On April 8, 2014, Gallaudet University turned 150 years old. The Washington, D.C. school and its alumni marked the occasion by giving a gift to its students, alumni, faculty, and to deaf and hard of hearing people everywhere—as well as to the hearing world. Gallaudet’s gift was a museum that, in its founders’ words, “tells our story.”  The museum’s homepage (http://www.gallaudet.edu/museum.html) is chock full of information, not only about this project but about the deaf experience itself.

My colleague Mary Case and I worked over the past several years with the Gallaudet museum team, led by Dr. Jane Norman and Meredith Peruzzi. My part was exhibit planning, curatorial assistance, and project management—including, of course, healthy doses of guidance, support and tough love. The inaugural exhibit “Gallaudet at 150 and Beyond” is very traditional—it’s chronological and overstuffed with information—and absolutely the right one for its time and audience. Blair, Inc. of Springfield, VA did the design and fabrication, moving mountains to get the job done on time.

As always, it’s a big thrill to help people recover their past, share their world with others, and discover a new sense of themselves.

Happy Spring, everyone.

Dean Krimmel, Creative Museum Services/Qm²

Helping Museums and Cultural Nonprofits

423 Range Road  Baltimore, MD 21204

410-746-8350; [log in to unmask]

LinkedIn; www.qm2.org; @deankrimmel

...as we discover our past, so we discover ourselves -- and more.

    Neil MacGregor, A History of the World in 100 Objects