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BISAES 305: Power, Dissent & American Culture (Padilla): Questions to address to an artifact

Questions to address to an artifact


Design and construction of an object:

  • What is it made of?
  • Why did the maker choose this/these materials?
  • Is it attractive?
  • When was it made?
  • Where was it made?
  • Was it made by hand or by machine?
  • Who made it?
  • Is it made of one piece or more than one piece?
  • Can you take it apart?
  • How do you put it together?
  • How does the object work?
  • Is it decorated or plain?
  • Are there any marks/images on the object?
  • why are there marks or images on the object?
     

Physical characteristics of an object:

  • What does it look like?
  • What does it feel like?
  • What does it smell like?
  • What does it sound like?
  • How big is it?
  • What shape is it?
  • What colour is it?
  • How heavy is it?
  • Does it have any marks on it?
  • Do these marks tell us how it was made, used and cared for?
  • What is it made of?
  • Is it mass produced, rare or is it unique?
  • Is it complete or is it a part of an object?
  • Is it in good condition or is it worn/used?
  • Has it been altered, adapted, repaired or changed?

Questions to address to an artifact


Importance and value of an object:

  • How did the object change people’s lives? For example, did this object make washing clothes faster and easier?
  • How important was the object to the people who made it?
  • How important was the object to the people who used or owned it?
  • How important is this object to people today?
  • Is it mass produced, rare, or is it unique?
  • Is the object valuable financially?
  • Is the object valuable sentimentally to a person?
  • Is the object valuable to a particular cultural group of people?

Function of an object:

  • Why was it made?
  • What is it?
  • How was it used?
  • Who used it?
  • What skills did you need to use it?
  • Was it easy to use?
  • Was it difficult to use?
  • Where was it used?
  • Was it used with other objects?
  • Has its use changed?/Is it used for a different purpose now?

Adapted from

Croydon Museum: What questions should I ask during an artefact handling session? https://museumofcroydon.com/, retrieved Feb. 11, 2019.

Swift, F: (1999): Learning from objects. In: Museum Practice Issue 10 (Volume 4, Number1), p 55-58.

Questions you can ask about an artifact