Old Sturbridge Village: The Creation Of A Museum

Quoted by Handler and Gable, critic Ada Louise Huxtable declares the newly constructed reproduction of Colonial Williamsburg as “too clean,” arguing that it “does not include the filth and stench that would have been commonplace.” (Source E) This sanitation of the truth completely misrepresents history, and the educational value greatly suffers. Conversely, the National Museum of the American Indian hopes to avoid this lack of judgment by dedicating itself to the “preservation, study, and exhibition of the life, languages, literature, history, and Arts of Native Americans.” (Source C) The main goal of the museum is to “span all major cultural areas” (C) and educate the public about and preserve the rich history of such a vast culture. The authenticity and significance of artifacts are important to representing culture and history, and the ability of these artifacts to educate should be a key factor of the selection process.

The Florence Griswold Museum is located at 96 Lyme Street in Old Lyme, CT. Florence Griswold was the youngest child of a sea captain. Her father lost the family fortune by investing in boats at the time when Connecticut was losing the boating community. This made them broke and in debt. Mr. Griswold went and took out multiple mortgages on the house. Mr. Griswold passed away and Florence Griswold outlived her siblings. She inherited the family home, and along with that home came all of the debts also. Miss. Griswold had to figure out how to keep her home. She opened her home to boarders, which was common in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. In 1899, Henry Ward Ranger boarded at The Griswold home and wanted to set up an art colony in New England. He loved the

On Saturday morning, I went to Howe Library in Wellsville, to see its historical display. The display room featured various tables holding displays of the history of various towns, displays of history projects by young residents, and various historical antiques. The layout consisted of various isles formed by the placement of objects and stands. Four lanes ran perpendicular to the four room walls, forming a walking square, which was met on the other side with a rough square of displays. This internal square of displays had points on which to enter an internal space lined with more displays on the inside.

“The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was, nobody moved.nobody’d be different, the only thing that’d be different would be you.” (Salinger 135) The museum is a vulnerable place

One thing is the author could never truly understand my culture because she is not African american. She never had to go through things that almost every African American goes through on a daily basis. Throughout the article the author incorporated people's opinion of the museum who are part of the African american community. This way she presents opinion significant to me and my heritage. People who deeply rooted to the essay shared interesting insights. One woman whose story was in the article could reminisce the days of Martin Luther King Jr. giving his “I have a Dream” speech on the Washington mall. She wanted to introduce the pride and pain of African Americans. The author described the museum as a place where you can get culturally enriched because of all the things said in the writing. The author wanted to demonstrate who would benefit from the museum. Generations of people can come together and see their history together even if it very dark. This is one way the author The museum is a life changing experience. From seeing the casket of 14 year old Emmett Till who was lynched by a white men in mississippi in 1955. To seeing the slave trade routes and how millions of Africans were taken from their homeland. The museum is very deep there is even an exhibit that shows child size ankle cuffs. It is made clear before you enter the museum you will see heart wrenching things without it being

“This world is but a canvas to our imagination”; which always has been throughout the years. Art has been separated in different categories such as architectures, sculptures, photography and paintings. For my semester project, which was to visit an art or historic museum; my classmates and I went to the Reynolda House Museum of American art which provided us both the art and history. At first, we all assume that the visit would be boring or the art gallery would be dull. What shocked us the most was the actual experience being in the museum instead of just talking about it. We experienced multiple feelings during our visit in the art gallery as well as the historic area. From the art gallery which held many paintings of artist, to the house that R.J Reynolds and his family once occupied. Furthermore, it also showed us the legacy of R.J Reynolds and his family has left behind for the people of Winston-Salem.

Throughout the experience, I learned the importance and care of working with an artifact along with operations within a museum. As I toured Heartland Museum, I witnessed all of the items that are stored behind the scenes because museums only keep a small percentage of the belongings on display. I also learned about the process of creating a display, which includes piecing together many details like attraction, relevance, and of course history. Museums must worry about the community’s interest in the displays. Lastly, I learned about the importance of an artifact by working with some of the items. It is important to handle artifacts with care because of the fragility of the item. After the information I learned at the museum, it was my turn to experience the public

2. As you travel from section to section within the museum, observe and outline stories that were being told through the visual representation posted and document those stories. Take pictures of yourself in front of several of the exhibits. a. Walking through the museum there were many exhibits that told the people’s stories going through Ellis Island and coming to America. These stories talked about leaving their families, homes and past behind in order to achieve the

I read new information on events that occurred in our city and that helped me know my city better. It was very interesting to read and see many events that my professor had covered in class. I enjoyed seeing how Americans lived in the past. Regarding education, children started going to school and some of their desks were displayed in the museum. There were also samples of clothing that people used to wear during the 1950’s and 1970’s. Therefore, I learned the way that people used to live many years ago. I learned that George Eastman created the photographic film and also improved it by creating the “Brownie”. This was a box camera that introduced the snapshot. Film and cameras became commercial due to the Brownie. Radios, telephones, and televisions improved American lives. In my visit to the museum I got the opportunity to experience very closely how people used to live in the Rio Grande Valley. I learned that the advances in technology, battles, revolutions, and railroads created what is now

I chose this museum because it is located in one the city’s oldest parks on the southeastern edge of downtown and allows us to visually experience what life was like in North Texas during the 19th and early 20th century. It is situated along a charming redbrick Main Street, and has 38 exquisitely restored building that are fully furnished buildings, some of which include-- a log cabin, a Greek Revival style mansion, a school house, a shotgun house and a farmstead that dates back to 1840 through 1910, and invite us to scrutinize the past through self-guided tours and winsome living history presentations. Added to the atmosphere are live farm animals and a host of reiterating events, costumed docents, that range from mock gunfights to historical replications.It makes us step back in time at this wonderfully bizarre, victorian-era park.

While some may view museums as homes of the dusty, decrypt, and decaying, I think back fondly to the memories I've made in them. When I was four and living in a small apartment in Shaker Heights, Ohio, my father would take me to the Cleveland Museum of Rock and Roll on the weekends when he wasn’t busy working on his MBA at Case Western Reserve University. Every time we visited, I would tell my father that I would grow up to be just like Elvis, to which he would laugh and scoff affectionately. When we moved to Glen Allen, Virginia when I was six, we would occasionally drive up to Washington, D.C. to the Smithsonian Museums. On some Saturdays, we would walk for hours through the halls of art I didn't understand (and still don’t really understand) at the Museum of American Art. On other Saturdays, we would go to the Library of Congress, where I would press my forehead against the glass of the observation deck—much to the dismay of security guards. But perhaps the most significant "museum" I've been in is just a short three-minute drive or seven-minute walk from my suburban home: the Twin Hickory Public Library.

Early Saturday morning, I attended the Historic Brownsville Museum. I remembered visiting before to utilize the restroom since it was the only building close to the cemetery where I was volunteering. The restrooms were awesome because of their antiquity therefore I attended one more time for this project. As I entered for the second time, I saw shelves of merchandise or souvenirs from the museum. The lady up front charged my friend and I two dollars and gave us directions of the different halls and what types of exhibits we would encounter. We then proceeded to the first exhibits on the right of the entrance. I was ready for this adventure!

Museums serve as a way to connect with the public on a large scale, and the knowledge held within exhibits can be a fruitful experience for those who choose to visit these institutions. Experiencing all that a museum has to offer, no matter how well intentioned, can at times be confusing and overwhelming to the individuals visiting the site. The Smithsonian’s Museum of the American Indian dedicates itself to Native Americans in North and South America, and worked tirelessly with varying tribes to create a new standard. Some visitors and scholars found their work to be successful in design and approach while others found it to be lacking in execution. This institution does not approach Native American history in a familiar fashion; however it does cover an expansive period of time, and produces a great amount of detail while generating powerful emotions.

I was pleasantly surprised on how much I enjoyed visiting the Centennial Village historical site in Greeley. I happened to visit this museum on the perfect day because there were children from different schools dressed up and “living” how the people in Northern Colorado lived more than 100 years ago. With the children all dressed up like people used to dress, and doing the chores that they used to take on really made it the feel like I was back in time. I got to experience dozens of historical sites, live animals, schools, and businesses that really helped me understand part of Northern Colorado’s history.

A greater number of educators are looking to museums to help them attain their educational objectives. Howard Gardner has identified Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood as the perfect environment for stimulating the natural curiosity of a child. Furthermore, in response to demands for new educational approaches, older children are using museums to develop their critical facilities in art and design (Campbell, 1992).