Museum Vocabulary

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Museum Vocabulary

Museum: “a building or institution where objects of artistic, historical, or scientific importance and value are kept, studied, and put on display,” Encarta Dictionary.

1. mission statement: noun. ____________________________________________________________

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Sentence: The mission statement of the Art Museum is “Art for all, free of charge,” and this is the reason why the museum does not charge an admission fee. (Compound)

2. curator: noun. Definition: _______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________ sentence: The curator of the shoe museum had strangely crooked feet; she later confessed to me that she always tried on the shoes before placing them in the exhibits. (compound)

3. docent: noun. Definition: An educated or knowledgeable tour guide at a museum.

Compound or complex sentence: ___________________________________________________

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4. preservation: noun. The act or process of preserving, or keeping safe; the state of being preserved, or kept from injury, destruction, or decay; the act of keeping alive or in existence; make lasting: to preserve our liberties as free citizens; to keep safe from harm or injury; protect

sentence: Because museums of the past did not have the modern preservation techniques we have today, the Mona Lisa is greatly faded. (complex)

5. artifact: noun. Definition: an object made by a human being, e.g. a tool or ornament, especially one that has archaeological or cultural interest

Compound or complex sentence: ___________________________________________________

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6. exhibit: verb. To display something, especially a work of art, in a public place such as a museum or gallery. Noun: objects displayed in public, especially in a museum or gallery or for a show or competition.

Compound or complex sentence: __________________________________________________

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7. archive: noun. Definition: a place where documents such as letters, official papers, photographs, or recorded material are kept for their historical interest and preserved from deterioration. sentence: The mummy had been hidden in the dark archives for decades; after 40 years, we finally brought it out to display to the public. (compound)

8. archivist: noun. The person in charge of collecting, preserving, and organizing the items in an archive.

Compound or complex sentence: ___________________________________________________

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9. historian: noun. Definition: a student or expert in history sentence: After John and Alan, the great Civil War historians, wrote their book about women in combat roles, they won the Pulitzer Prize. (Complex)

10. primary source: noun. Definition: ________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________ sentence: Sacagawea’s secret diary was the primary source needed to prove that she had saved

John Smith’s life numerous times, and this primary source document was the basis for several books on the subject. (compound)

11. secondary source: noun. Definition: _____________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________ sentence: Ms. Reininger wrote several articles about the Revolutionary War for the new textbook; in order to create this secondary source, she had to read many primary source documents, including letters and diaries of soldiers. (compound)

12. heritage: noun. The history, ideas, and beliefs that define a country or culture and that are passed down through the generations. sentence: Freedom of speech is an important part of our American heritage although most of us take this right for granted. (complex)

13. oral history: noun. The personal recollections of people who participated in historical events, recorded on audio or video tape or told to a younger generation.

Compound or complex sentence: ___________________________________________________

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14. philanthropy: noun. A desire to improve the material, social, and spiritual welfare of humanity, especially through charitable activities. sentence: Bill Gates’s philanthropy is famous; he and his wife, Melinda, have donated billions of dollars to create programs that help people learn to read. (compound)

15. philanthropist: noun. A person who contributes time or money towards charitable activities.

Compound or complex sentence: ___________________________________________________

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16. interpretation: noun. An explanation of a document or artifact in order to give a particular meaning or importance to it. (‘interpret’ is the verb) sentence: Although Leila’s interpretation of the rock as a sacred religious object is interesting, I would have to agree with Simone’s interpretation instead, that the rock was used as a weapon or tool. (complex)

17. portrait: noun. a painting, photograph, or drawing of somebody, somebody's face, or a related group

Sentence: Whenever I look at that portrait of Abraham Lincoln, I notice the sorrow in his expression that the painter portrayed so well. (complex)

18. deterioration: noun. Definition: _________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________ sentence: Since the letters had experienced so much deterioration from being left in the basement, it was nearly impossible to read them.

19. culture: noun. The beliefs, customs, practices, and social behavior of a particular nation or people sentence: American culture is considered a “melting pot” or a patchwork quilt of other cultures since we are a nation of immigrants.

20. legacy: noun. An idea or notion that is handed down through the generations.

Compound or complex sentence: ___________________________________________________

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21. document: noun. Definition: a formal piece of writing that provides information or acts as a record of events or arrangements sentence: The Constitution is an important document in our country’s history; it states our rights and responsibilities as American citizens. (compound)

22. grant: noun. a sum of money given by the government or some other organization to fund such things as education or research.

Compound or complex sentence: ___________________________________________________

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23. collection: noun. All the paintings, artifacts, documents, or other object of one kind held by an art gallery or museum, grouped together by theme. sentence: The collection of Native American beadwork was on display at the history museum; several wealthy donors had loaned the museum these artifacts for the public’s perusal. (compound)

24. intern: noun. an assistant or trainee working to gain practical experience in an occupation.

Compound or complex sentence: ___________________________________________________

25. internship: noun. An experience for someone to work as an assistant or trainee working to gain practical experience in an occupation

sentence: When Max got an internship to study mummies at the Cairo museum in Egypt, he wanted to use ancient techniques to mummify his guinea pig. (complex)

26. institution: noun. A large organization that is influential in the community, e.g. a college, hospital, bank, museum.

Compound or complex sentence: Museums are important institutions in our society; they preserve artifacts and documents for future generations. (compound)

27. donor: noun. Someone who gives money or objects of value to an institution.

Compound or complex sentence: ___________________________________________________

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28. protocol: noun. The rules or conventions of correct behavior for certain situations or places. sentence: It is against museum protocol to touch any of the artifacts since the oil from one’s fingers can contribute to the deterioration of the objects. (complex)

29. civilization: noun. Definition: an advanced level of development in society that is marked by complex social and political organization, and material, scientific, and artistic progress

Compound or complex sentence: ___________________________________________________

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30. documentation: noun. Documents provided or collected together as evidence or as reference material sentence: Since the historian has provided so much documentation to prove that the mummy was indeed a Queen, the museum officials were ready to accept this theory. (complex)

31. gallery: noun. a place where artwork or artifacts are exhibited

Compound or complex sentence: ___________________________________________________

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32. humanities: noun. Definition: the study of subjects such as history, languages, and philosophy that involve the study of culture and ideas; (also called the liberal arts).

Sentence: When I studied the humanities in college, I had to take classes in history, literature, and art history. (complex)

33. endowment: noun. Definition: __________________________________________________

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Sentence: The five million dollar endowment from the Coca-Cola company has enabled the art museum to purchase five more pieces of art for their cubism exhibit although they will spend most of the money on one Picasso. (complex)

1.

Define, using the best and most appropriate definition.

2.

Write a compound or complex sentence using the word in context to a museum.

Label whether it’s compound or complex.

3.

Categorize your word list on the next page.

People Objects or Places

Processes Ideas

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