Mine was not in a University Museum, so I suppose this post doesn't really fit into the rubric I've created, but memorable experiences are an important part of all realms of museums. In any case, I'll show you mine hoping you'll show me yours...
I am in love with Abraham Lincoln. I'm not so sure what it is about the man that makes me throw my worship at him, but I can't help it and I love learning about him (which is a bit odd for someone who keeps trying to convince everyone he is a German scholar - and of course a museums guy). I did my undergrad in Iowa, which, though not particularly close, is in driving distance of Chicago and Springfield. As anyone who has lived in Northeastern Iowa can attest, there's simply not much going on, and any chance to escape the state I found, I took.
On each roadtrip of mine to Chicago, I would force my driving partners to stop and visit the Lincoln sites "on the way" (though let's face it - it was out of the way). At the end of the Lincoln museum, there is a case of artifacts he owned in life including a shaving mirror, which as I remember it was tilted to reflect at the height he would have stood in front of it. There is a sign next to the case asking people not to jump, but guess who did anyway...
Seeing myself framed in the mirror - if only for a brief second was thrilling. To use an item that your hero has used creates a connection that no amount of prose or programming can create.
Rather than continue, I want you to tell me what you think. What was your greatest museum experience? How about in a University Museum? How important are objects to creating an experience? Can a museum exist without?
My greatest Museum experiences are always at the Minnesota Historical Society. I feel like that Museum has a great amount of interactives and for a Historical Society in Minnesota, knows how to cater toward its audience. My greatest experience there was playing with the little Ben Frankline travel (Oregon Trail -like) game. This game definitely caters toward the generation that used to play Oregon Trail and you could spend hours in the exhibit playing that game alone.
ReplyDeleteI think great museum experiences happen when people make personal connections to content presented. An object, a place, or even a tour guide can serve as a catalyst for that type of experience. One of my favorite museum experiences happened when I was about six years old, visiting Fort Stanwix in Rome, NY with my family. Reenactors at the historic site demonstrated a bayonet charge; dressed in full period clothing with bayonets on the ends of their guns, they charged at a gathered crowd of visitors. As a young member of that crowd, I thought they were really going to skewer us; I was going to die at this museum. Once I figured out that that wasn't the case, the experience became funny and incredibly memorable. I made a personal connection to the idea of a bayonet charge, and understood a little bit of how scary it would be to be a soldier in battle over two hundred years ago.
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