Kidzu Children's Museum’s Post

Rethinking Historic House Museums: Cragfont's Innovative Approach Cragfont State Historic Site in Sumner County, Tennessee, is a shining example of how historic house museums can evolve to become more relevant and engaging. Previously focused solely on General James Winchester, Cragfont, with the leadership of Historic Castalian Springs, has embraced a more inclusive and dynamic approach to storytelling. Key Transformations: - Inclusive Narratives: Cragfont's tours now explore the diverse experiences of women, enslaved people, and even a visiting Mexican revolutionary, offering a richer and more nuanced understanding of the site's history. - Experiential Interpretation: Gone are the static displays replaced by "lived-in" room arrangements that bring history to life and spark conversations about the past's influence on our present. - Unearthing Hidden Stories: Cragfont prioritizes uncovering and sharing the narratives of enslaved individuals. This fosters a more complete understanding of the past. - Continuous Learning: New discoveries, like a recently donated collection of letters, prompt fresh interpretations. Their upcoming video series highlights this ongoing process, emphasizing history as a living conversation. By delving deeper into the past and sharing these stories in engaging ways, they're building a more empathetic and connected future for their community. This is just one example! Stay tuned to see how other organizations are leveraging the humanities to create a brighter tomorrow for Tennessee. #SharedFuturesLabTN #InclusiveHistory #MuseumInnovation #historichousemuseum

What color should we do next?

When was the last time you really soaked in nature? How did you feel following? This little guy is definitely soaking in nature... LITERALLY! I just loved walking up on this stream curated by Kidspace Children's Museum. Adding waterplay experiences can really be a struggle in museums, but they did it right! They have put together such a natural experience that definitely is risky, but also blissful for kiddos. Nature is not just a luxury; it's a necessity for well-being. For children, exposure to nature is crucial, fostering curiosity and laying the foundation for environmental stewardship. Nature is the greatest classroom, teaching resilience and balance. Beyond education, nature provides a sanctuary for mental and spiritual well-being. So, let's heed Muir's advice, embracing the "dirt paths" that connect us to the natural world. How can we facilitate more nature experiences in our museums, in our lives, and for our young learners? PS.... if you zoomed out on this picture you'd also see the sign that encourages all participants, including wet ones, to stay fully clothed 🤣 😂 (if you're a museum with water... you know all about this part!) #Nature #JohnMuir #playbasedlearning #museum #inspiredimpact

Including my quote, which hopefully offers an insightful perspective.

What makes me truly sad is that the benefits of what we as heritage professionals in well funded and supported museums can really do for community, society, tourism in promoting our own regional histories/culture really doesn’t seem to be valued as much as it should be anymore - we have our part to play in that by remaining silent in the face of fighting our corner when pitched against elements such as heavily underfunded core services - who can blame us… Many sites/service gone or cut to the bone… We are one of the lowest paid highly skilled sectors - flexible, adaptable and skilled in what we do and yet we are always being asked to do more for less or seen as replaceable by volunteers. Don’t get me wrong there is absolutely room for and the need for volunteers but only with support and direction from paid skilled staff else who knows of the collections horrors that can occur…. Most of the behind the scenes work has long been off set in favour of keeping the doors open and the public facing element but they must go hand in hand with the collections team who busily work behind the scenes (but not out of public engagement) who are the keys that unlock the collection making it possible to get the best out of museum collections and the often priceless information they represent whilst making them safe and easy to use/find FOR ALL… Many have already left or been ejected from the sector and with that and the failure of succession planning has meant several steps backwards in knowledge and the cost and loss of that knowledge is yet to really have been measured… It seems today we say goodbye to the Winding House Caerphilly opened in my lifetime as an initiative to represent the history and people of Caerphilly. Here’s hoping it manages to get the community asset transfer and continues in some form rather than be lost forever…. A sign of the time… but a truly necessary one?

Exploring This Local Small Town Museum In Eastern North Carolina Is The Definition Of An Underrated Adventure https://ow.ly/bRaZ50Qn7U2

Eight years ago, during my tenure as Curator of Collections and Exhibitions at the Roswell Museum, I started learning about federal community art centers, a remarkable New Deal initiative that remains one of the most expansive art-sharing programs in the history of the United States. Ever since I learned about this program, I've wanted to map its history digitally so that researchers could follow the movement of art exhibitions, observe the opening and closing of art centers, and trace the migrations of art center personnel as they were assigned to different sites. Today, I'm happy to share I've taken a first step toward this long-term goal by creating a StoryMap about federal community art centers. Here, I share all the information I've learned about them since 2016, from the addresses of specific sites to the contents of circulating exhibitions. This StoryMap, in short, represents eight years of ongoing research and analysis. More than a repository for my research though, this project is an invitation to other researchers interested in federal community art centers. I'm asking everyone interested in this initiative to share their data so we can compile all our research in one place. This program is too vast for one person to document, and I know there are others as passionate about it as I am. So let's get together and share our data. Together, we can document this significant but understudied initiative. #newdeal #digitalhumanities #federalcommunityartcenter https://lnkd.in/eenEHd_p

Happy Wednesday!! 😀 It's NATIONAL PRESERVATION MONTH! Author | C. Knighten National Preservation Month, also known as Historic Preservation Month is celebrated during the month of May to remind us about our Nation's heritage. Pervserving our historic buildings and homes is very important to our Nation and communities. Across our country, organizations promote various activities within our communities on the local, state and National levels. Preserving these places helps us to remember our History and the stories associated with each. Understanding our history is the key to improving our future. Without our history (ies) we might forget the lessons we have learned and should never repeat. Whether the story is found in your local library or your grandmother's attic, peeling back the layers of time🕰 helps us understand the past. Keeping these stories alive helps us provide a rich and textured history of the people who worked and lived there. Our imaginations can then begin to understand their hardships, what they overcame, and the difficult decisions they made in the face of adversity. HOW TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL PRESERVATION MONTH: ⛪️ Research your community! From the Morgan County Historical Society to the Morgan County Landmarks Socieity, there are several resources to help you start your journey! Learn about 🧔 If you are a History Buff.....Discover ways that you can volunteer in your area to help preserve your local historical buildings. 👩 Plan a day trip! Do your research and discover local museums and other options to learn more about the history of your own community or perhaps the state. 🏠 Visit the Alabama Constitution Hall Park and Museum. The live interactive and costumed guides will make this an outing to remember! #dynamicpressurewashingandroofcleaning #homeowners #patio #driveway #siding #refresh #gutters #commercialbuildings #businesses #softwashing #decatur #madison #huntsville

At the risk of stating the obvious, most museum practitioners working today are not trained to invite and empower community members to be part of exhibition development processes. In fact, I see little recognition at administrative levels in museums that employee success in this area requires a specific set of skills that takes a lot of time, intention, and professional development to gain and that's in addition to whatever subject matter knowledge a position may require (a topic for another day). But I know from personal experience that good intentions coupled with poor training can cause harm. I love that Isabel Singer describes the inclusion of community voices as a continuum. The level at which a museum engages community voices ought to depend on the capacity they currently have to do the work as well as an honest conversation with community members about where they are on that continuum. But that should not be the end of the story. More training, more practice, more authentic relationship building over the long haul allows museums to grow, and the value and meaning it adds to our institutions is worth it.

Galleries, libraries, archives and museums (GLAMs) are instrumental in shaping and preserving the cultural identity of societies and fostering a deeper understanding of history, science, and the environment. Moreover, they contribute to the social infrastructure of local communities and visitors, expressing and supporting the active role of culture in society. We are looking forward to collaborating with GLAMMONS in efforts to apply commons theory and advancce practice supporting the resilience and transformative potential of GLAMs in times of change. GLAMMONS objectives are to A. Develop new conceptualizations through the ways that the commons theory and practice can provide a new transformative power for the GLAMS and the local communities, and B. Produce evidence-based policy recommendations for more participatory and inclusive management and more efficient and resilient financing of the GLAMs through arrangements of the commons. https://glammons.eu #transformation #resilience #commons #galleries #libraries #archives #museums #glams #worldheritage