The fact that we even have to ask this question says something about our
profession. This is not an either/or situation. We work for the visitors
and we need to also follow the standards of scholarship. Just take one
example:If we do not reach, teach and inspire young people and their
families the question will not be for whom do we work... the question will
be... does anyone want to see/experience our work? Research studies point
out that visiting a museum with your family as a child and having a
positive, engaging experience is a strong predictor of how you spend your
leisure time as an adult. We must begin with the visitor......
On the other hand, the visitor expects us to know the answer to "So what"
and they look to us to reveal to them the significance of the objects,
place, people we interpret. We must reveal what is known and what is not
known ( no matter how difficult the subject ) based on the evidence that
exists and help the visitor decide what point of view she/he wants to go
home with.
Every visitor brings ideas, information, personal experiences with him/her
to the exhibit and/or program and if we show them something new and or
different that they can relate to and they leave with more questions than
when they arrived and they want to come back and learn more or check out a
book at the library...we have succeeded. Our job is to erase the lines
between us and them and turn every visitor into a life long interpreter of
the past.
The ongoing challenge is to make our program/exhibit meaningful to the
different types of visitors that come :the streaker, the stroller and the
scholar .Without ongoing visitor feedback and involvement throughout the
planning and implementation stages our work will be wasted.
Conny Graft
Director Interpretive Education and Support
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Williamsburg, Va. 23187