Proving Your Worth – the Museum Educator’s Story

The role of formal education departments and programs in museums is rapidly expanding as these institutions continue to realize their duty to serve the public in this manner. As the Education Outreach Coordinator for the Idaho State History Museum, Ellen Morfit knows this, and is working with the rest of the Education Department (Kurt Zwolfer), to continue to improve the museum’s education programs.

Ellen’s journey to the Idaho State History Museum (ISHM) begins with a passion for history and a desire to work in museums. When she moved to New York, she took the opportunity to begin volunteering with the Brooklyn Historic Museum and the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens and soon decided to go all in and obtain a degree in Museum Education from the prestigious Bank Street College of Education. Her program included weekly museum visits, six weeks of student teaching (she also obtained a teaching certification), and a semester-long internship with a local museum. Ellen was determined to work at an art museum – the MET in particular – but her advisor refused. She insisted Ellen apply for an internship with the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. Her advisor won. It was the perfect fit. During her internship, Ellen was able to gain experience in visitor evaluations, program development, and teaching. One of the programs she developed is still running and engages visitors of all ages in discussions on sweatshops, labor movements, and immigrant experiences. Ellen recalls, “When I worked at the Tenement museum, it was on the verge of exploding into something amazing…I mean it was amazing, but they, since I left there, and that was twelve years ago, they’ve just blossomed.” The Lower East Side Tenement Museum is now part of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience and is a leader in the field for integrating the past and the present and engaging visitors in dialogue around difficult and important issues.

Fast forward to the present and Ellen is in her third year at ISHM. She began by volunteering for the museum while she was a stay-at-home mom raising her daughter and helping her parents. After eight years of volunteering and paid summer program work, Ellen was offered the opportunity to take and shape a part-time position running the outreach program for the museum. In discussing her different experiences in education programs, Ellen highlighted the importance of the time students are in the museum and participating in individual programs. In order to truly engage with the subject, Ellen would like to see the museum’s current twenty-minute programs extended to 45 minutes, in a manner similar to those now offered by the Discovery Center. This would allow the students to engage with the material on a more meaningful level instead of feeling like a “‘dog and pony’ show, because you don’t have the time…you have to somehow figure out how you can make those twenty minutes worthwhile for the kids.” Ellen is also working on expanding the outreach program by incorporating different technologies, such as live streaming lessons, in order to serve students across the state. While Ellen and I did not get a chance to discuss this, the live streaming would not help students engage with the actual objects often used in museum programs, however, many of these students have not had the chance to engage with the museum at all so this is certainly an improvement.

Ellen recognized the value of her experience at Bank Street in light of one of the current issue in the field of museum education – museum studies degree or museum education degree and the pursuit of a job. Ellen pointed out that her program provided basic overviews for all areas of museum work, but focused on education. Museum studies programs do the same, but lack the specific focus or ‘this is where I’m going’ factor. Many open positions require an education degree of some sort and/or teaching experience. Advice from Ellen for those entering the field includes involvement in social media of all forms and continued professional development and education. While a drawback of living in a smaller city, such as Boise, has been a lack of resources for such development, Ellen regularly participates in webinars by the American Association of Museums and maintains contacts with museum friends back East. Ellen believes educators should enjoy working with children, be team players, be a resource for teachers, be flexible, be willing to learn, have a solid sense of humor, and did she mention enjoy working with children?

Ellen’s Bank Street professor once told her, “As an educator, you’re going to have to continue to prove your worth, over and over again.” That was over a decade ago. Many museums recognize the value of well-trained, experienced educators and the role they play in fulfilling the social contract museums have with the public. As the field of museum education continues to grow in importance, educators must remember their purpose is to support and nurture life-long learners.

The Participatory Museum

The Participatory Museum, Nina Simon
MLM Reflections

Oh, how I wish I had read this book years ago for interpretive work and the museum projects I have been involved in! I know Simon is a consultant, and the book is part of her larger business, but her advice stands tall when the real-life case studies demonstrate the principles Simon is professing.

I agree with Simon’s perspective that traditional techniques and spaces need not be thrown out the window totally – just follow her “and” argument! Participatory elements can add to the structure and not be an exclusionary “or” prospect. Her thoughts about information flow “between,” and not “to” participants was also solid. Lastly, her advice follows earlier readings remind us that it’s always better to speak “with” your audiences, not “to,” which ultimately leads to more memorable experiences that may encourage return visits and solid supporters of your institution.

I couldn’t help think of my beloved little Basque Museum and opportunities for increasing participation during Jaialdi, with Basques and non-Basques alike. I also considered advice I received from Jeff Johns during our public history career interview a lot more cogently. A few of Simon’s points especially resonated with me:

– “Scaffolding”
This made so much sense. It’s so important to provide sideboards – my word, (she says “constraints,” which I didn’t like). These help people function within reasonable bounds, and may actually encourage creativity and interaction. It can also prohibit mass confusion with participants by adding clarity of purpose. Of course, to scaffold means to plan, not just fly off with first ideas without vetting amongst a diverse planning group to find the right sideboards.

– Thanks, follow-up, and “perks”
This should be a matter of fact, but her thoughts about staff thanking visitors after their visits, and following-up somehow with personal touches was simple but really relevant. Especially today, with so much emphasis on the bottom dollar, numbers of attendees, and fiscal security, maybe it’s time to just get back to basics: we want you to visit, we want you to participate and join with us, we value you, and by the way – thank you. This is setting expectations that we want you back, and it may be a good way to follow-up which would encourage repeat visitation. The time-delayed cards idea was pretty good, and I appreciated her comment that you can not “delete” a mailed card as easily as an online follow-up. Regardless, how you get personal information for visitors (email or street address) can be difficult – and it can reach far into privacy issues. What do you all think about incentivizing visitorship? Are perks from punch cards, special rates, loyalty programs, “frequent flyers,” good to encourage visits? (They sure work for commercial ventures!) Maybe we need to approach public history more like BUSINESS, with customer satisfaction-type goals and efforts?

– “Creators and Consumers”
Participation inequality is not really the way I would have described this, but the thought that we need to address possible barriers to projects upfront, realizing some will be on board 100% with participating and some will not, so intermediate, balanced approaches are the best.

– “Me to We”
Another very simple, but so true concept! Designing meaningful experiences, personalized so as to connect with individuals but yet reinforcing a community experience is the intended outcome. How it’s done requires careful thought, again.
I desperately want to do a take-off of the “Shards of Happiness” Dutch Princessof ceramics exhibit! That was very cool, so “me to we,” participatory on many levels.

Profiles
I was very uncomfortable with this section…maybe I am hyper-sensitive to commercial tracking online or by businesses, but the thought of a museum tracking how often I visited, how much I spent in their gift shop, and then ask me to wear an identity ID/badge/color-keyed card to single me out or group me in a larger group was not something I would ever advocate. I think if people want to engage with one another, there are many other valid ways to encourage this– and seemingly less invasive. I also do not support the Apartheid “Two Doors” approach – singling out very personal beliefs can lead not to dialogue, but uncomfortable experiences. Although, the Facing Mars exhibit participation didn’t seem to be as invasive – topic areas are critical. Self-identification. This made me think more about how thoughtful we must be in setting up our group “Common Grounds” community conversation.

Cell phones, sticky-notes, and “simple” tools versus flashy, expensive exhibit design, technology and social networking
If we are using simple objects almost universally, let’s use them in the participation! Simplicity sometimes connects with more people, I think. It’s less exclusive. I keep thinking about Jeff Johns, who led million-dollar projects to low-budget projects, noting that the public often does not want the glitter – they just want good experiences. Pencils and crayons, anyone??? Using common tools, though, including social networking, can help lay out guidelines, provide platforms, and share thoughts (without encroaching on intellectual property). I a not sure I agree with her “power to promote” through these platforms, and that it is a way to present preferred behavior. Anonymity of social media is a concern – it can prompt negative actions as much as present positive values. Again, balance.

Back to the Drawing Board
Exploratorium redesign of project – yes! If it does not work , do it again or differently, if you can. Question: Do comment boards really help with feedback? Can negative information really influence re-design? Budgets, staff time, technology all seem to get in the way of genuine responses: we are moving too fast, too superficially.

Pg 191 – chart is really good.

My favorite case studies:
Shards of Happiness
Denver posters
Adirondack Wild Center Climate Conference
Harrah’s loyalty program – ahem, yes
Worcester City Museum Top 40
Iraq conversation with bombed-out car
Brooklyn Museum 1stFans

Last Thoughts
I liked the “contributory, collaborative, co-creative and hosted” sections.
This was full of gems, even in skim mode.
Relevance: Where would our Common Grounds conversation night fall?
Hosted? Co-creative? Collaborative? Contributory?
And what can we add to that experience based on Simon’s book?
I think we definitely need a visual aspect of it beyond the video that night as documentation…
-What about a follow-up photo exhibit across town?
-Key questions for each table posted across town before the night, as banners or pop-up type “tags” to pique curiosity?
-What if we got businesses to join us?

Interview with Jeff Johns

Jeff Johns
Interview Conducted 1/23/15 by Meggan Laxalt Mackey

I chose to interview Jeff Johns as a public history professional because of his diverse public history career. Jeff used the words “interdisciplinary, intergenerational, and creative” throughout our interview, but “collaboration” was his main message. He also reminded me that rough spots will always occur in anyone’s career, so it’s important to keep moving forward, learn from the experience(s), and don’t look back. Jeff also credited mentors and colleagues from previous workplaces who helped him choose – and survive – this field. It was refreshing to hear Jeff speak so highly of those he worked with to bring public history to others, and those who helped shape his public history career: we never do this alone. That was my final take-home message from Jeff.

JEFF’S EXPERIENCES
• Education
Jeff is an Idaho native, and chose Boise State University at a time that public history was beginning to gain ground nationally. He graduated with a BA in History in 1998, and earned his MA in Museum Studies from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, in 2001.

• Basque Museum & Cultural Center, Boise, Idaho. Curator of Collections and Exhibitions, 2001-2006.
Jeff walked out of grad school and into this job. He upgraded this small cultural museum’s collections by implementing an electronic system that digitized artifacts, archives, audio and photo collections, which made it a lot easier for users to conduct research. He worked with the primary museum space gallery, including temperature and lighting filtration, exhibit design, and special events. Jeff’s primary accomplishment was as lead curator of the “Cyrus Jacobs-Uberuaga Boardinghouse,” an ambitious, grant-funded funded historic preservation project of the small boardinghouse on Boise’s Grove Street, with period-authentic recreation inside of a boardinghouse and family residence. He was responsible for historical research; conservation; curatorial oversight; researching and acquiring furnishings, wallpapers, lighting, props, heat/light, security system, interpretation; and community outreach. The CJU project included community involvement with the archaeological dig on museum grounds, where locals and passers-by were able to learn about history and archaeology “real-time.” Jeff coordinated with SHPO and archaeologists on the dig and structural components of the house restoration, The CJU Project was a Boise masterpiece, and the adjacent museum’s attendance, education programs, language classes, and gift shop sales expanded greatly. This was a great first curatorial for Jeff. Each aspect of this position was complex, but an opportunity to gain experience.

• American Airlines’ C.R. Smith Museum (CRSM), Fort Worth, Texas. Curator and Corporate Historian, 2006-2009.
In 2006, American was the largest and oldest U.S. airline, with the biggest training center in the world and many aircraft on-site, but it had an outdated aviation museum. After 911, the airlines placed security measures on museum grounds, and its 75,000 visitors per year plummeted to 9,000. American Airlines’ response was to invest $1.5 million in a complete museum make-over. This position was much more complex than the Basque curation job, with a huge budget, a supervisory role, and a requirement to learn interactive audio and digital skills, and digital film remastering. When Jeff opened the new “An American Journey” museum experience, it was a wild success. Its 7,000 square feet of exhibit space was filled with participatory elements directed mostly at children, interactive AV stations, fresh graphics and interpretive panels, and an IMAX- style theatre in the round (110 seats) with a newly edited, digitized film, “Spirit of American.” As American’s corporate historian, he managed the museum’s artifact collections, archives, and films. “Life-long Learner” programs were directed at multiple age groups, including seniors, and family/kid programs, with multidisciplinary art, science, and history experiences. CRSM engaged in social media efforts, TV marketing, and various tourist industry tactics to further publicize the revamped museum. The net result was that by 2009, CRSM visitorship was on its way upward once again, with 50,000 visitors a year.

Mayor’s Aerospace Museum Task Force. Member, 2007-2009.
Due to the great success at American Airlines, the City of Fort Worth began to dream big. Jeff served on the Mayor’s Aerospace Museum Task Force, a committee to determine the feasibility of developing a world-class aerospace museum. The city hired a consultant to work the committee to develop a master strategic plan, and by 2009 Jeff was named the Fort Worth Air & Space Museum Executive Director.

Fort Worth Air & Space Museum. Executive Director, 2009-2011.
Jeff’s new job was to plan, design, and fabricate a $3-million-dollar, 10,000-square-foot exhibition about the evolution of the aerospace industry of North Texas. It was thought that this “test” exhibit would whet the public’s appetite, and encourage further funding of a $115-million-dollar museum that would see one million visitors a year. The exhibit, “When Dreams Defy Gravity,” included an experimental science lab, aircraft flight simulators, creative art stations, HD theatre, and a B36 plane communications ride. Participatory elements included hands-on stations to “out-gun” Rosie the Riveter, a Noise Pollution Lab to compare F18 engine noise to that of a B757, and other cool things. The Museum Board consulting firm and the city advocated for the feasibility of the larger museum development, but the economic climate was not right. Key potential funders withdrew their financial support, and the city lost its pledged investment. The additional resources needed to move further were not realized, and the entire project was scrapped. Careers can have unfortunate occurrences, and this truly was a major heartbreak for Jeff.

Minnesota Historical Society’s Forest History Center. Historical Site Director, 2011-present.
This unique 170-acre environmental history and learning center is in Minnesota’s Northwoods. It has public history programs, living history tours, and field trips, a Visitor Center, classroom, replica logging camp, library, theatre, gift shop, and a1930s U.S. Forest Service cabin. The innovative in-and-outdoors “Into the Woods” program targets Native American Tribes and Norwegian groups, with art/artisan/writing workshops, dogsledding, Shakespeare plays and concerts, and wildlife/bird presentations. To pull this off, the FHC collaborated with locals and state/federal/city organizations. The FHC realized a 36% increase in overall attendance, a 162% increase from this site for membership in the Minnesota Historical Society, and a $50K appropriation from the State Legislature. The FHC plans to experiment more with adventure-based, multidisciplinary environmental learning experiences that tie history to the outdoors.

JEFF’S WORDS OF WISDOM
On what type of education or experience should one have for public history
“During my academic pursuits I learned of the ideals and philosophies of public history and museology. Yet learning how to increase the likelihood of success with audiences and developing/delivering projects out in the field has taken me on an odyssey that often seems quite out of sync with those ideals and philosophies. While I think my education was valuable, I believe my real education has taken place in trying to survive professionally during the last 14 years. … Savor the journey and then go and tackle some amazing projects.”

On why we need to do public history differently
In the U.S., less than 10% of total museum-going audience attend history museums.
Most visitors go only once — or return with relatives when visiting.
Many experiences are boring, static, didactic, text-heavy labels, with no engagement because there is no personal connections.

History is competing with these: more engaging, immersive and technology-based:
1. Science/STEM; 2. Art; 3. Zoos and Aquariums. To change this: make history relevant and exciting to visitors.
– Keep current with technology
– Develop a diverse “customer base” (locals AND other visitors)
– Do community outreach programs
– Make it interdisciplinary and intergenerational
– Work in non-profit world: budgets, small circles, groupthink
– Boards of Director/manager/staff relationships with the community
– Integrating collections and archives appropriately
– Assess reactions from visitors honestly – be willing to change if didn’t work
– Public access: transportation, can your visitor afford it? physical/mental challenges

On defeat, frustration, the need to move forward
“I had to admit defeat occasionally – this paved way for later successful outcomes for entire projects.”

On doing history for the public
“Become an opportunist. Trust your gut – your intuition. Try things out to see if they work – if not figure out why – and try something else, or the same again over time.”

“Never ask for permission – ask for forgiveness later.”

“Push it…gotta push the envelope. We can’t afford to be traditional anymore. Use educational programming everywhere – all places.”

“Be diverse. Offer unique and different ways to learn. Must be inspiring and transformative. Constantly adapt to change and create change…offer what the public wants, need to find ways to support them. With today’s instant information, don’t over-analyze issues, just focus on experiences.”

“Outreach is critical – advertise and connect with communities. You must have public buy-in and participation. Cross-marketing, sponsors, creative outreach campaigns.”

“There is high competition for ‘entertainment dollars.’ Make history more like entertainment – engaging others, participation, interactive, engaging. Think out of the box with creativity. Multi-disciplinary: use everything to support history – and active!
art, music, science, plays, chemistry, match, ecology, energy, biology, wildlife, play, outdoor experiences, sensory. Try to have something for everyone, and change things up, be new and interesting.”

“How does the public perceive history and historians? That is key to visitorship. You must have ownership in one’s community, or if a visitor, ownership in the issues.”

On staffs and staffing, partner collaboration
“Leverage staff diversity and collaboration…create synergy with others, use frequent communication, no withholding.”

“Challenge of competent staff – finding people to do a good job. Senior staffs now are often 20+ yrs – don’t like change, not innovative, out of energy, but younger staff can be too confident, lacking in people skills and communication.”

“Be careful with investments and contracting… The public often does not want polish, they just want an experience, education. And remember…technology is good, but access, wi-fi, economics, who can use technology is still an issue in many areas and with some demographics.”

“Focus on nontraditional groups: vision impaired, hearing impaired, refugee cultures, languages, dyslexia…good history can be transformative for them.”

On strategic planning
“After three major efforts, it is best to plan minimally so adjustments can be made. Take risks and test your ideas out first – then plunge. Don’t pay high dollars for consultant firms: plans often sit on shelves, take too long, and are too costly to implement, mostly because there are good chances those advisors are people outside your spectrum who do not know truly your audience or benefactors.”

Museum Critique and the Participatory Museum

Liu Bolin: Hiding in the City

I entered the museum with the intent to see how the art museum integrated participatory elements to its exhibits. I had not been to the art museum in years, so I was interested to see the changes that have occurred in the last 10 years. Surprisingly, despite the museum adding big screen TV’s; there was nothing particularly new or exciting in regards to a participatory museum. Using the chart on page 26 of The Participatory Museum, the gallery might reach stage two, since there are very few opportunities to participate with the content or with other museum visitors.

To the immediate left, as visitors enter the exhibit space, there is a small television that plays a four-minute animated cartoon describing social skills needed for museum etiquette. Even though the cartoon is cute, the television is in an awkward space – right in the way of traffic, and it is hard to stand there for the full film. It might be more appreciated and appropriate in the children’s section.

The first thing I noticed about Bolin’s work is that the pictures are hyper glossy. I spent about 3 seconds at each piece, sometimes straining to find the artist. (Bolin is painted in order to blend with his background.) A docent, Alize Norman, must be a regular face in the museum- there was a line of people milling around waiting to ask her questions. She was caring and kind to the visitors. The other docents, meanwhile, just walked around and looked too busy to help. My experience in the first room was pretty superficial; the artwork was neat, but I did not realize that there was a “message” to the art.

In the second room, the large picture of Cancer Village was the first sign that there was something deeper to the exhibit, that Bolin was more than a gimmick. In the corner of this second gallery is a screen that has interviews and a Ted Talk with the artist. The 7.5-minute Ted Talk is imperative to get the deep message of the artwork. It turns to the art from a really neat “Where’s Waldo” type game to a very meaningful and thoughtful experience. Unfortunately, the set-up is uncomfortable. The seats are low and the screen is too close for me to see comfortably, and the seat hard on the behind. Since it is in a dark corner, I kind of felt like I was in trouble. I would never have used this set- up if it weren’t for the class. Other people would stop and watch me watch the screen, but while I was in that gallery, no one else watched the films. It is a missed opportunity, for the films are so good. Maybe if the films were available to watch on a coffee-shop type countertop with high stools and laptops and headphones, the station would be more welcoming and popular.

The Boise Art Museum definitely is highly participatory in regards to its children’s program. In this, the museum achieves every step of social participation. It is also careful to ensure that each age level is given opportunity to interact with art. The Art Experience Gallery has solitary activities such as blocks and jigsaw puzzles to a highly participatory art class that is based on Bolin’s exhibit. The hands-on class was filled with 15 children and 10 adults who were busy sharing art supplies and encouragement. Also, at the entrance of the museum, Family Activity Packs are available for checkout. These packs include: a book on what to look for in museums, a list of things to search for in the museum, and drawing pads where children can draw a picture of their favorite things they see. This pack provides a great way for parents to interact with their children as well as the museum.

For adults and teens, the only digital opportunity to create comes from a set of computers that are located in a tucked away space. Here, there are three activities visitors can do to interact with the museum. The first activity is to create a new “label” for a piece of art displayed on the screen. I did not understand the purpose of this activity, since the art shown already had the official name of the piece, its description, etc. I could not see why anyone would want to create a new label, unless it was to be snarky. There are no example of anyone else who had done this activity, so I was not sure what the expectations were or where other visitor’s were going with the activity. The second activity is to create a postcard that would be e-mailed to the creator. The final option is to leave a comment about the user’s museum experience. I realize that there is a big push to integrate digital components into the museum, but the activities are shallow and the second activity, in particular, is confusing. The computers go against what Simon admonishes – digital and participatory elements need to have meaning, not just be fun or be there for the sake of being there.

Why is there such a discrepancy between the opportunities to participate between children and adults?

In the reading, I am concerned about the use of perks to increase the number of memberships. I understand that most museums are in a financially precarious situation and need to increase revenue, but how does this not go against the quest to democratize public history? Thoughts?

Public History Career

I had a conversation with Ken Swanson about a public history career. Ken has been involved in museums for over 41 years and has been a member of the Idaho State Historical Society for 31 years. He has held positions at every level in Idaho, from volunteer to the director of the Idaho State Historical Museum. Ken was the Executive Director of the Idaho Military Museum for five years before he retired, but still fills in as a volunteer when they are shorthanded. We talked about the job of a curator generally, but with an emphasis on smaller non-profit history museums.  Ken considers himself a “backdoor historian” who had a youthful infatuation with museums and artifacts. Because of this, he volunteered at local institutions eventually pursuing a degree in archeology.  He got his master’s at Idaho State University and while there, he also oversaw the university’s archeological collection.

I was impressed, or more correctly, intimidated by the breath of responsibility a curator in a small non-profit museum has.  In this position, you may have responsibility for presenting ideas to the board, fundraising, planning exhibits, building exhibits, publicity events, staging reenactments, bringing exhibits to schools and civic groups.  Furthermore, as the only full-time staff member in a small museum you need to understand museum collections, including conservation, storage techniques/environmental criteria, collections record keeping and how to work with conservators, specialists, technicians, volunteers, interns and obviously the board. Additionally, you have to know something about the legal aspect of accepting donated objects and the law concerning museum governance.  When I told Ken this sounded overwhelming to me and would scare me away from a career in a small museum, his reply was that it is one of the best training opportunities for learning about every job and position a museum has to offer, despite its grueling nature.

The biggest hurdle Ken identified for small museums is probably the same for all history museums—funding—seeing as it is easier for art or science museums to receive patronage than history museums. Art has a cachet for a certain social set and industry sees potential profits in supporting science exhibits. As a 501(c)(3), educational non-profit institution, all the museum’s activities, are entirely funded by charitable donations, gift shop sales and special events.  This is very common except for those organizations that are specifically designated as state or federal museums.  An indirect consequence of school funding cuts, in the last several years, has made it less likely that schools can go to museums. In order to provide children with the opportunity to learn about their exhibits the IMHM has gone to schools to make presentations increasing their workload and expenses.  I wonder how many other museums would be willing or able to go to schools, or what the rules are from a school’s perspective on allowing museum staff/volunteers/exhibits in their schools.  Ken said they even have gone to senior centers.  It seems to me this is a form of outreach, a going to the audience, rather than waiting for them to come to the museum that is participatory in one sense we have talked about in class.

In talking about the push since the 1960s to include voices that previously have been excluded from history, Ken told me that the IMHM had included more women’s exhibits to help bring women’s role in the military more to the fore.  However, he explained that any exhibit costs time, effort and money, resources that your organization wants to see a return on in terms of an audience who comes to see the exhibit, and your area may not have an audience to support such an exhibit.  While understanding Ken’s point of view I still believe it is incumbent upon us to include those voices that may not get a large audience.  And are we sure, say an exhibit on Mexican-American/Hispanic contribution to the military would not garner a large audience?  Or how about an exhibit on Japanese-Americans’ whose families were interned in Idaho, or were from Idaho who served in WWII.  How many people know the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, made up of Japanese-Americans is the most decorated US military unit ever, and many were recruited from internment camps?  Ken’s experience was that sometimes the board or others would be the active agent for a project, but for the most part, he discovered that if he was proactive and brought ideas to the board, with a rough plan of how to bring a proposed exhibit to fruition, his ideas were endorsed.  Given this possibility, perhaps what might be perceived initially as a low interest event could be birthed with the right kind of preparation.

I saw Ken become most animated and enthused when we talked about the power of the internet to facilitate participation versus seeing an artifact in person.  He told me he still sees himself, even after 41 years in museums as a “carny barker” using an artifact as a “hook” to enthrall visitors with a history story.  His enthusiasm made me think again about how to get artifacts out of the museum and to people if they can’t or won’t go to museums.  Where is the artifact and the passionate storyteller in any museum that could leave the building to go to others and inspire them.

Ken’s advice to anyone interested in a public history career is get as much experience as you can through volunteering and internships. Firstly, this will help you assess whether it is something you really want to do; secondly, it gives you practical experience and knowledge in the field; thirdly, it helps you build your resume and fourthly it earns you recommendations from your supervisors. He also advised getting as broad an experience in all facets of museum work as possible because you never know where a job opportunity might arise.  Based on course readings, class discussion, and life experience this seems like reasonable advice.  In terms of formal education, his opinion is a BA or BS in history or anthropology/archeology is sufficient for entry-level positions,  a master’s degree for more senior positions, but not necessarily anything more advanced as it becomes too specialized, unless you are absolutely sure of your goal.

 

The Fallibility of Memory

Since we have talked about history and memory in class, thought possibly this would be of interest. The National Council on Public History posted it, by the way: Public History News Update – February 11, 2015

The fallibility of memories. In light of the recent controversy surrounding news anchor Brian Williams, this article from the New York Times reminds us how slippery and fuzzy the human memory can be. http://nyti.ms/1uFoYan (And didn’t we talk about this memory thing before? Why, yes we did, in December. http://nyti.ms/1CG2lWx )

Was Brian Williams a victim of False memory? By Tara Parker Hope
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/09/was-brian-williams-a-victim-of-false-memory/?_r=0

Interview with Professor John Lutz

On Friday, February 6th 2015, I was privileged to speak with associate professor John Lutz of the University of Victoria. Professor Lutz teaches Native History, but is also heavily involved in several digital public history projects. His story begins around 2000, when Professor Lutz began collaborating with colleague Ruth Sandwell about a historical murder involving Native and Black Canadians. As they shared knowledge and dove deeper into the research, they discovered that there was enough evidence available to question the outcome of the trial; perhaps not enough to make irrefutable claims, but certainly enough to list several other suspects. Over the next several years, Lutz and Sandwell would develop their research into a murder mystery series, targeted for school age students (but also enjoyed by the general public). The Great Unsolved Mysteries in Canadian History website was born, including dozens of other mysteries researched by collaborators all over Canada. The website would serve to not only teach the public about their Canadian history, but also to teach critical history skills; such as research, analysis, comparison of contradictory sources, and deductive reasoning.

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Professor Lutz has gone on to work with many other digital platforms such as Google Sketch Up, GIS, Wikis, and student published websites. He was fortunate enough to learn a coding skills before he began his tenure at the University and he has been a part of Web 2.0 from the beginning. I was delighted to have Professor Lutz’s expertise for this interview, because I am interested in doing exactly what he has already done. I would like to combine my teaching, historic, and digital skills to bring historic knowledge and methods to the general public. My questions to Professor Lutz focused on his interactions with the public and his involvement with digital tools.

Although he is primarily employed in the academic sphere, Professor Lutz has constant interactions with public entities. He emphasized the marriage of academia and public history, noting that history is not some frill to be kept in an ivory tower, but is instead a civic duty. It is a historian’s duty to educate the public and help fix misconceptions, but it also the civic responsibility of the public to deeply understand their roots and value the lessons learned from history. Professor Lutz is helping to develop a Public History Master’s program at his university, which will give practical experience in the community to the graduate students.

Professor Lutz encouraged me to develop several important skills to be a part of this field. A historian interested in digital projects does not need to be an expert in all technical aspects, but a certain level of comfort is necessary. He admitted that he has deficiencies in all the digital programs that he uses, but he has enough technical knowledge that he can recognize where he needs to go for help and who needs to be involved for the project to be successful. He also stressed how important pedagogy was. He encouraged me to tap into my experience as a teacher to become a public historian who could engage with the public in a real and relevant manner. He inspired curiosity. The digital world is constantly changing and if I want to be a part of it, I must be willing to get messy, make mistakes and try new things. His last piece of advice was really fascinating. He encouraged me to get in on the ground level of gaming technology in history. Simulated reality is one of the best methods for learning and the potential to develop history games has yet to be tapped in to.

Professor Lutz mentioned the difficulties of funding and encouraged me to seek many different avenues for finding money. He was fortunate to receive government grants for the Great Unsolved Mysteries in Canadian History website, but he was still required to raise additional funds. Although he warned that it takes work and perseverance, he was optimistic about finding money for these types of projects.

The Great Unsolved Mysteries in Canadian History website has around 2,500 visitors every day, ranging from Canadian students, to English language learners around the globe, to Australian students studying colonialism. He has created a history tool that is not only creative and interesting, but also useful. I hope to emulate him in my future endeavors.

An interesting idea….

http://camh.org/exhibitions/your-landmy-land-election-12

Here is an interesting exhibit by Johnathan Horowitz about elections.   I like how both sides are represented and that there is a place for discussion.   This exhibit took place in 17 different locations from around the country at the same time.   That would make for interesting compare/contrasts to see regional patterns.