You are giving a tour and a visitor poses a question you can’t answer. The question intrigues you. What do you do? Do you go home and find the topic in the encyclopedia? Dig through old textbooks? Go to the bookstore and buy several new books? Depending on the kind …
How does an ethnic museum, the National Museum of American Jewish History, located in the “olde city” of Philadelphia, tell the story of the immigrant experience to students of all backgrounds and religions using a permanent collection that is not “child-friendly?” The reality of many special-topic museums, including ours, is …
It’s hard to imagine, and easy to forget, but for hundreds of those who enter your museum this year, the visit they make to your museum will be their FIRST museum visit. I vividly remember a little girl I met at the New Orleans Museum of Art many years ago. …
Children often arrive at an historic house museum with little idea of what to expect. Time doesn’t mean a great deal to them, therefore the age of the house has little impact. It is not until we discuss the differences between then and now, as they walk from room to …
The Special Role of Art Museums Art’s highest reward is personal discovery. Like falling in love, the experience is unique to the individual. It cannot be programmed. But it can be encouraged. My hope for the future of our art museums, is to find the permanent collection returned to center …
Hey! You guys better watch it! When you pull that stick out, the rug will fall apart!” A small boy, who had just threaded wide silk ribbon through wooden dowels to weave a large mat, was laughing at the Special Tour Docents who wheeled him along the floor of the …
Over thirty years ago, President Kennedy challenged the Nation to land a man on the surface of the Moon and to return him safely to Earth. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) not only accomplished this goal, but also placed America in a preeminent position of space exploration, reaping …
Do you know what the title of this article means? Neither do nine year olds, but they could if scientific jargon didn’t get in the way. Much of science can be easily understood. It’s the words scholars use and linkages they make that complicate the picture for young children. By …
What’s something everyone wants, few believe they get, and all must give to appreciate the cultural heritage of others? The answer is . . . “respect.” Fundamental to everyone’s psyche is bias, or their predisposed point of view. Bias is the consequence of individual, temporal, and cultural variables. It is …