As a scholar, I write about museums; monuments + memorials; constructions of knowledge; and digital practices. Please reach out to me with questions: Juilee Decker, Ph.D. jdgsh@rit.edu.
Since 2015, I have published seven books: four are edited volumes for a series I conceived for Rowman & Littlefield; one is a museum studies textbook; one is an exhibition catalogue; and one is a monograph, part of the series Topics in Kentucky History. Details on each of these previous publications are below.
2019, Enid Yandell, Kentucky’s Pioneer Sculptor (Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky) in hardcover and ebook. The first full-length biography of the Bluegrass state’s most famed sculptor, fills a historiographical gap in Kentucky history, women’s history, and art history in its address of the artist, her work and life, and contextualization within broader social and cultural milieu. Presented to coincide with the 150th anniversary of Enid Yandell’s birth, this study demonstrates the ways in which she was a pioneer and draws attention to her legacy. For more on the book, see here.
2019, Crafting Democracy: Fiber Arts and Activism, author, co-curator and co-editor with Hinda Mandell (Rochester, NY: RIT Press) in paperback as an exhibition catalogue in conjunction with eponymous exhibition on view August 1, 2019-November 17, 2019 at the Central Branch of the Rochester Public Library. Also part of the Rochester Biennale, CurrentSeen. Exhibition has been converted to a traveling show with venues across three states (NY, OH, VA) throughout 2019-2020. Venues and dates listed on our website.
2017, third edition of Museums in Motion: An Introduction to the History and Function of Museums, (Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield for the American Association for State and Local History). Solely authored the third edition, a revision of Mary Alexander’s second edition (2007) which was a revision of Edward P. Alexander’s 1979 volume. For information on the series, see here and http://a.co/j3Qk1xO. The book has sold more than 3500 copies sold since 2017 and has been cited more than 1032 times, as of March 2020 in Google Scholar Citations. Museums in Motion is listed among American Alliance of Museums “Museums Studies Resources” and is consistently ranked among the top 3 museum studies textbooks.
2024, fourth edition of Museums in Motion: An Introduction to the Histories, Functions, and Aspirations of Museums. See here: https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781538155738/Museums-in-Motion-An-Introduction-to-the-Histories-Functions-and-Aspirations-of-Museums-Fourth-Edition
Entirely new to this edition, Section III (Museum Aspirations) features five new chapters, each centered around topics, rather than a museum type or museum function. Each topic is meant to be a micro-narrative and springboard for a conversation about museums today and their sustainability in the future. On their own, or in conjunction with the chapters in the previous sections of this book, these chapters serve as vignettes that can help readers to understand where, how, and why we need to apply critical lenses to institutions and articulate how doing so helps us to understand this historical moment and, ultimately how we can realize resiliency and sustainability for museums and those who make their existence possible. Reviews include: “Since the last edition of Museums in Motion, much has happened to transform museum practices – massive civic unrest, increased demands for racial and economic justice, a major global pandemic, an elevated climate crisis and significant growth in the decolonization and repatriation movements. The new edition reminds museum workers that we are participants, not victims, in this change, and encourages us to focus on the exciting opportunities that are available to creatively meet new challenges.”—Jennifer Scott, executive director and chief curator of the Urban Civil Rights Museum and “Museums in Motion, Fourth Edition, provides a thorough overview of the various kinds of museums, the history of their development, and their functions. This title is an essential resource for all museum professionals.” — Lindsey Passenger Wieck, PhD, associate professor of history, director of Public History, St. Mary’s University
2015, series editor—four volumes— “Innovative Approaches for Museums” (Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield). This four-volume series highlights innovative approaches of museum professionals and scholars in the fields of public history, museum studies, and collections. Conceived of series, conceptualized each volume in the series, and authored introductions to each volume. Edited 41 chapters over four volumes with contributions from 65 authors based in the U.S., England, Australia, New Zealand, and Peru. Simultaneous print and e-release of first four volumes in 2015. See http://amzn.to/1efiRTc.
As a scholar-editor, I enjoy offering a platform for others to share their work. Therefore, I invite you to write with me! I served as founding editor of the peer-reviewed journal Frameless which is an open-access initiative of RIT’s Scholar Works. I have served as Editor of Collections: A Journal for Museum and Archives Professionals since 2008. The journal is indexed here. Come, publish with me! Please see the journal website for more information.
Below are calls for papers and calls for participation for symposia, digital projects, and publications with which I am involved. Please click any of the posts to find out more, or contact me.
Juilee Decker, Ph.D. 