Category: Visitor Experience
So if you have been on the museum conference circuit in the past two years, the term “crowd-sourcing” is not new to you. Conference sessions aplenty have been conducted about this concept, discussing it from every angle – Is it good? Is it bad? How do we get more? How do we get less? How do we convince people who think it is bad that it is good? How do we convince people who think it is good that it is bad? Round and round and round. No decisions made. Which is good. This is not a topic the museum community should decide on its own. (more…)
Well, it’s that time of year, when ghosts and goblins roam the streets. Thanks to hit television shows like Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures, ghosts are enjoying extreme popularity these days. As Halloween nears, many historic sites and towns offer ghost tours. I took a ghost walk around Historic Annapolis last Saturday night, and my companion and I both felt it was a wonderful way to learn the history of that historic town. (more…)
Hello history fans! I took a break from blogging over the summer, due to several vacations and the fact that I decided to go back to school and pick up a degree in history. It was been wonderfully exciting to read my text books and discuss history with my classmates – all online! I figured I spent all my free time reading history books anyway, so I may as well get credit for it! (more…)
In the March/April issue of Museum Magazine (available to members of AAM), the “In Museum” section features a short blurb on an upcoming exhibition at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, NY. In order to determine the focus of their Fall 2010 exhibition, the Currier Museum conducted a survey of over 450 of their visitors. Most expressed interest in “the care and conservation of art, the process of acquiring works, and the context and influence of an artist.” These topics will be addressed in the Museum’s upcoming exhibit, “The Secret Life of Art.” (more…)
I worked as a docent at Homewood Museum last weekend and had the opportunity to interact with what I hope is a future historian. A little girl came to the house museum with her father, and I approached them to see if they had any questions.
“Yes,” the little girl said earnestly, “I do. How old is this house?”
“How old do you think it is?” I asked her.
“Really really old,” she replied. (more…)
Last weekend, I was once again reminded what an important role living history can play making an event both exciting and educational. “The Redcoats Are Coming” was a weekend-long encampment of both British and Continental soldiers on the grounds of Jerusalem Mill Village in Kingsville, MD. We had crowds of about 650 each day (which allowed us to cover our expenses and make some profit too!). Visitors could wander the camps and talk to the re-enactors – the soldiers, as well as their wives, and children. Craftsmen were also on hand to demonstrate their trades. Kids and adults alike learned how to fence and march in line, did laundry by hand, played checkers, helped to cook to stew over the fire, browsed through the sutlers’ colonial wares, and exclaimed over straw mat beds inside each soldier’s tent. (more…)
The exhibit review “Child’s Play” in the November/December issue of Museum magazine (AAM) got my mind turning about ways to engage kids in history museums. The article featured the Great Lakes Children’s Museum in Greilickville, Michigan. It sounds like a great place for kids to get their hands dirty and learn by doing. One portion of the exhibit allowed kids (and their parents!) to build dams and reservoirs and then to test the successfulness of their creation with toy boats. Another allows kids to engage in “dramatic play,” in this case, using uniforms, dishes and fake food to play lighthouse keeper.
I wonder how many history organizations are embracing these methods to appeal to their youngest museum visitors? I envision parents and kids wearing colonial caps, collecting firewood, gardening… Dealing with cooking over a fire with small kids is a problem, but could be addressed with proper supervision. Anyone who has embraced these methods, please post in the comments section and share your experiences!
I found this great program idea on Plimoth Plantation‘s website. In April, they hosted an American Girl fashion show and tea party for young girls and their American Girl dolls. For those of you not in the know, American Girl is a line of 18-inch dolls that are based on historic time periods. They have their own clothes and stories that relate to the time period. It’s quite the marketing concept – I wish I had thought of it! (more…)
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