There is a creationist group in Kansas City that comes to our museum every
year or so to lead a tour through the galleries.  The leader of the group
expounds on how wrong the labels are in light of young earth creationism.  A
couple of staff members of tagged along with the group and videotaped part
of the tour--what the leader has to say is the usual creationist nonsense.
Because we are a public institution, we have never restricted private tours
of our public spaces, with the exception of safety considerations (number
allowed in the gallery, etc.).

John E. Simmons
Collection Manager, Natural History Museum
and
Coordinator, Museum Studies Program
University of Kansas
Dyche Hall
1345 Jayhawk Boulevard
Lawrence, Kansas 66045-7561
Telephone 785-864-4508
FAX 785-864-5335
[log in to unmask]
www.ku.edu/~museumst/

-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Urban [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Sunday, October 20, 2002 5:50 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: B.C. (Biblically Correct) Tours of Museums

Hi all,

A few weeks back someone had posted a question about modifying a museum's
tour
program for a Christian group.

This week's Denver Westword includes an article about a firm that offers
independent "Biblically Correct" tours of museums and other "cultural
temples."

http://www.westword.com/issues/2002-10-17/feature.html/1/index.html

Setting aside the obvious arguements here, I was wondering whether this
approach had been used elsewhere.  Did anyone offer *organized* tours of the
Enola Gay exhibit providing interpretations not included in the exhibit?
What
if a group showed up at Monticello presenting their interpretation of the
Sally Hemmings case?  I've seen many of these things debated in print or
heard
of organized protests, but not groups actively coming in and presenting
their
side of the story.

The article talks a little about one local insitutions "freedom of speech"
polcies - have many other institutions created such a policy?

Richard Urban
[log in to unmask]

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