Hello Lisa,
At the West Baton Rouge Museum we use the historical landscape in a few different ways. Walking tours and bus tours with historical themes bring visitors to related landmarks and areas where events took place or spots affiliated to historical structures or people, including cemeteries. We have enjoyed a creative idea from a talented watercolor artist who has organized an event called a "Paint Out." A Paint Out is an open invitation to any who would like to gather at a particular outdoor space to do landscape painting. She offers some instruction but it is informal and folks bring their own supplies. It has been pretty popular and gives our history museum an opportunity to highlight particular landscapes to the public The local historical association has historic markers throughout the parish and the local CVB has a driving tour visitors can take to see the markers and the views along the historic River Road in our parish. Our educators use the natural environment to interpret history engaging visitors in programs that involve finding materials once used on 18th and 19th century farms/plantations including dye stuffs, food stuffs, building materials, and (an easy one for us) Spanish moss for mattress making. We are careful and never harm the environment in these programs.
Look forward to seeing your ideas.
Julie Rose

On Thu, Sep 16, 2010 at 10:06 AM, Lisa Hayes <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
I'm looking for examples of sites/museums that have found unique/creative ways of interpreting Native and African American heritage using natural resources and the landscape. Since we do not have artifacts or an exhibits building, I'm looking for examples of outdoor interpretive approaches -- visual art, effective use of signs, audio, etc.  Have you seen interesting ways of communicating interwoven narratives? We're a colonial living history museum on land that has deep Native American significance in a county with African American majority and rich 19th & 20th century agricultural story. Thanks.

Lisa Hayes, PhD
Director of Education & Public Programs
Accokeek Foundation

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