Bring Some Fun Into It

So my friend Clarissa is pretty cool. She is out in Colorado being an awesome grad student, and often guilts me into remembering that I don't post often enough. Today she posted kind of a fun picture hunt, where you open your 8th picture folder, pull up the 8th picture in it, and write about it. As my folder is sorted by years then categories, I went an extra layer here, but this is my picture.

Long story short, in 2005, right after graduating high school, I got the chance to perform in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Edingburgh, Scotland. My high school theater club did "All I Really Know I Learned in Kindergarten", adapted from the book by Robert Fulghum with the same title. If you have never read anything of his, I highly, highly recommend it. This picture was taken at the foot of Arthur's Seat, a dormant volcano in the middle of Edinburgh. We had an afternoon off, and went on a hike. And, this blog is focused on museums, here is the tie-in.

Sometimes, even though I do love museums, I wish they were a little more fun. This picture comes from a free afternoon we had in Edinburgh. We had toured around a lot, visited several historic sites, but it was fun to do something just a little goofy. I think this is the big reason why my passion is in living history. At living history museums, instead of walking slowly and reading signs, I get to touch, try, and play. And yeah, maybe sometimes its more formulated for kids, but at 23 I still think I get to play around a bit. Science museums are also a good way to give it a try, though those that I have been to have really focused only on kids and very basic science principles that I luckily learned awhile back. That being said, my boyfriend and I quite enjoyed playing with the weather front machine at the Minnesota Science Museum.

So, and I know this has already been debated to death, but really, why can't history be fun? When Nate and I toured through the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit, it was like walking through a library with the stereotypical extra strict librarian. Nobody spoke a word. I think it would have been a great place to really get conversation going, especially since both Nate and I are historians and really like to discuss things like that. Instead, we waited until we were back out into the main part of the museum. Would something as simple as having music piped in have helped? I'm not sure. So think about it. What museums have you been to that could use some "funning" (yes I know that isn't a real word) up? What do you think would help? Could it be as simple as encouraging more discourse while visitors are still in the museum?

Ethnic Studies

As you may know, Arizona's governor recently signed into law a bill that "prohibits public schools from including courses or classes, which promote the overthrow of the U.S. government or resentment towards a race or class of people, and specifies rules pertaining to pupil disciplinary proceedings are not to be based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin or ancestry."1 Critics, including the United Nations, argue that this prohibits individuals from learning about their own culture and origins. 


At the same time, the state of Texas has been working to revise its social studies curriculum. Historians have blasted these proposed changes, and with the amount of impact Texas has on textbooks (which in turn impact other states education levels), I am inclined to agree. 


I have to be honest. In every history class I've taken since high school, there has been a topic covered that made me unhappy with the United States government. In college I took a class on Social Justice and learned about our governments preference for dictatorial, sometimes cruel leaders, as long as they weren't socialists. I read about the Iran-Contra Crisis, and wondered what actions today we are taking today. No, I have no desire to overthrow the government, other than the part where I consider it my civic duty to vote. Through that means, I do take a stand against those in power who I feel are not best representing our nation's interests. But I digress. 


My big question is: What is a museum to do? If you are a museum in either state, or in another where you believe there to be a problem with the education system, is it your museums responsibility to try to fill the void? Do Kansas science museums have a responsibility to present the evolution side of things? Will Arizona's history museums put up exhibits highlighting its ethnic groups, or the Mexican side of the Mexican-American War? I've been tossing this idea about museums and social responsibility a lot lately, as my thesis topic could have some overlap. Is it our job as museum professionals to effect change? To right wrongs? Or is that overstepping our role in the community? Are we instead better suited to teaching, preserving, and protecting? I'm really not sure. I think, for me personally, I'd like to do both.


Arizona State Senate, "Fact Sheet for Bill H.B.2281", Arizona State Legislature. (http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/legtext/49leg/2r/summary/s.2281ed_caucus-floor.doc.htm) (accessed May 25, 2010).