MUSEOLOGY AND RESTORATION THEORY - MOD. 1

The course is intended for the three-year degree course in Sciences and technologies for cultural heritage.
It aims to provide the critical and methodological tools useful for developing the ability to analyze the museological and museographic characteristics of an exhibition space.
The primary objective of the course is to make students able to understand the current structure of a museum, its origin and its transformations over time and to realize the cultural intentions of the choices made in its organization and set-up.
The notions learned will allow students to acquire greater awareness in considering a work of art in its change of status over the centuries, in its relationship with other objects belonging to the same collection, in its physical relationship with the public.

- knowledge and understanding: to know the specific vocabulary of museology; to know the museological and museological characteristics of an exhibition space in their evolution over time; to understand the transformations of museums and tools for the transmission of knowledge in museums (from catalogs to didactic equipment);

- ability to apply knowledge and understanding: to use specific vocabulary and find textual and iconographic sources useful for reconstructing the history of a museum or collection;

- ability to judge: to discern between the function of an object in common use and the function of the same object after its museum display; to know how to analyze the history of a museum, placing it in the cultural context of the time and in the broader history of museums, to know how to reason on issues related to the conservation, display, handling of works of art;

- communication skills: to know how to use adequate and specific terminology, introduced and explained in lectures or in the reference texts; to learn how to deal respectfully and profitably with teachers and colleagues around the topics of the course;

- learning skills: based on bibliographic and study material, knowing how to analyze the characteristics of a museum, placing them in history and interpreting the cultural reasons for the exhibition choices, placing them in the right geographical context and chronological reference.

No special prerequisite required, however, a basic knowledge at least of modern art history is highly recommended.

This portion of the course (6 credits) will be dedicated to museology and elements of museography.
The course aims to provide the tools to understand the evolution of the status of movable works of art from cult objects or objects of daily use to museum pieces, through the analysis of the phases of culture and taste that have led from the formation of collections to the concept of modern museum, up to the crisis and the renewal of the same concept in today's society.
The lessons will start by addressing the specific lexicon of the discipline, and then retrace the history that leads from collecting in humanistic studies to the museum of the twentieth century through emblematic cases, observed in their own cultural, chronological and socio-political context and considering in parallel the evolution of the rules related to conservation. Museography themes will also be addressed.

Compulsory bibliography:

- Maria Teresa Fiorio, "Il museo nella storia. Dallo studiolo alla raccolta pubblica", Pearson, Milano-Torino 2023.

Additional bibliography:

- Maria Vittoria Marini Clarelli, "Il museo nel mondo contemporaneo. La teoria e la prassi", Carocci editore, Roma 2011 (or later editions): parts I, III, IV.

All students, attending or not, are required to visit at least two museums of their choice (to be agreed with the teacher). During the exam they will have to demonstrate that they know the main historical events about these museums and be able to describe the museological criteria and set up bringing specific examples relating to the works on display. Further instructions will be given on this pointduring the lessons. Non-attending students can have clarifications by contacting the teacher in person or via e-mail.

The verification of learning consists of an oral exam lasting approximately 30 minutes.

The exam is designed to verify that students have acquired the knowledge covered during the course, as well as the fundamental concepts presented in the teaching materials available on the university’s Moodle platform. Questions for this module will mainly focus on the identification and discussion of selected images shown during the lectures (made available to students on Moodle). From these, the discussion may extend to topics addressed in class or included in the required bibliography.

oral

The instructor is responsible for ensuring the authenticity and originality of all examinations and coursework. In cases of suspected academic misconduct, an additional on-site assessment may be required during the exams, which may differ from the standard format.

As regards the methods for awarding marks, please refer to the scheme in the syllabus for Module 2 of this same course, which will be included in the Moodle space for both modules.

- Lectures supported by teaching materials on power-point, made available at the end of each lesson on the moodle platform.
- Visits to museums.

For any changes or updates, please always consult the Moodle space relating to the course.

Ca' Foscari applies Italian law (Law 17/1999; Law 170/2010) for support and accommodation services available to students with disabilities or with specific learning disabilities. In case of motor, visual, hearing or other disabilities (Law 17/1999) or a specific learning disorder (Law 170/2010) and need for support (classroom assistance, technological aids for carrying out individualized exams or exams, accessible format material, notes retrieval, specialist tutoring to support the study, interpreters or other), please contact the Disability and SLD office: disable@unive.it.

Ca' Foscari has included a point dedicated to "Inclusion, social justice, gender equality" (Flagship 7) in the University Strategic Plan 2021-2026 and has adopted, since 2022, a GEP (Gender Equality Plan): https://www.unive.it/pag/fileadmin/user_upload/comunicazione/sostenibile/doc/Inclusione/Piano_di_Uguaglianza_di_Genere_CF_DEF.pdf

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Human capital, health, education" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development