UO Arts & Administration Program - CultureWork
Research & Publication | ICAS | CultureWork 
Occasional Paper Series | Faculty Research 
CultureWork
CultureWork: A Periodic Broadside for Arts and Culture 
Workers
CultureWork is an electronic publication of the University of 
Oregon Center for Community Arts and Cultural Policy. Its 
mission is to provide timely workplace-oriented information 
on culture, the arts, education, policy, and community.
ISSN 1541-938X
Current Issue Includes:
February 2006. Vol. 10, No. 1.
From Concept to Creation: A Museum Makeover with 
Big Ideas and a Small Donor Base 
Patricia Krier and Thomas Connolly 
The Museum's Community Role
Alice Parman 
View Previous Issues
Salutations!
Welcome to the Winter 2006 issue of CultureWork.  This 
issue focuses on the cultural sector of museums and features 
two articles by professionals who have been involved in 
museums for over twenty years.
We deem that both articles will give readers an excellent 
introduction to the practical aspects of museum renovation, 
community interaction, and change.  As we move into the 
21st century, museums, of all sizes, are redefining their 
missions and roles within societies as new ideals of global 
economics, technological change, and cultural interactions 
are developed.  The authors in this issue explore some of the 
larger questions surrounding the museum community in 
today's changing world. Additionally, they bring to the table 
their personal connections and experiences, exploring the 
ways change can happen with limited time, staff, and 
budgets.
 
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UO Arts & Administration Program - CultureWork
Regards,
Julie Voelker-Morris
Robert Voelker-Morris
Editors
Special Topic: Zines and Do-It-Yourself Democracy
Zines and Do-It-Yourself Democracy
Zines and Do-It-Yourself Democracy represents the 
explorations of the students and faculty associated with the 
Zines and Do-It-Yourself Democracy freshman seminar at 
the University of Oregon. This exhibit features examples of 
zines created by zinesters from around the United States as 
well as by students in the seminar. This exhibit is an online 
interpretation of a Spring 2005 University of Oregon Knight 
Library exhibit of the same title.
Curators:
Doug Blandy
Robert Voelker-Morris
CultureWork seeks submissions of concise (500-1500 words) 
critiques and advisories on community arts and the 
preparation of community arts workers. Graphics that 
express the spirit of community arts are welcome, to be 
published with attribution. Manuscripts should be sent via 
email as an attachment (as either .doc Word format or .txt 
plain text format), or can be sent via postal mail on zip disk, 
CD-R, or DVD-R. Use American Psychological Association 
guidelines for style and citations. If accepted for publication, 
authors may be asked to make revisions.
Send submissions to culturwk@uoregon.edu or via postal 
mail: care of Arts & Administration Program, School of 
Architecture and Allied Arts, University of Oregon, Eugene, 
Oregon 97403
CultureWork is an electronic publication of the University of 
Oregon Center for Community Arts and Cultural Policy. Its 
mission is to provide timely workplace-oriented information 
on culture, the arts, education, and community. For previous 
issues of CultureWork, visit the Previous Issues page. 
Prospective authors and illustrators please see the Guidelines.
Opinions expressed by authors of CultureWork broadsides do 
not necessarily express those of the editors, the Center for 
Community Arts and Cultural Policy, or the University of 
Oregon.
Arts and Administration | The Institute for Community Arts 
Studies(I.C.A.S.)
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UO Arts & Administration Program - CultureWork
Copyright - The Center for Community Arts and Cultural 
Policy unless otherwise noted; all other publication rights 
revert to the author(s), illustrator(s), or artist(s) thereof.
Co-Editors: Julie Voelker-Morris, Robert Voelker-Morris
Advisor: Dr. Douglas Blandy.
Comments to: culturwk@uoregon.edu
University of Oregon
School of Architecture and Allied Arts
Arts & Administration Program
251E Lawrence Hall
Contact A&AA
Phone: (541)346-3639 | Fax: (541)346-3626 
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UO Arts & Administration Program - Current Issue
Research & Publication | ICAS | CultureWork 
Occasional Paper Series | Faculty Research 
Current Issue
Current Issue Includes:
This issue of Culturework features two articles focusing on 
the cultural venues of museums:
Patricia Krier, Director of Public Programs, and Thomas 
Connolly, Director of Research, discuss their experiences 
during the development and completion of an exhibit space 
renovation at the University of Oregon Museum of Natural 
and Cultural History. 
Alice Parman, interpretive planner and organizational 
consultant, discusses and outlines the role of the museum 
within its immediate community.
February 2006. Vol. 10, No. 1.
From Concept to Creation: A Museum Makeover with 
Big Ideas and a Small Donor Base 
Patricia Krier and Thomas Connolly 
The Museum's Community Role
Alice Parman 
CultureWork is an electronic publication of the University of 
Oregon Center for Community Arts and Cultural Policy. Its 
mission is to provide timely workplace-oriented information 
on culture, the arts, education, and community. For previous 
issues of CultureWork, visit the Previous Issues page. 
Prospective authors and illustrators please see the Guidelines.
Opinions expressed by authors of CultureWork broadsides do 
not necessarily express those of the editors, the Center for 
Community Arts and Cultural Policy, or the University of 
Oregon.
Arts and Administration | The Institute for Community Arts 
Studies(I.C.A.S.)
Copyright - The Center for Community Arts and Cultural 
Policy unless otherwise noted; all other publication rights 
revert to the author(s), illustrator(s), or artist(s) thereof.
Co-Editors: Julie Voelker-Morris, Robert Voelker-Morris
Advisor: Dr. Douglas Blandy.
Comments to: culturwk@uoregon.edu
University of Oregon
School of Architecture and Allied Arts
Arts & Administration Program
251E Lawrence Hall
Contact A&AA
Phone: (541)346-3639 | Fax: (541)346-3626 
 
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BROADSIDE?
 
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From Concept to Creation
- CultureWork Home - 
CultureWork 
A Periodic Broadside 
for Arts and Culture Workers 
February 2006. Vol. 10, No. 1. 
Center for Community Arts and Cultural Policy
Arts & Administration Program, University of 
Oregon                        ISSN 1541-938X 
-Previous Issues-
-So, what's a broadside?-
-Previous Article: The Museum's Community Role-
From Concept to Creation: A Museum Makeover with Big Ideas and a Small Donor 
Base
Patricia Krier and Thomas Connolly
Museum of Natural and Cultural History, University of Oregon
2005, Photograph by Jack Liu
Introduction
In 1998 the University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History (MNCH) http://
natural-history.uoregon.edu/ embarked on a makeover journey, the first phase of which 
would last almost eight years. The museum itself, built in 1987, was designed with 
features reminiscent of a traditional Pacific Northwest American Indian longhouse. The 
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From Concept to Creation
modest funds available at the time required the exhibit space to be equipped with recycled 
display furniture, the TV-like cases from the old museum that recalled a 1950s-era when 
Luther Cressman, Oregon's first archaeologist and first UO anthropology professor, was 
director. Although a north wing was later added when administrative space was needed, 
the public area was in desperate need of modernization. After living with it for over a 
decade, the staff felt that spatial needs should be reassessed. With minuscule funding and 
only one full-time exhibits coordinator, hands were tied. By 1998 the interior of the 
museum needed a major makeover!
Hired Expertise: Our first step was to select a facilitator to help us articulate goals and 
core values, to write up a preliminary interpretive plan, and to ultimately host user groups 
and stakeholders for their input. A previous director of the museum and exhibit consultant 
was the person we identified for this important role. We had worked with her over the 
years and knew she had both the content knowledge and the technical expertise to create a 
plan for MNCH. 
Next, we hired a local architectural firm to develop a conceptual design plan for building 
changes, including expansion of the building to the south and west. The UO Facility 
Services, MNCH staff, and the architects created an exceptional design However after a 
small feasibility study we faced the reality that the building expansion plan was too grand 
for our budget and donor base. We then turned our focus to an exhibit space remodel 
within the existing walls.
Internal Expertise: Thus began the internal staff quest, led by our exhibits coordinator 
and the university Facilities Services architect, to reconfigure the internal space of the 
museum. Others began the fundraising process for the exhibit area, working from a vision 
plan developed by the director.
In order to optimize exhibit space within the existing structure, the museum store was 
moved to a more central location that traded under-used lobby space for a much-needed 
multipurpose education and conference room. Administrative workspaces were all 
relocated in the north wing. Graduate students drafted the designs, and the remodeling 
work was contracted to a local master craftsman.
Exhibits Makeover 
By 2002, the museum was ready to tackle the actual exhibit space renovation, thematically 
and physically. The goals were: 
a71     to further the science-supported knowledge of Oregon's geologic, biotic, and 
cultural history. 
a71     to tell the best stories, from multiple viewpoints, in a way that was accessible to lay 
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From Concept to Creation
audiences.
Previous Exhibit Hall, 2002, Photograph by Robert Voelker-Morris 
 
Museum Interior Dismantling 2003, Photographs by Robert Voelker-Morris 
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From Concept to Creation
 
New Exhibit Hall, 2005, Photographs by Jack Liu
Timeline: For the first couple years the staff worked on their own time, fitting projects in 
as they could while completing their regular daily, weekly and monthly jobs. However, 
when the production of the exhibits area renovation began in earnest, they were on a very 
strict contract-dictated time schedule. It was at this time that the small museum core group 
was created, with one representative from each museum division (collections, research, 
public programs), an internal project coordinator (exhibits coordinator), and the executive 
director who was also a professional archaeologist. This group worked with the exhibit 
design firm but were the final decision makers when it came to primary sources for stories 
and writing the final text and label copy
University Expertise and Protection: A binding legal contract with an outside firm was 
developed by university lawyers and the UO Facilities Services architect, and confirmed 
by the State Department of Justice, in order to protect the museum during every phase of 
the project.
Changes: The initial design firm, who helped us to develop the conceptual plan for the 
new exhibit, was a small outfit with good ideas and a lot of energy, but as we moved into 
the project we learned how complex implementation (construction phase), could be. 
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From Concept to Creation
Ultimately, we felt more comfortable with a firm that had large-scale implementation 
experience. We chose a local firm; one we felt was more skilled in the kinds of production 
needed. As the production process became more than originally anticipated (including 
installation of a complex heating-ventilation-air conditioning system to insure a climate 
controlled environment for collections), we were very glad they were close by, both in 
terms of the need for ongoing consultation and savings in travel costs. 
Implementation of the design concept by the new firm required that we repeat some of the 
conceptual design steps we had already been through. This was an unavoidable necessity 
(and expense), but it was imperative for the museum's core group and our new partners to 
share a common vision.
It was a long way from exhibit concept to implementation, and dealing with details (story 
lines, label copy, and artifact selection, as well as design, hardware, and materials choices) 
was by far the most time-intensive part of the process. The core group met on a weekly 
basis, over a period of twelve months typically for four or more hours at a time. This was 
the most challenging part of the process, due to the fact that the core group members all 
had full-time management duties outside of this responsibility.
During this process, one member of the museum core group functioned as the primary 
contact between the museum and the exhibit design firm. This eliminated the transmission 
of mixed messages in either direction that might result in misunderstandings of needs, 
instructions, or priorities.
Conclusion
In the end, we were very satisfied with the both the result and the experience we had with 
the design/construction phaseexhibit firm. Of course, there were things we got right, and 
things we got wrong:
Things we got wrong: 
a71     During the conceptual design phase, we made an attempt to recycle materials from 
a museum that had created dioramas of the kind we wanted to replicate. Since this 
organization had recently closed and was selling them off, we anticipated a 
significant cost savings. As it turned out only a small portion of the materials were 
used, but the cost of recovery, transport, storage, cleaning, and reconditioning (in 
excess of $50,000, the total exhibition budget being one million) outweighed the 
positives of this well-intentioned misstep. In the end most of the recovered 
materials could not be used. 
a71     Changing design firms was ultimately the right decision, but it was also costly. 
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From Concept to Creation
Things we got right:
a71     Our core group included one person representing each of several critical 
departments/interests (collections, research, exhibits, public programs). Although 
conventional wisdom suggests that the diverse interests of this group could be a 
recipe for conflict, it proved to be the opposite. Among us we had over 100 years 
of museum experience and were all accustomed to management-level decision-
making. This made the process more efficient, as decisions could be made without 
having to seek outside expertise or approval. The core group not only brought a lot 
of expertise to the table, but an appreciation for the art of profitable collaboration 
and judicious compromise.
a71     Although it proved to be a considerable time burden for the members, the small 
size of the core group of five senior staff was an advantage. It gave us a focused 
point of reference for critical questions such as handling of artifacts, public policy, 
and research. Although different focus groups, tribal representatives, and content 
experts reviewed design drafts and label copy, the committee made all final 
decisions on copy and content. We discovered that input from different groups was 
essential, but could also be contradictory. Having a small group hearing all input 
insured that valuable input wouldn't be lost, or that contradiction wouldn't be 
missed.
a71     Although a small core of senior staff worked well for us in making final decisions, 
in the end it was a larger group effort including the design firm, all museum 
internal staff (paid and volunteer), tribal representatives and the many community 
people that participated. The varied expertise was critical. The key is to find an 
optimum size that works; enough people to adequately share the burden, but no 
more than is absolutely essential.
The exhibit opened to great fanfare in February 2005, and our generous donors have paid 
off the entire project! Now, we're onto the next change, as museums must always be 
evolving in order to remain cutting-edge educational institutions. UO MNCH has recently 
received 2.5 million dollars from the Federal Highway Transportation Committee, thanks 
to Oregon Representative Peter DeFazio, which will be the base for a new, much-needed, 
curation storage and research facility.
It hardly leaves us with the time, in the midst of all this activity, to be working on the next 
ten-year vision/strategic plan. But we are. A well-laid plan, with built-in flexibility, is the 
very foundation of an institution.
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From Concept to Creation
Patricia Krier is Director of Public Programs for the University of Oregon Museum of 
Natural & Cultural History. She has Master's degrees in Italian and French language and 
literature (1972) and U. S. History (1984) from the UO. She has been with the museum 
since 1978, and at her current position since 2000.
Thomas Connolly is Director of Research for the University of Oregon Museum of 
Natural & Cultural History/State Museum of Anthropology, a position held since 1986 
when he completed his Ph.D. in anthropology at the UO. Tom's research focuses on the 
archaeology of the Pacific Northwest. 
Patty and Tom have been married for 24 years (they met as graduate students at the 
museum), and have an 18 year old daughter, Bridey Jean.
|   
CultureWork is an electronic publication of the University of Oregon Center for 
Community Arts and Cultural Policy. Its mission is to provide timely workplace-oriented 
information on culture, the arts, education, and community. For links to other sites of 
interest, see the ICAS links page. For previous issues of CultureWork, visit the Previous 
Issues page. Prospective authors and illustrators please see the Guidelines. 
Opinions expressed by authors of CultureWork broadsides do not necessarily express 
those of the editors, the Center for Community Arts and Cultural Policy, or the University 
of Oregon. 
Arts and Administration | Center for Community Arts and Cultural Policy
?2006 University of Oregon Center for Community Arts and Cultural Policy unless 
otherwise noted; all other publication rights revert to the author(s), illustrator(s), or artist
(s) thereof. 
Editors: Julie and Robert Voelker-Morris                                        Advisor: Dr. Douglas 
Blandy.  
Comments to: culturwk@uoregon.edu
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The Museum's Community Role 
- CultureWork Home - 
CultureWork 
A Periodic Broadside 
for Arts and Culture Workers 
February 2006. Vol. 10, No. 1. 
Center for Community Arts and Cultural Policy
Arts & Administration Program, University of 
Oregon                        ISSN 1541-938X 
-Previous Issues-
-So, what's a broadside?-
-Previous Article: From Concept to Creation: A Museum Makeover with Big Ideas and a 
Small Donor Base-
The Museum's Community Role 
Alice Parman
Architects have often proclaimed the unassailable timelessness of museums as keepers of 
the past. Yet museums are themselves part of history; they are living institutions that must 
continually cope with the present and imagine how to prepare for the future. Huge 
changes have been underway for several decades in schools, workplaces, and homes. The 
Internet and cell phones are transforming how people communicate and learn. What 
threats and opportunities do these trends present for museums? 
The steady proliferation of new devices that purport to bring people closer has set up 
centrifugal forces that fling us ever outward into isolation. Destructive of family, 
community, and place-based meaning, a market-driven socio-cultural machine devours the 
natural worlds of nature and of traditional cultures, heedless of history's cautionary tales.
Individuals, families, and affinity groups seek countervailing, centripetal experiences that 
draw us together: gathering, meeting, socializing, playing, learning, celebrating, talking, 
looking for meaning, hoping to belong. Despite the ubiquity of personal computers, 
people continue to read books; book groups are burgeoning, and library visits and 
circulation increased steadily throughout the 1990s (American Library Association). 
Soccer, softball, ultimate Frisbee, and other amateur sports leagues draw participants of all 
ages (Microsoft Encarta, 2005; Fletcher, 1999). 
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The Museum's Community Role 
Like libraries and Ultimate Frisbee, museums have an informal, amateur quality that 
makes them potential gathering places for their communities. A small-town museum 
draws a cross-section of local residents to its Community Conversations. A museum in a 
large, multicultural city invites artists from diverse cultural backgrounds to plan and 
install exhibits in a Community Gallery. A museum in one of the world's largest cities 
opens its doors and programs to the extremely diverse immigrant population that lives and 
works in its own neighborhood. Although they are educational institutions, museums don't 
set entry requirements, ask visitors to follow a curriculum, or grade them on their efforts. 
Once visitors have paid the admission fee, they're free to learn in their own way. 
Yet museums vary in their ability to attract a cross-section of community members. A key 
factor is the museum's self-defined role within the community, which may be consciously 
chosen and maintained, or unconscious and unexamined. Where does each of your 
community's museums fit in? 
Diagnosing the Museum's Community Role
Here's a diagnostic tool for evaluating a particular museum's community role. Remember: 
a museum can play more than one role. Also, you may think of additional roles that 
describe an institution you're familiar with. Review each description as it might apply to 
the museum today. Check the descriptions that you think best match how your community 
now views the museum. Rank order each description on a scale of 1 to 5 (1=perfect match; 
5=not at all like us). Add categories and descriptions that better define the institution. 
Make this worksheet your own. 
Community Role of [museum's name]
_________Visitor attraction
The museum is the "front porch" of the community, welcoming visitors and giving them 
an overview of what's special and unique about this place.
_________Catalyst for change
The museum exists to deliver a message that will encourage people to think differently 
about their relationship to others or to the world. 
_________Center of creativity
The museum engages visitors in activities where they make and do things. Visitors, rather 
than the museum, determine the outcomes. 
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The Museum's Community Role 
_________Memory bank
The museum displays aspects of the history of a place, person, cultural tradition, etc.
_________Storyteller
The museum interprets the history of a place, person, cultural tradition, etc. in ways that 
relate the past to the present--and even to the future.
_________Attic
The museum preserves objects and images that would otherwise have been discarded.
_________Treasure trove
The museum preserves valuable, meaningful, and/or rare and unusual objects and images.
_________Shrine/hall of fame
The museum honors a particular group or individual and assumes visitors have a built-in 
interest in this topic.
_________Exclusive club
Although open to the public, the museum is primarily aimed at people with special 
interests in and knowledge of the topic.
Staying Alive
Whatever the museum's role, staying alive isn't easy, in today's economically 
unpredictable environment world. 
The challenges aren't that different for people and institutions: be yourself, yet somehow 
manage to fit in. To be yourself means to figure out who you are and who you want to be, 
as an institution. To fit in means to understand how your institution, with its unique 
identity, can relate most effectively to your community. If institutional leadership opts for 
business as usual, or tries to please everyone, the result is unlikely to be successful. The 
museum may be viewed as old hat, stuck in the mud; or chameleon-like, a sellout. But 
museum leaders who view these challenges dynamically find built-in mechanisms for 
successful adaptation:
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The Museum's Community Role 
Be yourself = Figure out who you are and who you want to be.
Focus on your mission and vision.
Develop organizational and interpretive goals.
Fit in = Understand your community.
Build an active, broadly representative board.
Make evaluation a priority.
Through strategic and interpretive planning, museums can discover how to make a unique 
contribution and play a valued community role. This process has been going on for more 
than a century as noted in Anderson's (2004) invaluable historical survey Reinventing the 
Museum.
Among museums that have successfully met these challenges, becoming and remaining 
themselves and fitting in to their communities in marvelous ways, three examples stand 
out for me. Seattle's Wing Luke Asian Museum (www.wingluke.org) sets an international 
standard for community-based exhibits and programs. The Pratt Museum (www.
prattmuseum.org) in Homer, Alaska is noted for its work with Native people and other 
community members, its use of low-cost technology to produce a wealth of accessible 
media, and its focus on interpretation and preservation of Kachemak Bay. Manhattan's 
Tenement Museum (www.tenement.org) offers memorable programs interpreting a unique 
historic site, while serving diverse immigrant communities in its own neighborhood and 
throughout the city.
What do these projects have in common? 
Each is grounded in a place and a community (Fit In).
Exhibits and programs are small-scale and low-cost (Be Yourself).
Goals and execution are characterized by imagination, creativity, and 
quality (Be Yourself).
Change is step-by-step, incremental, goal-directed--and may take years (Be 
Yourself).
The ensemble is attractive and rewarding for locals and tourists alike (Fit 
In). 
Big projects can be successful, but many are destined to fail. Overbuilding can be 
dangerous. Too many museums open with big debts and unrealistic admission projections. 
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The Museum's Community Role 
Within the last 10 to 15 years, several much-ballyhooed regional attractions have opened 
and closed within a year or two (e.g. Denver's Ocean Journey aquarium and the Bellevue, 
Washington Art Museum). "Build it and they will come" may come true in the movies, 
but in the real world of museums it has proved to be mostly a fairy tale.
Yet some startup and re-invented museums and other cultural attractions are thriving. In 
Oregon, the Columbia River Maritime Museum (www.crmm.org) has made big gains in 
admissions, membership, audience diversity, and store sales following the renovation of 
its visitor services and Great Hall exhibits. (Notably, that project was scaled back after a 
feasibility study clarified the scope of funding that could reasonably be expected.) A 
consortium of museums and other heritage organizations is just beginning to market 
Oregon City as a destination for history buffs. Careful planning, expert consultation, and a 
unique configuration of historic properties bode well for this ambitious effort. 
Checking Your Vital Signs
If you are contemplating a change in your museum's role, assess your situation before you 
commit for the long haul. What are the ingredients of a successful startup or re-invention 
project? These are the vital signs that will help you stay alive and accomplish your goals:
Vision. A key person serves as the driving force, whether visibly or behind the scenes. A 
personable style, openness to collaboration, and boundless energy will help attract the 
support of colleagues and community leaders, as well as significant donations.
A committed board. Project planning and implementation takes an extraordinary amount 
of time and effort. Problems will inevitably arise. Strong support from board members is 
indispensable The board should be prepared to make extraordinary contributions of time 
and funds, setting a leadership standard for volunteers and community supporters.
Community support. How will your project benefit a variety of constituencies and 
stakeholders? What unique contribution will the museum make to people's lives? What 
key institutional partners are in your corner? Critical masses of people have to understand 
and support your project--or it won't be sustainable.
Seed money. This can be raised from a variety of sources. Foundations and business 
leaders, board members and volunteers are likely prospects who may want to get in on the 
ground floor. You can go back to many of the same sources later for implementation 
funding. 
Persistence. New ideas are often controversial. Successful projects build on past efforts, 
emulating their strengths and learning from their mistakes. An inclusive, open planning 
process is essential. To succeed, an interpretive project must ally itself in a mutually 
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The Museum's Community Role 
respectful way with other community-building efforts, creating a special role that fits the 
hopes, expectations, and needs of a broad cross-section of citizens and organizations.
Expertise. You'll need qualified professionals such as an architect, exhibit designer, 
fundraising consultant, graphic artist, etc. Many consultants are willing to do a certain 
amount of pro bono work and this gives you an opportunity to try on a working 
relationship. Check with colleagues in your region for recommendations. Once you've 
established a scope of work, ask for formal submissions of qualifications and firm quotes. 
Choosing the appropriate consultants is critical to the achievement of your project goals. 
Look for experience that fits your subject matter and scope. 
Conclusion: A New Community Focus
As you move forward, evaluate your plans and progress in light of your chosen 
community role. Each time you make a difficult decision, remember that as an institution, 
you need to be yourself and fit in. Your role in the community will be defined and 
strengthened not only by the project outcome, but also by the quality of your planning 
process. 
Nationwide, community-focused museums are making a difference for people of all ages 
and backgrounds. Exhibits and programs invite visitors and members to explore common 
interests and engage in dialogue about current issues. And as community members gain 
confidence in the museum as a safe space where all viewpoints are welcome, there is 
potential for fruitful conversations on controversial and divisive topics as well.
References 
American Library Association. (n.d.). Public libraries in the United States: Statistical 
trends, 1990-2002. Retrieved January 24, 2006, from www.ala.org/ala/ors/statsaboutlib/
publiclibraries.htm
Anderson, G. (Ed.). (2004). Reinventing the museum: Historical and contemporary 
perspectives on the paradigm shift. Walnut Creek, California: Altamira Press.
Fletcher, Amanda. (1999, January 27). Ultimate Frisbee popularity soars as UCLA, world 
sport. Daily Bruin, . Retrieved January 24, 2006, from www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/DB/
issues/99/01.27/sports.ultimate.html
Microsoft Encarta. (2005). Softball. In Online Encyclopedia 2005. Retrieved January 24, 
http://aad.uoregon.edu/culturework/culturework33b.html (6 of 7)2/17/2006 6:35:05 AM
The Museum's Community Role 
2006, from encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761568314/Softball.html 
With a background as a high school teacher and a Ph.D. in Education, Alice Parman 
began her museum career as educator and administrator at Chicago's Field Museum of 
Natural History. After a 15-year career as a museum educator and director, since 1989 she 
has worked as an interpretive planner and organizational consultant for a variety of 
nonprofit clients. More information at http://www.aparman.com. 
|  | 
CultureWork is an electronic publication of the University of Oregon Center for 
Community Arts and Cultural Policy. Its mission is to provide timely workplace-oriented 
information on culture, the arts, education, and community. For links to other sites of 
interest, see the ICAS links page. For previous issues of CultureWork, visit the Previous 
Issues page. Prospective authors and illustrators please see the Guidelines. 
Opinions expressed by authors of CultureWork broadsides do not necessarily express 
those of the editors, the Center for Community Arts and Cultural Policy, or the University 
of Oregon. 
Arts and Administration | Center for Community Arts and Cultural Policy
?2006 University of Oregon Center for Community Arts and Cultural Policy unless 
otherwise noted; all other publication rights revert to the author(s), illustrator(s), or artist
(s) thereof. 
Editors: Julie and Robert Voelker-Morris                                        Advisor: Dr. Douglas 
Blandy.  
Comments to: culturwk@uoregon.edu
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zines DIY democracy
-CultureWork-
Zines and Do-It-Yourself Democracy
Zines and Do-It-Yourself Democracy represents the explorations of the students and faculty associated with 
the Zines and Do-It-Yourself Democracy freshman seminar at the University of Oregon. This exhibit features 
examples of zines created by zinesters from around the United States as well as by students in the 
seminar. This exhibit is an online interpretation of a Spring 2005 University of Oregon Knight Library 
exhibit of the same title. (Read about the Curatorial Method here, this link opens in a new browser window.) 
Zines are not about canonization, but about the possibility of universal participation. Our purpose is not 
to present an encyclopedic tour of the genre, but instead a response to questions such as:
a71     How do zines function in a corporate controlled media environment?
a71     What is the larger context in which zines are created and distributed?
a71     What is the history of zines?
a71     What is the effect of zines on people, culture, and society?
a71     We hope that this exhibit will motivate you to explore the large and diverse world of zines. 
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zines DIY democracy
 
Left: Cometbus #26
Right: rrrl girlz v. 3 #1
Zines. There is no consensus on how to define a zine. To witness the evolving process of defining zines 
visit the Wikipedia definition of zines at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zines. Generally, zines can be understood 
as independently produced, independently circulated, non-copyrighted, self-funded, limited edition 
pamphlet/magazine-like publications. 
Do-It-Yourself (DIY). George McKay in Party and Protest in Nineties Britain sums up DIY best as "a combination 
of inspiring action, narcissism, youthful arrogance, principle, ahistoicism, idealism, indulgence, 
reactivity, plagiarism, as well as the rejection and embracing alike of technological innovation."
Democracy. Douglas Lummis, in his book Radical Democracy, argues that democracy is more than a set of 
institutions or a "system." Democracy is a state of being and doing. Democracy is a performance. Zines, as 
spaces for communicating about issues of public and private concern are doing democracy.
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"Think! Think! It ain?t illegal, yet!!" reads the first page of U Don?t Stop, a zine I picked up the other day. 
It?s not an unusual request. Zines (short for fanzines, derived from magazines) are homemade pamphlets with a 
rebellious mission: to create an independent voice outside the mainstream. Though one could trace their roots back 
to the political pamphlets of the American Revolution, zines as a distinct medium were born in the 1930s. It was then 
that fans of science fiction, often through the clubs they formed, started producing fanzines as a way of sharing 
stories and ideas about a literary genre sniffed at by the cultural establishment. Forty years later, in the mid 1970s, 
fans of punk rock music, ignored by and critical of the commercial music press, also began publishing zines about 
their cultural scene. In the early 1980s these two tributaries converged with smaller streams of publications by fans 
of other cultural strains, as well as the remnants of printed political dissent from the 1960s, and a genuine media 
subculture came of age. Today, somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000 different zines circulate throughout the 
United States and the world. What binds all these publications together is a common prime directive: DIY (Do-It-
Yourself). Stop shopping for culture and go out and create your own. (Duncombe, 1999)
 
 
 
Best Viewed by listening to the 
"Democracy Mix"!
(this link opens in a new browser 
window) 
Other Pages:
Introduction
-
History Of
-
do it yourself
-
Networking
-
zinesters
Portland zine symposium 2005
http://www.pdxzines.com/
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zines DIY democracy
Acknowledgements
Maria Finison, Don Stacy, Owen Smith, and Dan Beyer 
References
Duncombe, S. (1999, December). DIY Nike Style: Zines and the corporate world. Z-Magazine. Retrieved 
September 13, 2005 from http://www.zmag.org/zmag/zarticle.cfm?Url=/articles/dec1999duncombe.htm
Lummis, D.C. (1997). Radical democracy. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
McKay, G. (Ed.). (1998). Diy culture: Party & protest in nineties Britain. London: Verso 
Bibliography
Congdon, K. G. & Blandy, D. (2005). Zines, diy, and critical pedagogy. Telemedium, 52, 59-63. 
Congdon, K. G. & Blandy, D. (2005). Zines, democracy, and the insurgent imagination: Implications for art 
education. In L. R. Andrews (Ed.). Democracy and the arts: Voices and choices. Manuscript submitted for 
publication.
Duncombe, S. (1997). Notes from the underground: Zines and the politics of alternative culture. NY: Verso.
Wrekk, A. (n.d.). Stolen sharpie revolution: A DIY zine resource. Portland, OR: Microcosm.
Websites:
Broken Pencil. (n.d.). Retreived October 1, 2005, from http://www.brokenpencil.com/
Independent Publishing Resource Center. (n.d.). Retreived October 1, 2005, from http://iprc.org/
Reader's guide to the underground press. (n.d.). Retreived October 1, 2005, from http://www.undergroundpress.org/
Roll your own. (n.d.). Retreived October 1, 2005, from http://www.zinebook.com/roll.html
Zinebook.com (Encyclopedic website devoted to zines and e-zines. Includes discussion groups, interviews 
with zinesters, resources, updates, critiques, and tips for distribution.) (n.d.). Retreived October 1, 
2005, from http://www.zinebook.com/
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Curators 
Doug Blandy is a Professor in the Arts and Administration Program at the University of Oregon. He is also the Director of the Institute for Community Arts 
Studies. Doug Blandy's involvement with zines links his interest in the arts of the book, indy media, and participatory democracy.
dblandy@uoregon.edu
Robert Voelker-Morris is the Project Coordinator for the IMLS grant project at the University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History. 
Additionally, Robert works for the U of O Arts and Administration Program as adjunct professor in the visual and media literacy fields. He was introduced to 
the world of zines in the early 1990s and has not looked back since.
rmorris1@uoregon.edu
 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License. 
This page has been designed with the following validations and accessibility compliance: 
|  | 
CultureWork is an electronic publication of the University of Oregon Institute for Community Arts Studies. Its mission is to provide timely workplace-oriented 
information on culture, the arts, education, and community. For links to other sites of interest, see the ICAS links page. For previous issues of CultureWork, 
visit the Previous Issues page. Prospective authors and illustrators please see the Guidelines. 
Opinions expressed by authors of CultureWork broadsides do not necessarily express those of the editors, the Institute for Community Arts Studies, or the 
University of Oregon. 
Arts and Administration | The Institute for Community Arts Studies (I.C.A.S.) 
?2005 The Institute for Community Arts Studies unless otherwise noted (see above Creative Commons license); all other publication rights revert to the author
(s), illustrator(s), or artist(s) thereof. 
Editors: Julie and Robert Voelker-Morris                                        Advisor: Dr. Douglas Blandy.  
Comments to: culturwk@uoregon.edu
 
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