In years surrounding the Bicentennial of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the Revolutionary War, public history underwent a revolution of its own. Planners had hoped to stoke the flames of patriotism with a large, unified Bicentennial celebration. They instead watched as the national celebration splintered into smaller localized commemorations and the state-approvedContinue reading “On Two Revolutions – Public History in the Bicentennial Era”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Between the Past and the Present: Landsberg’s Theory of Affective Engagement
People want to feel close to the past. Traditional, academic history keeps their audience at an arm’s length, talking about the past as cold, distant, and foreign. It’s no wonder then that so many balk at learning history, especially the history that many people have been taught growing up – predominately the stories of rich,Continue reading “Between the Past and the Present: Landsberg’s Theory of Affective Engagement”
(Re)introducing Me –
HIST 6001 – Introduction to Public History My name is Lindsay and a lot has changed since I introduced myself ahead of a course way back in January 2020. We’ve been plunged into the world of the uncertain, the unknown, the unprecedented. Every facet of life looks a little bit different than it did beforeContinue reading “(Re)introducing Me –”
Looking Back and Looking Forward
This semester is not what anyone thought it would be. Now, somewhere around week eight or nine of being confined to our homes, the importance of digital public history is immensely clear. With museums, libraries, and universities closed, it’s all we have. Throughout this course, we’ve looked at unique ways to engage with the audienceContinue reading “Looking Back and Looking Forward”
The Exhibit Developer’s Bible
This week, I was lucky enough to spend time revisiting a book that holds a place of honor on my shelf, the second edition of Exhibit Labels: An Interpretive Approach by Beverly Serrell. I first picked it up for a class reading in undergrad. Since then, I’ve occasionally flipped through on a quest to findContinue reading “The Exhibit Developer’s Bible”
The Short Lifespan of Digital Elements in Museum Spaces
Museums in the Digital Age: Changing Meanings of Place, Community, and Culture by Susana Smith Bautista asks as a series of case studies, taking the temperature of digital initiatives in five art museums around the country: the Indianapolis Museum of Art in Indianapolis, Indiana; the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota; the San Francisco MuseumContinue reading “The Short Lifespan of Digital Elements in Museum Spaces”
Planting Seeds in Unknown Soil – NCPH in the Time of COVID-19
If all was normal in the world, I would have spent the better part of the last week in Atlanta attending the National Council on Public Conference, taking in local museums and historical sites, and learning more about the craft of public history from amazing professionals from across the country. Instead, we as a nationContinue reading “Planting Seeds in Unknown Soil – NCPH in the Time of COVID-19”
Rediscovering a City through the Memories of Others
If you had to map your life in a city, how would you go about it? When I think about this question, I think of all the places in my city, St. Louis, that have impacted my life and the memories I associate with them. I think of the neighborhood I live in now, nextContinue reading “Rediscovering a City through the Memories of Others”
Social Media and Memory
Museum professionals and public historians are always looking to expand their audience. Social media, with its emphasis on connection, seems to promise institutions and researchers boundless opportunities to reach within their own community and beyond borders to share stories and invite people into the history-making process. However, there is no magic formula that guarantees engagementContinue reading “Social Media and Memory”
Combining Place, Space, and Time through Deep Mapping
The essays collected in Deep Maps and Spatial Narratives, edited by David Bodenhamer, John Corrigan, and Trevor M. Harris play with the relationships between place, space, and time through the lens of a fairly new trend in humanities scholarship – the deep map. Before tackling this theoretical deep dive, I was not a complete strangerContinue reading “Combining Place, Space, and Time through Deep Mapping”
MUSEUM MUSINGS 