Would I participate?

As I read The Participatory Museum, I decided to approach it through the eyes of a visitor instead of a museum staff member. I have no experience working in a museum and I am not sure that I will ever end up in one (although it is certainly not off the table). So I have framed my reactions as a participant rather than an administrator. Would I participate/enjoy/find fulfillment in Simon’s suggestions or not? Below are the suggestions that I found most engaging and most offensive.

I would participate:

• “Becoming” a Character – Placing myself in the shoes of someone/thing within the exhibit is an excellent way to engage with the material, but not have to get too personal. I loved the idea of choosing a Greek mythological character in the Hero exhibit. I still have my Holocaust museum passport (yes, I kept it) from 15 years ago, because it made such an indelible mark on me.
• Marking enjoyable exhibits in order to receive a personal recommendation – I love Pandora, Netflix, Goodreads and any other network that will point me in the direction of new and exciting finds. I think most people do as well.
• Write a postcard home to myself – I still have my DARE letter that I wrote to myself when I was in 6th grade, but did not receive until I was a senior in high school. Communicating with your past self (even if only a few days old) is a powerful reminder of what you found important and what you have learned since.
• PostSecret style Q&A- I love the power of anonymity, both for my own participation and in reading other people’s answers.  This type of interaction allows me to not only leave behind a piece of myself for future visitors, but to also connect with the larger social/political/historical question. I think it is really powerful.
• A photo story of my participation – I liked the idea of completing some task with my group, having it documented, and then later going back to narrate the story. I think that is a particularly powerful tool for families, because it not only creates a memento of their experience, but also encourages them to fully engage with an exhibit (i.e. “Let’s do our best! This will be documented!”)

I would not participate:

• Guided Tours – I find these annoying, slow, and disingenuous. Shuffling along in a crowd is not my idea of higher level thinking or engagement.
• “Talk to me about…” stickers on my back – I like to have intelligent conversations with diverse people. I would love to have discussions with strangers about difficult exhibits that we were all visiting. However, I have no interest in having strangers approach me in a historical museum to talk about my love of cooking.
• Write your own label – While I find this suggestion funny and I would certainly enjoy it for purely entertaining value, I do not know how critically it would engage me. It is creative, absolutely. But I don’t know that it would add to my learning experience.

Overall, I would feel more comfortable participating in activities that allow me to be heard and feel like I am a part of the museum, but do not ask me to get too personal. I enjoy discourse with strangers, but not in a forced manner. I can also appreciate novelty and variety, but I would like to see a clear purpose for my endeavors. My participatory experiences in museums should be interesting, yet meaningful. I know that these are my personal reactions, but I would guess that many people would at least share my disdain for getting too personal and would want their time and effort to be valuable.