Marcel is a web-based version of the museum's collection database, available for staff on museum computers. It includes accessioned museum objects, but does NOT include long-term loans, promised gifts, or special exhibition materials. Staff with a PMA-issued computer can access Marcel from home but will need to enable their VPN connection in the SonicWall VPN client first.
Marcel offers two simple search options. If you know the accession number of the object you wish to research, use the "object number" search box (upper left). If you don't know the accession number, but you know the Artist or Title of the work, you can use the "keyword search" box (upper right).
If you don't have any of that information, or if you wish to make a more precise search with specific criteria, you can click on "advanced search" in the upper right. This will allow you to search by additional categories such as Date, Culture, or Medium:
Once your search results display, select the item you wish to research:
Object Information:
When you have selected an item, a larger picture will display along with basic identifying information (upper right) as well as additional information about things like provenance, exhibition history, and published references (lower right):
Of particular interest (when present) is the list of published references. By clicking on this, you will expand the list of books and articles that refer to the object in question. You can then use the library catalog to request these books or periodicals pertaining to your object. Please note: not all objects have been written about specifically and may not have a list of published references included in Marcel.
