Silvia MAJORANA
Tutor: Germana BARONE
Silvia Majorana achieved a Bachelor's Degree in Cultural Heritage - L1 (2015, with 110/110 cum laude; thesis in Museology (disciplinary sector L-ART/04) entitled “La Città della Scienza of the University of Catania: some proposals for the future”) and a Master's Degree in History of Art and Cultural Heritage - LM89 (2017, with 110/110 cum laude; thesis in History and Organization of Museums (disciplinary sector L-ART / 04) entitled "Audience Development: an analysis of some Sicilian cases ") at the Department of Humanities of the University of Catania. At the same time, during the five academic years, she was a student of the Scuola Superiore di Catania, where she obtained her Diploma in 2019 (with 70/70; thesis entitled: Reflections on non-participation and non-publics of culture). In 2020, she also achieved the Specialization Diploma in Historical-Artistic Heritage at the Alma Mater Studiorum of the University of Bologna (with 110/110 cum laude; thesis entitled: "The FAI case: managerial evidence and critical reflections").
The growing interest in museology, audience development and the more managerial aspect of cultural heritage, have led her over the years to gain various work and training experiences in the sector, until reaching the role of Subject Expert for the disciplinary sector L-ART/04, chair of Museology, at the Department of Humanities of the University of Catania from November 2021 to January 2024 and to win in 2021 a three-month research grant entitled "The fruition of the Monastery of Benedictines and energy saving: social and cultural repercussions" within the research program "Regeneration and enhancement of cultural heritage through structural interventions aimed at energy saving and waste disposal: pilot project Monastery of the Benedictines Catania - Novizi's Garden and Aula magna”, Agreement for the co-financing of scientific research with the 'Luigi Umberto Tregua Onlus' Euromediterranean Foundation.
She is currently a PhD student of the XXXVII cycle in Sciences for Cultural Heritage and Production and a licensed tourist guide by the Region of Sicily, for visits in Italian and English.
PhD Research Project
Cataloguing and enhancement of scientific instruments of historical interest of the University of Catania
The project aims to create a connection between the heritage of scientific instruments used over time by the University of Catania and the history of scientific and technological progress which the University of Catania has contributed to. The final objective is to make this heritage available to the community through traditional and innovative forms of use. The theme of the project is strongly interdisciplinary as the technical-scientific knowledge is combined with the historical-humanistic one necessary to contextualize the technological and scientific progress within the history of the University of Catania. The enormous heritage of technical-scientific equipment of the University of Catania, born in 1434, constitutes a material documentation of the researches developed by the University and of the evolution of knowledge realized starting at least from the nineteenth century up to the present day, providing important evidence of science at local and international level. To this day, the heritage of scientific instruments is only partially accessible within the University Museum System (SiMuA) while most of it is kept in the University Departments and requires appropriate documentation for its use.
Other activities during the PhD
- Nov. 2021- Jan. 2024: Subject expert at the Department of Humanities of the University of Catania in the disciplinary sector L-ART/04 (Museology).
- Visiting PhD Student at University of Coimbra (Portugal) - Museu da Ciência, from February 2023 to June 2023.
- Visiting PhD Student at University of Salamanca (Spain) - Facultad de Ciencias, from January 2024.
- Tourist guide at the "Museo dei Saperi e delle Mirabilia Siciliane" during events promoted by the University of Catania (Sharper Night, Museum Night, European Heritage Day).
- Qualified tutor for orientation and supplementary teaching at the Scuola Superiore of Catania (A.A. 2023).
- Co-tutor during the PCTO projects "3D artifacts in the Museo dei Saperi e delle Mirabilia Siciliane" (February 2023) and "Pezzi da Collezione" (April-May 2023 at the Department of Physics and Astronomy).
- Staff member for MINOM Conference 2024.
- Logistics team member for CHAIN Conference 2024.
- Co-tutor during the project "The multisensory museum" (November-December 2023) at the Museo dei Saperi e delle Mirabilia Siciliane.
Seminar/Conferences
- G. Barone, S. Majorana, M. Fugazzotto, M.Y. Spironello, A multisensory experimental itinerary for Earth Sciences. Sessione "Sharing routes of museum experiences". III CHAIN Conference "Cultural Heritage Routes. Safeguarding, Participation, Sustainable Development". 27-29 February 2024, Catania, Italia.
- G. Barone, S. Majorana, M.Y. Spironello, M. Fugazzotto, A. Bertino, Per il rafforzamento di un'identità culturale nei giovani: l'esempio del Sistema Museale d'Ateneo di Catania al servizio della città. Sessione "Università, musei e sviluppo locale". XXI MINOM International Conference "Rethinking museologies as transformative trans-disciplinary alliances for more just societies". 22-23 February 2024, Catania, Italia. Book of abstract disponibile al link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KY_tIHfbuVRWYn5-Rts0eUe17FoqCFmQ/view?fbclid=IwAR3buImRaST-LTn-TxAxB_acNDJLK5ij_Iz7fKnYW8GAnU5BYEnAWZ84mHg
- S. Majorana, M. Fugazzotto, G. Barone, E. Geraci, N. Martorana, C. Santagati, M. Spironello, F. Stanco, From Cataloguing to Enhancement: how to involve high school students in cultural heritage management. The example with the ancient scientific instruments collections of the University of Catania. Session "Educational Demonstrations, Projects, Investigations and Experiences with Historical Scientific Instruments". XLII Scientific Instrument Symposium "Through ages, cultures, concepts: instruments in collections, books, archives". 18-22 September 2023, Palermo, Italia. Book of Abstracts available: https://www.sic2023.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/BoA-SIC-2023.pdf
- O. Maci, S. Majorana, A. Treffiletti, A preliminary activity for the valorization of cultural heritage: the cataloguing of the scientific heritage of the University of Catania. Sessione Poster. Congresso SGI-SIMP "Geosciences for a sustainable future". 19-21 Septemeber 2022, Torino, Italia.
Affiliations
- Ordinary member of the Associazione Dottorandi e Dottori di Ricerca Italiani - ADDRI Catania.
- Supporting member of the Associazione Alumni della Scuola Superiore di Catania - From 2023: board member and Delegate for the relationship with the Students of the Scuola Superiore of Catania.
- Member of ICOM Italia.
G. Barone, S. Majorana, M. Spironello, M. Fugazzotto, Un approccio sperimentale multisensoriale per le Scienze della Terra. In “Museologia Scientifica”, nuova serie, 17 (2023), pp. 73-83. ISSN 1123-265X.
S. Majorana, La Città della Scienza di Catania, in Nuova Museologia, n° 44 (Giugno 2021), pp. 32-35, ISSN 1828-1591 (print), ISSN 1828-1583 (online).
S. Majorana, Il collezionismo della ceramica e i viaggiatori in Italia e a Bologna, in AA.VV., “Di non vulgare artifizio"- Il collezionismo storico della ceramica a Bologna e le raccolte dei Musei Civici di Arte Antica, Bononia University Press, Bologna, 2020, pp. 211-214, ISBN 9788869234361.
Online contributions
S. Majorana, Le nuove sfide della cultura: numeri, pubblici e audience development, on La Letteratura E Noi, online web article: https://laletteraturaenoi.it/2019/11/29/le-nuove-sfide-della-cultura-numeri-pubblici-e-audience-development/
S. Majorana, Partecipazione e accesso alla cultura: il mondo dell’audience development, for Il Chiasmo, online web article: http://www.treccani.it/magazine/chiasmo/lettere_e_arti/Rivoluzione/5_rivoluzione_ssc_partecipazione_e_accesso_alla_cultura.html