Program G: Introduction to Museum Studies
/San Gemini Preservation Studies 2027
Session 2: July 11– August 6 (4 weeks)
Location: San Gemini, Italy
Program Information
Under construction
Introduction to Museum Studies
Course 1 Instructors: Prof. Max cardillo, Michele Benucci
This museum studies course in Italy explores the role of museums in preserving, interpreting, and sharing cultural heritage. It examines museums as safekeepers of cultural heritage and considers the nature of their collections, including how objects are documented, classified, preserved, and acquired, with particular attention to the ethics of acquisition and conservation. The course also addresses the educational function of museums and the proper display and contextualization of objects in a museum environment.
Finally, the course explores the administrative and funding structures of museums, which vary according to the institution's objectives, size, target audience, and nature.
The course is structured over four weeks. Each week, students spend three days in San Gemini attending theory classes and working on projects, and two days traveling to visit museums in Umbria, Rome, and Florence. Students will visit major and local museums, archaeological parks, churches, and palaces that serve as museums. Each week, the theory classes and visits are led by a different instructor, drawn from the administrators and curators of various museum institutions.
Restoration: Theory, Ethics and Issues
Course 2
Instructor Prof. Max Cardillo
SG207,
Going beyond the material aspects of restoration, these lecture/discussion classes examine the various social goals, motivations, approaches, and ethical and philosophical issues that guide the complex process of preserving our cultural heritage. The philosophical differences between the Italian restoration approach and the techniques used in the Anglo-Saxon world are part of this course.
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