Archaeology and museums : a project in two parts.

This professional project consisted of two parts, the Albright Artifact Collection Inventory Project and a research paper, “Archaeologists in Museums: A Collaborative Model.” The first part consisted of the production of a digital inventory and final report regarding the archaeological materials housed at the Albright Institute for Archaeological Research (AIAR) in Jerusalem. This catalog and report included a number, a brief description, some photographs, and provenance information (wherever possible) for each object. While several artifacts had no ascertainable provenance, it was possible to connect many of them to four excavations led by American archaeologists connected to the AIAR. The catalog produced and the report submitted will be used by Albright administration to inform future conservation and care of the objects. The second part of the project consisted of a research paper that investigated the current state of collaborations between museums and archaeologists, with an emphasis on exhibits, and suggested a new model for exhibit collaborations. A literary review and two case studies evaluates current collaborations between archaeologists and museums. The paper finds that most current collaborations are large-scale programs and exhibits, requiring extensive financial resources, developed after excavation is complete, which are not easily updated. This paper concludes by proposing a new model for a small-scale collaborative exhibit that could be done while excavation is ongoing, could be easily updated, would require fewer resources, leading to more up to date collaborative exhibits that can be accomplished by museums of any size.