Hi Melissa,

     I'm not a museum employee, but have done living history.

     If the theme is "Living History and the Public", why focus on the
19th & 20th centuries?  I would think that museums of all eras would
be able to gain and contribute to the program.  Williamsburg &
Jamestown are in Virginia (I'm not sure how far "South" extends for
your focus), as well as Agecroft which is a Tudor house that was
brought over and I believe has some living history.  Florida has
17thC St Augustine, and Bayou Bend in Houston may have some 18thC.

     Keeping the visitor involved, character development, how far do you
go with costume and prop accuracy - these things span all eras.

     -Carol


>   My museum is exploring the possibility of holding a conference in 2007
> aimed at living history museums.  We're still in the very, very early
> stages of planning, but a potential theme is "Living History and the
Public"
> We are planning to provide a mix of hands-on, practical sessions and more
> academic, professional lecture-type sessions.  We will most likely be
> focusing on the 19th and early 20th centuries, with a regional focus of
> the South (though we are not committed to this being a southern history
> only conference!)
>
>   As a museum professional, what types of topics would you like to/expect
> to see at a conference such as this?  What would you hope to gain from a
> conference such as this?  Are there any speakers you would especially like
> to hear? (and feel free to nominate yourself as well!)  Any museums in
> your area that are doing innovative living history programming?
>
>   Again, at this point, we are only gathering ideas, but I would be very
> interested in hearing your thoughts.
>
>   Thanks,
>   Melissa

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