work beyond the US and the UK seems easily achievable, given the support that would be provided by this program With a critical key collaborator lined up, I would expect this project to be able to attract a broad group of participants, and to be of interest to peers around the world Dr Rasmussen approaches Museum Studies through the lens of museum education, which assists in making the program she leads unique The project she proposes to explore by way of the Global Fellows Program is one that has the potential to bring multiple benefits to her program, to her school, and to the college The Museum Studies program would benefit from an increase in Dr Rasmussen’s international profile and connections, through increased research and internship opportunities for students, potential symposia, and new curricular topics The school and the college would also benefit from the growth of Dr Rasmussen’s profile, and from the connections she proposes to build in the global museum community and the continuation of her focus on museum studies as a transdisciplinary exploration As a faculty member in her third year, this is an excellent time for Dr Rasmussen to be pushing to internationalize her research agenda and connections With the growing globalization of the field of museum studies, it is critical that the head of our program be able to tap into these networks and share current practice with her students Dr Rasmussen is fully prepared to invest the time necessary to make the Global Fellows Program work for her Please don’t hesitate to let me know if I can provide further information Sincerely, Jennifer Setlow Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, College of the Arts Associate Professor of Lighting Design University of Florida 352-273-1482 jsetlow@arts.ufl.edu George A Smathers Libraries Digital Partnerships & Strategies University of Florida P O Box 117000 Gainesville, FL 32611-7000 352.273.2902 October 9, 2018 Dear Office for Global Research Engagement in the UF International Center: I am writing to give my strongest support and my commitment as mentor to Dr Briley Rasmussen for her application to the Global Fellows Program My international experience directly parallels the work Dr Rasmussen has begun to undertake, in terms of changing cultures and practices of research through collaboration and integration with cultural heritage communities As with Dr Rasmussen’s, my work is deeply collaborative and dynamic, spanning people, policies, communities, and cultures My work is in digital partnerships and strategies, focusing on how to leverage opportunities in the digital age to undertake new forms and ways of doing research, teaching, and engagement for service I am the Digital Scholarship Director for the international collaborative Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC, www.dLOC.com) which has over 50 partners including research groups, NGOs, universities, national libraries, archives, museums, and publishers who are all working together to provide enhanced online access to materials and preservation, along with transforming the community and creating capacity I am also graduate faculty in Museum Studies, and I am excited for what Dr Rasmussen’s collaborative research through this program will bring for her research, teaching, and the field overall In addition to her initial collaborator at University College London, we have discussed potential opportunities with the Museums Association of the Caribbean Dr Rasmussen seeks to engage museums and museum studies for inquiries into creativity and meaning, and for next steps that build upon this for her own research and teaching She and I speak regularly about the importance of collaborating internationally to develop the necessary network for cultural change In her time here, Dr Rasmussen has worked to strengthen relationships across campus and beyond Indeed, she and I just submitted a grant proposal for strengthening collaboration across UF’s Libraries, Harn Museum, the Florida Museum of Natural History, and the Museum Studies Program We are also preparing a grant for the Institute of Museum & Library Services (IMLS) regarding museum education and professional training Dr Rasmussen is fully committed to this work, and to furthering the role and position of UF in museum studies I am pleased to give my strongest support and commitment as mentor for Dr Rasmussen in the next stages of her research at a larger scale with an international community I am committed to supporting, mentoring, and collaborating with Dr Rasmussen for this important program Sincerely, Laurie N Taylor, PhD Chair, Digital Partnerships & Strategies, University of Florida Digital Scholarship Director, Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC, www.dLOC.com) Editor-in-Chief, LibraryPress@UF 528 Library West, P.O Box 117000, Gainesville, FL 32611 352.273.2902 (office) | 352.871.5113 (cell) | Twitter: @Laurien The Foundation for The Gator Nation An Equal Opportunity Institution BRILEY A RASMUSSEN, PH.D Program Director and Assistant Professor, Museum Studies, University of Florida PO Box 115801, Gainesville, FL 32611, BRASMUSSEN@UFL.EDU, 352-273-3062 | 510-717-1901 PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 2016–Present 2008–2013 2008 2005–2008 2000–2002 2000–2001 Director of Museum Studies + Assistant Professor, University of Florida Specialist for Museum Learning, Los Angeles County Museum of Art Associate Director of Education, Neuberger Museum of Art Coordinator of Educational Programs, Neuberger Museum of Art Gallery Teacher, J Paul Getty Museum Educator, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles EDUCATION 2015 2008 2003 1998 Ph.D., Museum Studies, University of Leicester, School of Museum Studies M.S.Ed., Leadership in Museum Education, Bank Street College of Education M.A., History of Art, Italian Renaissance, Courtauld Institute of Art B.A., History of Art with Honors, Goucher College SELECTED PUBLICATIONS 2018, Creative the World Over: The Museum of Modern Art, and the Politics and Practice of Creativity, book-length manuscript, under review 2017, ‘MoMA and the Modern Child: The Critical Role of Education Programming in MoMA’s Modernism’ in A Companion to Modern Art Pam Meecham, Ed Wiley-Blackwell, 2018 2014, ‘Code Switching in the Museum: Increasing Access for English Learners’ in Multiculturalism in Art Museums Today, Joni Boyd Acuff and Laura Evans, Eds., Rowan and Littlefield 2010, ‘The Laboratory on 53rd Street: Victor D’Amico and the Museum of Modern Art’ Curator: The Museum Journal, 53:4 ArtMuseumTeaching.com, Co-Editor & contributing author, http://artmuseumteaching.com Exhibition Review: PST: LA/LA—Art Without Borders, Not Without Gates, Curator: The Museum Journal, 61:2 2010, Mining Modern Museum Education, http://www.moma.org/learn/mining_education/victor-damico ‘Art—A Human Necessity: Victor D’Amico and The Museum of Modern Art, 1937–1969’ SELECTED GRANTS AND AWARDS • • 2017, Research Incentive Award, College of the Arts, University of Florida 2012, National Art Education Association, Nominee for Pacific Region Museum Educator of the Year Award SELECTED INVITED LECTURES • • • • 2017, ‘Transformed by Making: MoMA and the Purpose of Creative Practice’ Art: Creative Care Symposium, Clark Institute, Williamstown, MA, 8-9 April 2016, ‘The Role of Children in MoMA’s Modernism’ Institute of Education, University College London, London, UK 19 April 2015, ‘‘Children Can Be Creative the World Over’: Victor D’Amico, MoMA, and the Global Experiment of the Children’s Art Carnival’ New York University, New York, 19 November 2015, ‘Pedagogy for the Modern: Victor D’Amico and the Museum of Modern Art, 1929-1969,’ Millsaps College, Jackson, MS, 30 March SELECTED TEACHING EXPERIENCE University of Florida, Museum Studies, School of Art + Art History Museum Studies Seminar, Introduction to Museum Studies—graduate level Exhibitions Seminar—graduate level Museum Education Seminar—graduate level California State University, Long Beach, School of Art Introduction to Curatorial Studies—graduate level Academy of Art University, Department of Art History Introduction to Art History: Renaissance to Impressionism, online Introduction to Art History: Renaissance to Impressionism Chabot College, Fine Arts Department Introduction to Art History LEADERSHIP AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 2017 2008 2007 2006 Spring/Summer Research Incentive Grant, College of the Arts, University of Florida Teaching Institute in Museum Education, School of the Art Institute of Chicago National Educator Workshop, Lincoln Center Institute Museum Leaders: The Next Generation, Getty Leadership Institute PROFESSIONAL SERVICE Institute of Museum and Library Services, Grant Reviewer, 2016-Present College Art Association, Museum Committee, 2011-2013 American Association of Museums, Peer Review, 2001-Present