A master plan for redoing the interpretive galleries of the Buten Museum
of Wedgwood was one of the very first American History Workshop projects,
in 1980 or 1981.  David Buten, the son of the founders, was a wonderful
fellow, but he was working under the very considerable constraint of
sharing the museum building with his mother's residence -- and she was a
bear!  The center of our interpretive plan focused on springing the
building loose from her grasp -- a somewhat surprising introduction for
those at AHW who thought that we would be focusing on bold new
intellectual or pedagogical approaches to museum learning.

I recall that the Buten Museum was in the most enviable position of
having about 2,000 visitors a year and about 25,000 members.  Each year
David would travel to England, negotiate with the Wedgwood people to
produce another commemorative piece which would be available only to
museum members.  The fear of missing out on even a single such piece kept
the annual renewal rate for members, most of whom never came or would
come to the museum, exceptionally high.  It's a piece of wisdom that I've
never had occasion to see repeated.

And so my question, whatever happened to the Buten Museum?

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Richard Rabinowitz              <> American History Workshop
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718/499-6500 fax: 718/499-6575  <> Brooklyn, New York 11215-3707