Ancient Egypt Reimagined: Exhibitionary Strategies in Redeveloped Museum Displays.
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- Profile
Ancient Egypt Reimagined: Exhibitionary Strategies in Redeveloped Museum Displays.
My doctoral research investigates renewed efforts in 21st century museum galleries, to update the display of their Egyptian collections, focusing on interpretive textual analysis. To date, no framework has been developed to understand the motivations behind these efforts, or to critically evaluate and contextualize the implementation and stated objectives of these redesigns.
Using AI-driven thematic selection, paired with a novel coding method incorporating both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, my aim is to develop a framework from which to critically discuss thematic selection and representation, voices of authority, and curatorial agency within interpretive text underdoing redesign initiatives. Overall, the goal of this work is to investigate significant contemporary shifts in recently redesigned museum galleries and their presentation of ancient Egyptians civilization and material culture, and to identify who the key forces are behind the new narrative present in gallery spaces. Critically, each museum’s implementation of this narrative is dependent on site- specific barriers and resources.
Outside of my dissertation, I remain involved in cultural heritage projects across the Middle East and North Africa aimed at mitigating looting and combatting the illicit antiquities trade. I was previously part of the Circulating Artefacts Project (Dept. Egypt & Sudan) at The British Museum and currently serve as Executive Director at Saving Antiquities for Everyone. I am also active in museum education projects and currently lead a team of educators on a project funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities at Save Ancient Studies Alliance.
My other research interests include heritage crime, illicit arts market, co-creation and community engagement at museums and heritage sites, animal mummies, and astronomy and meteorites in the ancient world. I work on excavations at sites in Jordan and Egypt.
Funding
Goodenough College PhD Scholar
Education
- BA, Religion, Cornell College, 2013
- Grad Cert, Museum Studies, University of Memphis, 2019
MA, Egyptian Art & Archaeology, University of Memphis, 2019
- Publications
Brevick, P. Review of The Hay Archive of Coptic Spells on Leather: A Multi-disciplinary Approach to the Materiality of Magical Practice, Edited by Elisabeth R. O’Connell. Near Eastern Archaeological Society Bulletin, (2024).
Brevick, P. Review of The Red Monastery Church: Beauty and Asceticism in Upper Egypt, Edited by Elizabeth Bolman. American Journal of Archaeology, April (2018) 122.2.
- Conferences
Brevick, P. Utility of pXRF and X-ray analysis of a Goose Mummy at AMUM. [2nd place, Best Student Poster competition] Presented at: American Research Center in Egypt 2023 Annual Conference; April 2023. Minneapolis, Minnesota.