All Together Now: A Collaborative Approach for University Museums

University museums today must adjust to the new realities of social relevance and essentiality by creating an inclusive, process-oriented infrastructure for the development of purposeful exhibitions that demonstrate the value of the museum within the university and in its community. To revitalize its place within the academy and develop working relationships within the community, resolute change lies within the complex yet vibrant collaboration that encourages dialogue and the exchange of ideas. Collaboration is a process and a skill. Forming a collaborative environment demands creativity, curiosity, diplomacy, trial-and-error, flexibility, resolve, and a willingness to change and evolve rather than revolve around what has been. This text will approach collaboration from four perspectives - staff commitment, faculty collaboration, student engagement, and community involvement - while acknowledging that every museum and every project have a personality and character all their own. The book is directed specifically at university museums but is relevant to museums of any size and scope as process and inspiration for inclusive collaboration.

Barbara Rothermel is director of the Daura Museum of Art and Associate Professor of Museum Studies at the University of Lynchburg, Virginia. Dr. Rothermel holds a BA in art and cultural history from Hood College (a self-designed interdisciplinary major in art history, history, interior design, and communications), an MLS in museum studies with a concentration in art history from the University of Oklahoma, and a PhD in museum studies from the University of Leicester, where her dissertation concerns the university art museum as a catalyst for interdisciplinary faculty collaboration. Dr. Rothermel is a past member of the Board of the University Museums and Collections of the International Council of Museums (ICOM-UMAC) and the Association of College and University Museums and Galleries (AAMG) and Council of the Virginia Association of Museums.