xxiv How to Evaluate Artifacts
artifact, evaluate it by comparison to other like objects, discuss the artifact’s
relationship to the culture, and state its significance to the culture). So, for the
cowbell we did that: we reviewed the history, material, construction, design,
and function of the object; we then did the four operations. This method,
formulated by E. McClung Fleming, helps move scholars past just describing
an object or only using an object simply to illustrate a larger point. Structured
and systematic, material culture methods of study result in deeply informed
conclusions about the role of objects in daily life.
In this book, each essay starts with an object. These artifacts are analyzed
for what the artifact can tell us that text-driven evidence may not. Artifacts
are real, physical things that come from the vision and craft of human be-
ings. Evaluating artifacts means engaging with the stuff people create; it is
far more than reading about something or viewing a clip on the Internet. It
is about getting out there, really thinking about the objects that made up the
everyday experiences of the past.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Ames, Kenneth L. 1980. “Folk Art: The Challenge and the Promise.” In
Perspectives on American Folk Art, edited by Ian M. G. Quimby and
Scott T. Swank, 293–324. New York: Norton.
Ferrell, Will, and Donnell Campbell. 2000. “More Cowbell.” NBC, April 8,
http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/more-cowbell-with-will
-ferrell-on-snl-video-saturday-night-live-nbc/n41046.
Fleming, E. McClung. 1974. “Artifact Study: A Proposed Model.”
Winterthur Portfolio 9: 153–173.
Lukas, Oliver. 2012. “The Art of Noise in Sport: How the Cowbell Came of
Age.” CNN, December 19, http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/19/sport/skiing
-cowbell-noise-sport/.
Prown, Jules David. 1982. “Mind in Matter: An Introduction to Material
Culture Theory and Method.” Winterthur Portfolio 17(1): 1–19.
Rotenberk, Lori. 2008. “More Cowbell: From Herdsman’s Tool to Cultural
Icon.” Modern Farmer, October 17, http://modernfarmer.com/2013/10
/cowbells/.
Sheumaker, Helen, and Shirley Teresa Wajda. 2007. Material Culture in
America: Understanding Everyday Life. Santa Barbara, CA:
ABC-CLIO.
