Louise,

You have selected a very interesting and deeply affective subject. You have
had several comments on knowing the subject matter, so I will confine my
responses to those of concern when I had the same thesis idea in grad school
and they are still relevant now!

1. Constraints on interpretation:

What is the governance of your museum, how is it controlled? For example,
are you supported by a public agency, such as a Parks Department? Is it a
private museum, such as one owned by a corporation? Church owned (also
private ownership), such as some of the mission era museums in California,
or Tribally owned such as some Native Peoples museums? The governance
controls the interpretation. In my experience, museums that serve the public
and are supported by public taxes and agencies have the most opportunity for
full and honest interpretation. A corporate museum may be well funded and
tell a specific story very well. A privately owned museum can be all over
the map, from self-serving, myth-preserving false interpretation to an
interpretation that delves deeply into a world barely known by outsiders. It
can be an impressive educational experience or one that perpetuates a
half-truth that the owners have a stake in preserving.

2. Constraints only applicable to your museum

Same response as above, but while some privately held museums are focused on
educating visitors or employees about their company, many others fail to
realize they are serving themselves rather than a public. Of course, private
museums don't have to serve a public!

3.  How does this affect your interpretation:

While the presence or absence of adequate funding is certainly responsible
for the extent of exhibit construction and installation, as noted by your
responders, imaginative exhibit builders can overcome such restraints. The
crux of the issue is in what you intend to interpret. A complete,
unprejudiced story that is well understood by its interpreters can be told
with simple materials, effective colors, well organized text. Visitors need
to be captured, as one respondent mentioned. This doesn't need to be done
with bells and whistles as much as with arresting graphics and space.  In
fact one study I did showed that the realistic recorded sounds and
coordinated rising and falling light levels actually turned people away-- it
was so realistic and so foreign (a simulated 24-hour day in the wilds of
Africa) it frightened many people, and they hurried their children from the
gallery! So much more money was spent on that than on an interpretation of
slavery I once saw at the National Museum of History. The forged iron neck
collar and ankle chains were there, not lying in a case with a printed card,
disassociated with their wearers, but fastened around the necks of
full-sized, deeply colored graphic images, chained one to another to
encumber escape. These were chained people. Talk about an arresting image!

Another memorable exhibit with archeological materials exhibited the
materials with modern tools and equipment used to do the same job. It made a
quick connection to the viewer's everyday life. It was sparse and with
minimal text. The visitor got the message.

Good luck with your studies and future work!

Micki



-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
Behalf Of louise hayward
Sent: Monday, May 22, 2006 6:38 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Museum Interpretation


Dear List,

My name is Louise Hayward and I am currently undertaking a masters in
Archaeological Heritage Management at York University...

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