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Season 2, Episode 10

Protecting Collections from Natural Disasters, Part 2

This week's podcast is Part 2 of the panel discussion Karen and Melanie participated on at the California Association of Museums conference. The Muse Stories podcast is the audio of that discussion. Part 2 is Melanie talking about the many ways museums can protect their objects from earthquakes, water damage, fires and accidents, and a nice Q & A at the end. Enjoy!

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Season 2, Episode 9

Protecting Collections from Natural Disasters, Part 1

Karen Lacy, from Muse Curatorial Consulting Group, and Barbara Forsyth, from the Mingei Museum, participate in a panel discussion at the California Association of Museums. Part 1 is Karen's presentation on the 1978 fire at the San Diego Air & Space Museum that destroyed almost all of the collection. Barbara speaks on the recent move of the Mingei's entire 26,000+ collection due to building renovations, and what they are doing now with that clean slate.

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Season 2, Episode 8

Our Timing is Off: The Quest for an Accurate Calendar, Part 2

Join cultural object preservationists, Melanie Dellas and Karen Lacy, as they continue uncovering the unusual history of calendars! Special thanks to our podcast director, Jessica Crossman.

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Season 2, Episode 7

Our Timing is Off: The Quest for an Accurate Calendar, Part 1

No matter who we are or what we do, calendars play a major role in our lives. We organize, plan, celebrate and count down with the use of a calendar. And we’re not the first ones. Early on, the first people would measure time by observing the period of light and dark that alternated continuously. The earliest calendars were strongly influenced by the geographic location of the people who made them. Put Part 2 of this podcast into your calendar now, because Part 1 may just surprise you!

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Season 2, Episode 6

Birthdays: What We Do on Our Special Day Keeps Evil Spirits Away!

Once a year a special day comes and goes with either pomp and circumstance or indifference, depending on who you are. If you were an Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh, you would celebrate the day you were born as a god, not the day you were born as a man. If you were in Ancient Rome, celebrating birthdays was super cool, complete with special cakes -- but only if you were a man.

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Season 2, Episode 5

Christmas Edition

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas from Muse Stories and Muse Curatorial Consulting Group! Because of the busy holiday season, we wanted to do a short podcast on our Christmas traditions, but we will be back in full force in January! In the meantime, stay safe, enjoy family and Happy New Year! Follow us on Instagram @MuseStories

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Season 2, Episode 4

The Unusual History of Pioneer Park

In a quaint neighborhood in San Diego, Pioneer Park is somewhere kids play and families picnic under the eucalyptus tress...not knowing that an estimated 4,000 bodies are buried in the ground beneath them. It's the perfect setting for another Poltergeist movie: They moved the tombstones, but not the bodies. Welcome to Muse Stories: The Unusual History of Every Thing, where today we take a look at the old Calvary Cemetery and its morbid history.

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Season 2, Episode 3

The Unusual History of Doll Houses

This week they explore the unusual history of doll houses. Originally designed for adults, doll houses have a long history in Western culture. Meant as displays of wealth, they have become synonymous with childhood and the acting out of domesticity. Let's explore some of the miniature houses we recently came across.

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Season 2, Episode 2

Museum Ghosts

Objects surround us. They are witnesses to life events, love, joy, pain and death. Can these objects absorb the energies around them, leaving a ghostly mark? Some people who work with collections think so. Do you?

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Season 2, Episode 1

Objects of Protection

Throughout history people have been afraid of the unknown. The scratching on the window, the feeling of being watched, movement out of the corner of their eye. How can you protect yourself from what you can’t see? Many cultures have answered that question through the use of herbs, stones, amulets and prayers. Whatever the case may be, objects of protection are always around us.