The Future of Museum Education and Interpretation
Museum culture has shifted through time with the changing social climates of society. In recent years we have seen a change in the characteristics of museum practices influenced by social and cultural issues in American culture. With the rise of the Black Lives Matter Movement in the last five years, historians and museum professionals have become more aware of African Americans' perspectives and have begun to focus more on presenting the stories of traditionally marginalized groups. The Atlanta History Center, located in Atlanta, Georgia, is redesigning its Civil War exhibition to highlight more stories of African Americans than in the previous design 25 years ago. Asian American history has also begun to be a focus for museum professionals in the recent year because of the "Stop Asian Hate" movement. Museums and the academy have broadened the perspectives of history because of the influences of society, and the philosophy of diversity and inclusion are being incorporated more into the museum field. Historically museums have been the assumed authority on public knowledge dictating what information is displayed for the public, but in recent years the culture of museums has changed to the audience's interest. Museum education and interpretation are no longer influenced by what professionals want visitors to know but what visitors want to learn. Museums should be relevant to the community they serve. Education and interpretation is the primary outlet for museums to execute their visions and mission to connect with the community. The museum staff is responsible for creating programming for education and interpretation for visitors to connect with the mission of the museum. As museum culture evolves with the changing dynamics of 2021, with issues such as COVID-19, it is essential for museums to incorporate health protocols for visitors. Museum practices useful for future museum education and interpretation are maintaining relevancy to the community, offering guided tours, and adapting to health guidelines.
Understanding the community's interest that museums are a part of is vital for a museum's success. Understanding the community's interest will help determine what interpretation and education will attract visitors. The interest of the community is what is relevant to them. Nina Simon argues that relevancy should be strictly from what the participants/community wants[1]. To understand what is relevant to a community, museum professionals must first ask the community what they are interested to learn. Surveys, focus groups, and community events are all ways museum professionals can learn what is relevant in their community. Once museums understand what their community wants are, they can create programming that the community will be interested in. If a Civil War museum conducted a survey that determined their community was interested in seeing actual weapons from War, it would be relevant for that museum to have a program that incorporates viewing their weapons collection. Museum education and interpretation that does no have relevancy lacks the ability to relate to its audience. Museums will find it difficult to project their mission if visitors are not interested.
Programming for school-age children highly depends on relevancy to their interest. Most children attend museums on school field trips, and it is essential for programs to align with the educational standards of their school. Children's attention span is also traditionally shorter than adults', and they tend to lose focus or become disengaged when there are not relevant topics to them. The relevancy of programs to their community helps to push forward the museum's mission and attendance. Visitors attend museums more often when programs relate to them. The interest of the community should guide the education and interpretation of museums.
Museums are responsible for engaging audiences that are not traditionally in their community. The Anarchist's Guide to Historic House Museums mentions ways to be engaging with the communities that are not traditional visitors of the museum. The Anarchist Guide suggests to "locate communities of neighborhood residents who are not visiting and engage them.[2]" Engaging visitors outside of museum communities can be demanding, but there are ways to connect with audiences such as hosting public events or free entry days to the museum. Public events give museum educators the chance to connect with their community outside of the regular operation. The Atlanta History Center hosts a Martin Luther King Jr Day, a community event that attracts audiences outside of their local community looking to celebrate the National holiday. Free entry days for museums also help promote programming for outside visitors. Economic factors can play a role in an individual's ability to attend museums because some people can not afford admission fees. When museums offer free entry, they are offering access to individuals that would not usually be able to attend. Free entry broadens the audience of museums and helps to connect to a broader class of people. The national pandemic caused many families throughout the world to become financially unstable, and offering free entry during trying times gives the community access to the museum.
Museum interpretation is how individuals understand the information presented to them in museums. Museums are responsible for creating interpretations of the information they are presenting. Museums exhibitions can have different interpretations for different subjects. For instance, the Atlanta History Centers Swan House exhibition's interpretation of 1930s living is joyous, but the interpretation of 1930s living at the Apex Museum is distressing. There are different styles of interpretation that can be used. The style of interpretation is how museum staff want the information they are presenting to be interpreted. Interpretation can be in four different styles: first-person, third-person, live history, and museum theatre. First-person interpretation presents history to the audience in the time period of history. Living history can co-exist with first-person, living history is the scene of the historical time period being presented. . "Living history is described as a movement, a technique, a philosophy, and an educational tool[3]." The Smith Farm at the AHC is a living history exhibition, being an actual farm set in the 19th century. Live history allows visitors to become part of the history they are learning. When the AHC allows guests to shave the sheep on the Smith Farm, they use a living history interpretation. Museum theatre can sometimes be the most entertaining way to interpret history. Museum theatre uses dramatic performances to act out historical events. Third-person interpretation is guided tours or self-guide themselves. Although self-guidance gives the visitor the ability to move at their own pace, it leaves room for unintentional interpretation. When tours are guided, tour guides or docents give the interpretation that the museum wants. Offering walking tours and third-person interpretation gives visitors a unique experience to the information being presented. Some museum exhibitions benefit more than others with a guided tour because they can leave room to be poorly misinterpreted.
Cultural changes are not the only things museum professionals have to be cautious of in 2021. COVID-19 has made environmental restrictions a part of museum protocol. Health safety has become a number one concern for the museum field because of the high risk of contamination. COVID-19 has made museums have to depend on virtual interpretation because of the restrictions of museum visits. Museums that are able to function during the pandemic have to adjust their capacity limits to follow required health safety measurements, such as six feet apart. Museums that are able to function during the pandemic can still have programming that will be beneficial to their community. AASLH presented ways museums can connect with their community during the COVID epidemic by hosting learning pods[4]. Learning pods are a way for museums that are not functioning as a museum to still benefit their community as a location for educational use.
Museum education and interpretation have shifted over time to adjust to the changing climates of society. The future of museum education and interpretation is moving towards the attitudes of popular culture of diversity and inclusion. Museum interpretation and education are the most critical aspects of museum operations because it is how museums present their stories. The future of museum education and interpretation must focus on relevancy to the community, guided tours, and evolving health regulations. As museums continue to be the authority of knowledge in their communities, they must continue to develop with an evolving society.
[1] Nina Simon. Art of Relevance (Santa Cruz: Museum 2.0, 2016), 92
[2] Franklin D Vagnone, Deborah E Ryan, Olivia B Cothren. Anarchist's Guide to Historic House Museum (California,
Left Coast Press, 2015), 102
[3] Boardman, Kathyrn. “Revisiting Living History: A Business, An Art, A Pleasure, An Education”. The Living History
Anthology. (New York: Routledge, 2019), 13
[4] Casey, Laura. “10 Unique Ways Museums Can Connect with Their Community”. American Association for State
and Local History. 12/08/2020. https://aaslh.org/10-ways-museums-can-connect/
Understanding the community's interest that museums are a part of is vital for a museum's success. Understanding the community's interest will help determine what interpretation and education will attract visitors. The interest of the community is what is relevant to them. Nina Simon argues that relevancy should be strictly from what the participants/community wants[1]. To understand what is relevant to a community, museum professionals must first ask the community what they are interested to learn. Surveys, focus groups, and community events are all ways museum professionals can learn what is relevant in their community. Once museums understand what their community wants are, they can create programming that the community will be interested in. If a Civil War museum conducted a survey that determined their community was interested in seeing actual weapons from War, it would be relevant for that museum to have a program that incorporates viewing their weapons collection. Museum education and interpretation that does no have relevancy lacks the ability to relate to its audience. Museums will find it difficult to project their mission if visitors are not interested.
Programming for school-age children highly depends on relevancy to their interest. Most children attend museums on school field trips, and it is essential for programs to align with the educational standards of their school. Children's attention span is also traditionally shorter than adults', and they tend to lose focus or become disengaged when there are not relevant topics to them. The relevancy of programs to their community helps to push forward the museum's mission and attendance. Visitors attend museums more often when programs relate to them. The interest of the community should guide the education and interpretation of museums.
Museums are responsible for engaging audiences that are not traditionally in their community. The Anarchist's Guide to Historic House Museums mentions ways to be engaging with the communities that are not traditional visitors of the museum. The Anarchist Guide suggests to "locate communities of neighborhood residents who are not visiting and engage them.[2]" Engaging visitors outside of museum communities can be demanding, but there are ways to connect with audiences such as hosting public events or free entry days to the museum. Public events give museum educators the chance to connect with their community outside of the regular operation. The Atlanta History Center hosts a Martin Luther King Jr Day, a community event that attracts audiences outside of their local community looking to celebrate the National holiday. Free entry days for museums also help promote programming for outside visitors. Economic factors can play a role in an individual's ability to attend museums because some people can not afford admission fees. When museums offer free entry, they are offering access to individuals that would not usually be able to attend. Free entry broadens the audience of museums and helps to connect to a broader class of people. The national pandemic caused many families throughout the world to become financially unstable, and offering free entry during trying times gives the community access to the museum.
Museum interpretation is how individuals understand the information presented to them in museums. Museums are responsible for creating interpretations of the information they are presenting. Museums exhibitions can have different interpretations for different subjects. For instance, the Atlanta History Centers Swan House exhibition's interpretation of 1930s living is joyous, but the interpretation of 1930s living at the Apex Museum is distressing. There are different styles of interpretation that can be used. The style of interpretation is how museum staff want the information they are presenting to be interpreted. Interpretation can be in four different styles: first-person, third-person, live history, and museum theatre. First-person interpretation presents history to the audience in the time period of history. Living history can co-exist with first-person, living history is the scene of the historical time period being presented. . "Living history is described as a movement, a technique, a philosophy, and an educational tool[3]." The Smith Farm at the AHC is a living history exhibition, being an actual farm set in the 19th century. Live history allows visitors to become part of the history they are learning. When the AHC allows guests to shave the sheep on the Smith Farm, they use a living history interpretation. Museum theatre can sometimes be the most entertaining way to interpret history. Museum theatre uses dramatic performances to act out historical events. Third-person interpretation is guided tours or self-guide themselves. Although self-guidance gives the visitor the ability to move at their own pace, it leaves room for unintentional interpretation. When tours are guided, tour guides or docents give the interpretation that the museum wants. Offering walking tours and third-person interpretation gives visitors a unique experience to the information being presented. Some museum exhibitions benefit more than others with a guided tour because they can leave room to be poorly misinterpreted.
Cultural changes are not the only things museum professionals have to be cautious of in 2021. COVID-19 has made environmental restrictions a part of museum protocol. Health safety has become a number one concern for the museum field because of the high risk of contamination. COVID-19 has made museums have to depend on virtual interpretation because of the restrictions of museum visits. Museums that are able to function during the pandemic have to adjust their capacity limits to follow required health safety measurements, such as six feet apart. Museums that are able to function during the pandemic can still have programming that will be beneficial to their community. AASLH presented ways museums can connect with their community during the COVID epidemic by hosting learning pods[4]. Learning pods are a way for museums that are not functioning as a museum to still benefit their community as a location for educational use.
Museum education and interpretation have shifted over time to adjust to the changing climates of society. The future of museum education and interpretation is moving towards the attitudes of popular culture of diversity and inclusion. Museum interpretation and education are the most critical aspects of museum operations because it is how museums present their stories. The future of museum education and interpretation must focus on relevancy to the community, guided tours, and evolving health regulations. As museums continue to be the authority of knowledge in their communities, they must continue to develop with an evolving society.
[1] Nina Simon. Art of Relevance (Santa Cruz: Museum 2.0, 2016), 92
[2] Franklin D Vagnone, Deborah E Ryan, Olivia B Cothren. Anarchist's Guide to Historic House Museum (California,
Left Coast Press, 2015), 102
[3] Boardman, Kathyrn. “Revisiting Living History: A Business, An Art, A Pleasure, An Education”. The Living History
Anthology. (New York: Routledge, 2019), 13
[4] Casey, Laura. “10 Unique Ways Museums Can Connect with Their Community”. American Association for State
and Local History. 12/08/2020. https://aaslh.org/10-ways-museums-can-connect/