Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Ivan Gaskell

摘要

This is not your typical 'exhibition catalogue'. In fact, it is not a catalogue at all, but a provocative call to arms to rethink object categorization, collection policies and the ways in which university museums can leverage their holdings to enhance both undergraduate and graduate education. Tangible Things is the product of three main components; the genesis of the exhibition emerged out of the experiences of Laurel Thatcher Ulrich and Ivan Gaskell teaching material culture research seminars since 2002. In 2011, their ideas were made real in an exhibit accompanying a Harvard course at the University's Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments. The curators, now including Sara J. Schechner, Sarah Anne Carter and photographer Samantha S. B. van Gerbig, attempted to show the public the power of objects as historical evidence, to challenge notions of categorization, to integrate the Harvard museums' collections into their curriculum and, most importantly, to demonstrate how people can 'think with things' (p. 2). The third component, this book, is what the curators learned from their experience throughout the process.