We are avid visitors to historic sites and homes and our experiences at
these places vary enormously. Recently, for instance, we were much
disappointed with Monticello (an altogether grand and famous place) and
quite captivated with James Monroe's little house. In Buffalo NY, we
thought they did a terrific job with the Darwin Martin houses (which are in
pretty rough shape), and thought Fallingwater in PA not a particularly good
tour.
Obviously the messenger (to paraphrase what is by now an old saw) is the
medium.
I will say that I am generally frustrated at most places by the absence of
concrete information about the objects on display. (There's only so much
that can be packed into a guide's memory.) Some sites provide guides with
books that identify each and every piece of art, furniture, and general
stuff on display (identifying author/artist, medium, date, telling whether
the object is original to the site, that kind of stuff), and this is a big
help. Many (most?) people may not want to know these details, but I enjoy
it enormously when the guide can refer to the book or, even better, hand the
book to me to browse through.
And a final note: I cannot speak too forcefully about the importance of the
WRITING, PRODUCTION, and PLACEMENT (as the case might be) of the labels,
notebooks, and audio guides. I am just beside myself with irritation about
poor grammar, poor sentence structure, trite expressions, typographical
errors, tiny font sizes, dark inks printed on dark backgrounds, and labels
posted down by my knees. (I'm a tall, cranky, myopic and middle-aged
person...)
Ellen B. Cutler
LNB Associates - Writing, Editing, Proofreading, Research Services
Aberdeen MD
----- Original Message -----
From: Sheri Levinsky <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, January 02, 2001 11:09 AM
Subject: Historic House Museum Interpretation
> My museum is preparing a new interpretive plan and I am interested in
> investigating innovative methods of interpretation. I would like to visit
> various museums and historic sites to get a closer look and have a
hands-on
> experience, so I am interested in any museums you all would recommend --
> your institutions or others. Some ideas we are playing around with are
audio
> tours, interactive monitors, sound effects, illusions and first person
> interpretation. This may be of interest to others in this discussion group
> so if others do not mind please post your responses to the list. If there
> are any problems with this, please email me directly. I greatly appreciate
> all of your ideas.
>
> Thank you
>
> Sheri
>
>
> Sheri J. Levinsky, MA
> Director of Education & Programs
> Decatur House Museum
> Washington, DC
> voice 202-842-0918 fax 202-842-0030
> [log in to unmask]
>
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