Museum Archipelago on Steno.fm

Museum Archipelago

A tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Museum Archipelago believes that no museum is an island and that museums are not neutral. Taking a broad definition of museums, host Ian Elsner brings you to different museum spaces around the world, dives deep into institutional problems, and introduces you to the people working to fix them. Each episode is never longer than 15 minutes, so let’s get started.

Mon, April 14, 2025
110. Revisiting The ‘Enola Gay Fiasco’ Today
For the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum planned to display the Enola Gay , the Boeing B-29 that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The plane was restored to be part of a full exhibit, presented alongside context about the atomic bombing's mass civilian casualties. But that exhibit never opened. Instead, after years of script revisions and intense pressure from veterans' groups and Congress, the museum displayed the restored bomber's fuselage with minimal interpretation. The exhibit was primarily dedicated to the technical process of restoring the aircraft; as one visitor noted, "I learned a lot about how to polish aluminum, but I did not learn very much about the decision to drop the atomic bomb." In this episode, historian Gregg Herken, who served as Chairman of the museum's Space History Division during the controversy, recounts how the exhibit went from reckoning with the bomb's full impact to re-enforcing a patriotic narrative. He recalls the specific moments that led up to one of the museum industry's cautionary tales, like when the director agreed to remove evocative artifacts like a schoolgirl's carbonized lunchbox from Hiroshima from the exhibition plans, and how the Air Force Association demanded the exhibit say the bombing saved 1 million American lives and other assertions that have been challenged by generations of historians. Today, as a new presidential executive order dictates how the Smithsonian interprets American history, we realize the " Enola Gay Fiasco" isn't just a cautionary tale—it's the blueprint for a more aggressive campaign to justify anything. Topics and Notes 00:00 Intro 00:15 The Enola Gay in the 1980s 01:07 Gregg Herken 02:21 Initial Planning 02:40 Martin Harwit 03:48 Herken's Visit to Hiroshima 04:39 'The Lunchbox' 05:32 Initial Exhibit Script 06:26 Opposition and Controversy 07:15 Revisions and Criticisms 10:49 Air Force Association's Demands 11:59 Exhibit Cancellation 13:37 "Pale Shadow" 14:10 Reflecting on History and Censorship 20:55 Outro | Join Club Archipelago 🏖 DIVE DEEPER WITH CLUB ARCHIPELAGO 🏖️ Unlock exclusive museum insights and support independent museum media for just $2/month. Join Club Archipelago Start with a 7-day free trial. Cancel anytime. Your Club Archipelago membership includes: 🎙️ Access to a private podca
Mon, February 24, 2025
109. The Rise and Fall of Enterprise Square, USA
For the last few decades of the 20th century, if you visited Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, you could have been serenaded by a barbershop quartet of audio-animatronic portraits of America's founders as framed on U.S. currency. This was one of the many exhibits at Enterprise Square, USA, a high-tech museum dedicated to teaching children about Free Market Economics. The museum, which found itself out of money almost before it opened, shut down in 1999. Barrett Huddleston first encountered these exhibits as a wide-eyed elementary school student in the 1980s, mesmerized by the talking puppets, giant electronic heads, and interactive displays that taught how regulation stifled freedom. Years later, he returned as a tour guide during the museum's final days, maintaining those same animatronics with duct tape and wire cutters, and occasionally being squeezed inside the two-dollar bill to repair Thomas Jefferson. He joins us to explore this collision of education, ideology, and visitor experience, and how the former museum shapes his own approach to teaching children today. Cover Image: Children watch audio-animatronic portraits of America's founders, as framed on U.S. currency, sing a song about freedom. [Photograph 2012.201.B0957.0912] hosted by The Gateway to Oklahoma History Topics and Notes 00:00 Intro 00:15 Buzludzha Again 00:46 Enterprise Square, USA 01:32 Barrett Huddleston 02:05 The Origins and Purpose of Enterprise Square 03:09 The Boom and Bust of Oklahoma's Economy 05:47 The Disney Connection and Animatronics 07:54 The Decline of Enterprise Square 11:42 Huddleston's Reflections on Education 13:41 Outro | Join Club Archipelago 🏖 DIVE DEEPER WITH CLUB ARCHIPELAGO 🏖️ Unlock exclusive museum insights and support independent museum media for just $2/month. Join Club Archipelago Start with a 7-day free trial. Cancel anytime. Your Club Archipelago membership includes: 🎙️ Access to a private podcast that guides you further behind the scenes of museums. Hear interviews, observations, and reviews that don't make it into the main show. 🎟️ Archipelago at the Movies , a bonus bad-movie podcast exclusively featuring movies and other pop culture that reflect the museum world back to us.
Mon, December 09, 2024
108. The Museum of Utopia and Daily Life
The tension is right there in the name of the Museum of Utopia and Daily Life. It sits inside a 1953 kindergarten building in Eisenhüttenstadt, Germany, a city that was born from utopian socialist ideals. After World War II left Germany in ruins, the newly formed German Democratic Republic (GDR) saw an opportunity to build an ideal socialist society from scratch. This city – originally called Stalinstadt or Stalin’s city – was part of this project, rising out of the forest near a giant steel plant. The museum's home in a former kindergarten feels fitting – the building's original Socialist Realist stained glass windows by Walter Womacka still depict children learning and playing with an almost religious dignity. But museum director Andrea Wieloch isn't as interested in the utopian promises as she is in the "blood and flesh kind of reality" of life in the GDR. The museum's collection of 170,000 objects, many donated by local residents who wanted to preserve their history, tells the story of the GDR through the lens of how people actually lived during the country's 40-year existence. The approach of the Museum of Utopia and Daily Life is to treat the history of the GDR as contested, full of stories and memories that resist simple narratives. In this episode, Wieloch describes how her approach sets the museum apart from other GDR museums in Germany including ones that cater to more western audiences. Image: Socialist Realist stained glass windows by Walter Womacka welcome visitors in this former kindergarten. Topics and Notes 00:00 Intro 00:15 Post-War Germany and the GDR's Vision 00:59 The Planned City of Eisenhüttenstadt 3:00 Andrea Wieloch 03:15 The Museum of Utopia and Daily Life 03:56 Daily Life in the GDR 07:35 GDR History in modern Germany 14:43 Future Plans for the Museum 17:44 Outro | Join Club Archipelago 🏖 DIVE DEEPER WITH CLUB ARCHIPELAGO 🏖️ Unlock exclusive museum insights and support independent museum media for just $2/month. Join Club Archipelago Start with a 7-day free trial. Cancel anytime. Your Club Archipelago membership includes: 🎙️ Access to a private podcast that guides you further behind the scenes of museums. Hear interviews, observations, and reviews that don't make it into the main show. 🎟️ Archipelago at the Movies , a bonus bad-movie podcast exclusively f
Mon, September 23, 2024
107. Crypto and Museums Part 1
In November 2021, an extremely rare first printing of the U.S. Constitution was put up for auction at Sotheby's in New York, attracting a unique bidder: ConstitutionDAO, a decentralized autonomous organization. This group had formed just weeks earlier with the sole purpose of acquiring the Constitution – and would not have been possible without crypto technology. While museums and crypto don't commonly coexist at the moment, they may increasingly intersect in the future. They actually address similar fundamental issues: trust and historical accuracy. Both can help answer the question: what really happened? To explore this overlap, we speak with Nik Honeysett, CEO of the Balboa Park Online Collaborative in San Diego, who helps trace the story of ConstitutionDAO's bid for the Constitution. We explore key crypto concepts like blockchains and smart contracts, and how they might apply to the wider museum world – particularly around questions of provenance and institutional trust. Image: Nicolas Cage in 2004's National Treasure. Supporters of ConstitutionDAO drew parallels between his character's fictional theft of the Declaration of Independence and the DAO's real-life attempt to purchase the Constitution. Topics and Notes 00:00 Intro 00:15 Auction of the U.S. Constitution 00:43 Constitution DAO 01:36 The Role of Governance Tokens 02:02 Nik Honeysett 02:45 Balboa Park Online Collaborative 04:29 Museums and Crypto 05:24 Blockchain and Provenance 07:40 Smart Contracts and Museum Governance 09:56 The Outcome of the Auction 11:58 Museums as Trustworthy 14:00 Museum Archipelago Ep. 39. Hans Sloane And The Origins Of The British Museum With James Delbourgo 16:41 Conclusion and Future of Crypto in Museums 17:44 Outro | Join Club Archipelago 🏖 Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. <a href="ht
Mon, July 29, 2024
106. Last Call on 'The Streets of Old Milwaukee'
I remember visiting – and loving – The Streets of Old Milwaukee exhibit at the Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) as a child. Opened in 1965, it’s an immersive space with cobblestone streets and perfect lighting that evokes a fall evening in turn-of-the-20th-century Milwaukee. The visitor experience isn’t peering into a diorama, it’s moving through a diorama, complete with lifelike human figures. And I’m not the only one with fond memories. When the museum announced that the exhibit would not move over to the planned new museum down the street, the public reacted negatively. Dr. Ellen Censky, president and CEO of the MPM, describes the reasons why the museum can’t – and most interestingly shouldn’t – move The Streets of Old Milwaukee exhibit. It’s a story involving cherished memories, the distinction between collections and exhibits which isn’t always at the top of visitors’ minds, and public trust. In this episode, we explore why the Milwaukee Public Museum decided to move (it’s the fourth relocation in its history) and Milwaukee Revealed , the planned new immersive gallery that will be the spiritual successor to The Streets of Old Milwaukee , which will cover a much larger swath of the city’s history. Plus, we get into the meta question of whether museums are outside of the history they are tasked with preserving. Image: Bartender in Streets of Old Milwaukee at Milwaukee Public Museum. Photo by Flickr user JeffChristiansen Topics and Notes 00:00 Intro 00:15 The Streets of Old Milwaukee’s 2015 Renovation 01:17 The Streets of Old Milwaukee’s Visitor Experience 03:40 Dr. Ellen Censky, President and CEO of the Milwaukee Public Museum 04:10 The Decision to Move the Museum 04:45 AAM Accreditation 06:21 The Current Museum 07:42 Funding the New Museum 08:55 Milwaukee Revealed 11:14 Milwaukee WTMJ4 from January 11th, 2023 11:40 The distinction between collections and exhibits 12:45 “We owe future museum goers the opportunity to see something different” 13:44 Local Talk Radio Coverage 14:07 Museum Designers 15:29 Closing Thoughts and the “Next Best Thing” 17:00 Outro | Join Club Archipelago 🏖 Museum Archipe
Mon, April 15, 2024
105. Building a Better Visitor Experience with Open Source Software
While working at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History during the pandemic, Dr. Morgan Rehnberg recognized the institution's limited capacity to develop new digitals exhibits with the proprietary solutions that are common in big museums. This challenge led Rehnberg to start work on Exhibitera , a free, open-source suite of software tools tailored for museum exhibit control that took advantage of the touch screens and computers that the museum already had. Today, as Vice President of Exhibits and Experiences at the Adventure Science Center in Nashville, Rehnberg continues to refine and expand Exhibitera, which he previously called Constellation. The software is crafted to enable institutions to independently create, manage, and update their interactive exhibits, even between infrequent retrofits. The overarching goal is to make sure that smaller museum’s aren’t “left in the 20th century” or reliant on costly bespoke interactive software solutions. Exhibitera is used in Fort Worth and Nashville and available to download. In this episode, Rehnberg shares his journey of creating Exhibitera to tackle his own issues, only to discover its broader applicability to numerous museums. Image: Screenshot from a gallery control panel in Exhibitera Topics and Notes 00:00 Intro 00:15 Computer Interactives in Museums 01:00 Dr. Morgan Rehnberg 01:40 Rehnberg on Cassini 02:14 The Adventure Science Center in Nashville 03:30 A Summary of Computers in Museums 05:00 Solving Your Own Problems 06:30 Exhibitera 07:45 “A classroom teacher should be able to create a museum exhibit” 08:30 Built-In Multi-Language Support 09:30 Open Source Exhibit Management 10:30 Why Open Source? 12:30 Go Try Exhibitera for Your Museum 13:20 Outro | Join Club Archipelago 🏖 Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , <a href="http
Mon, February 26, 2024
104. What Large Institutions Can Learn From Small Museums
The Murney Tower Museum in Kingston, Ontario, Canada is a small museum. Open for only four months of the year and featuring only one full-time staff member, the museum is representative of the many small institutions that make up the majority of museums. With only a fraction of the resources of large institutions, this long tail distribution of small museums offers the full range of museum services: collection management, public programs, and curated exhibits. Dr. Simge Erdogan-O'Connor has dedicated her studies to understanding the unique dynamics and challenges faced by small museums, and is also the Murney Tower Museum’s sole full-time employee. In this episode, Dr. Erdogan-O'Connor describes the operation of The Murney Tower Museum, discusses the economic models of small museums, and muses on what small museums can teach larger ones. Image: Murney Tower Museum Topics and Notes 00:00 Intro 00:15 Understanding the Landscape of Small Museums 02:38 Dr. Simge Erdogan-O'Connor 03:00 Murney Tower Museum 08:29 Overcoming Challenges with Digital Solutions 09:46 What Big Institutions Can Learn from Small Museums 09:54 The Power of Local Connections in Small Museums 13:20 Outro | Join Club Archipelago 🏖 Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. Support Museum Archipelago🏖️ Club Archipelago offers exclusive access to Museum Archipelago extras. It’s also a great way to support the show directly. Join the Club for just $2/month. Your Club Archipelago membership includes: Access to a private podcast that guides you further behind the scenes of museums. Hear interviews, observations, and reviews that don’t make it into the main show; Archipelago at the Movies 🎟
Mon, November 13, 2023
103. How Computers Transformed Museums and Created A New Type of Professional
Computing work keeps museums running, but it’s largely invisible. That is, unless something goes wrong. For Dr. Paul Marty , Professor in the School of Information at Florida State University and his colleague Kathy Jones , Program Director of the Museum Studies Program at the Harvard Extension School, shining a light on the behind-the-scenes activities of museum technology workers was one of the main reasons to start the Oral Histories of Museum Computing project . The first museum technology conference was hosted in 1968 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This prescient event, titled “Conference on Computers and their Potential Application in Museums” was mostly focused on the cutting edge: better inventory management systems using computers instead of paper methods. However, it also foresaw the transformative impact of computers on museums—from digital artifacts to creating interactive exhibits to expanding audience reach beyond physical boundaries. Most of all, speakers understood that museum technologists would need to “join forces” with each other to learn and experiment better ways to use computers in museum settings. The Oral Histories of Museum Computing project collects the stories of what happened since that first museum technology conference, identifying the key historical themes, trends, and people behind the machines behind the museums. In this episode, Paul Marty and Kathy Jones describe their experience as museum technology professionals, the importance of conferences like the Museum Computer Network , and the benefits of compiling and sharing these oral histories. Topics and Notes 00:00 Intro 00:15 A Conference on Computers and their Potential Application in Museums 00:43 Thomas P. F. Hoving Closing Statements 01:41 Paul Marty, Professor in the School of Information at Florida State University 02:11 Kathy Jones, Program Director of the Museum Studies Program at the Harvard Extension School 02:18 Museum Computing from There to Here 04:08 The First Steps of Museum Computing 04:52 Early Challenges in Museum Databases Like GRIPHOS 07:00 Changing Field, Changing Profession 08:48 <a href
Mon, July 31, 2023
102. Copies in Museums
On Berlin’s Museum Island , four stone lion statues perch in the Pergamon Museum . Three of these lions are originals — that is to say, lions carved from dolerite rock between the 10th and 8th centuries BCE in Samʼal (Zincirli) in southern Turkey. And one is a plaster copy made a little over 100 years ago. Pergamon Museum curator Pinar Durgun has heard a range of negative visitor reactions to this copy — from disappointment to feeling tricked — and engages visitors to think more deeply about copies. As an archeologist and art historian, Durgun is fascinated by the cultural attitude and history of copies: the stories they tell about their creators’ values, how they can be used to keep original objects in situ , and their role in repatriation or restitution cases. In this episode, Durgun describes the ways that museum visitors’ perception of authenticity has changed over time, how replicas jump-started museum collections in the late 19th-century, and some of the ethical implications of copies in museums. Image: Reconstructed Lion Sculpture Sam'al near modern Zincirli Höyük, Turkey 10th-8th century BCE by Mary Harrsch Topics and Notes 00:00 Intro 00:15 Sam’al/Zincirli Lions 01:09 Pinar Durgun 01:22 Museum Island 01:40 Find Divison 02:28 Gipsformerei 03:12 Replicas Jump-Started Museum Collections 04:35 Trending Away from Copies 05:27 When Visitors Feel Tricked 06:00 When Visitors Are Okay With Copies 07:28 Ancient Cultural Contexts About Copies 08:07 Hokusai’s Great Wave 08:35 “Immersive Experiences” Made Up of Digital Copies 09:08 Digital Copies 12:39 Museum Archipelago 97. Richard Nixon Hoped to Never Say These Words about Apollo 11. In A New Exhibit, He Does. 13:32 How Should Museums Present Copies in Their Collections? 14:36 Outr
Mon, January 23, 2023
101. Buzludzha Always Centered Visitor Experience. Dora Ivanova is Using Its Structure to Create a New One.
Since it opened in 1981 to celebrate the ruling Bulgarian Communist Party, Buzludzha has centered the visitor experience. Every detail and sightline of the enormous disk of concrete perched on a mountaintop in the middle of Bulgaria was designed to impress, to show how Bulgarian communism was the way of the future – a kind of alternate Tomorrowland in the Balkan mountains. Once inside, visitors were treated to an immersive light show, where the mosaics of Marx and Lenin and Bulgarian partisan battles were illuminated at dramatic moments during a pre-recorded narration. But after communism fell in 1989, Buzludzha was abandoned. It was exposed to the elements, whipped by strong winds and frozen temperatures, and raided for scrap. Buzludzha has been a ruin far longer than it was a functional building, and in recent years the building has been close to collapse. Preventing this was the initial goal of Bulgarian architect Dora Ivanova and the Buzludzha Project, which she founded in 2015. Since then, Ivanova and her team have been working to recruit international conservators, stabilize the building, and fundraise for its preservation. But Ivanova realized that protecting the building isn’t the end goal but just the first step of a much more interesting project – a space for Bulgaria to collectively reflect on its past and future, a space big enough for many experiences and many futures. In this episode, we journey to Buzludzha, where Ivanova gives us hard hats and takes us inside the building for the first time. We retrace the original visitor experience, dive deep into various visions for transforming Buzludzha into an immersive museum, and discuss how the building will be used as a storytelling platform. Image: Dora Ivanova by Nikolay Doychinov Topics and Notes 00:00 Intro 00:15 Buzludzha has always centered the visitor experience. 01:00 “A Tomorrowland in the Balkan mountains” 02:40 The Original Visitor Experience 03:02 Dora Ivanova 03:15 Museum Archipelago Episode 47 03:35 Entering the Building 04:25 How to Stabilize the Roof 05:58 New respect for the Buzludzha thieves 06:25 The Inner Mosaics 07:26 Narrated Light and Sound Show 08:25 Moving from Preservation to Interpretation 09:34 Ivanova’s New Motivation 10:20 Buzludzha as a Storytelling Platform 11:10 How Buzludzha Was Built 12:30 Acting before memory becomes history 13:00 Buzludzha’s fate as a binary<
Mon, November 28, 2022
100. The Archipelago Museum
In the early days of this podcast, every time I searched for Museum Archipelago on the internet, the top result would be a small museum in rural Finland called the Archipelago Museum. As my podcast continued to grow and my search rankings improved, I didn’t forget about the Archipelago Museum. Instead, I wondered what they were up to. What were the exhibits about? Did they ever come across my podcast? Were they annoyed by my similar name? And while the museum had a website and a map, there was no way to directly contact them. Years went by as the realization sank in—the only way to reach the museum was to physically show up at the museum. No planned appointment, no scheduled interview. So, for this very special 100th episode, I went to Finland and and visited the Rönnäs Archipelago Museum. Topics and Notes 00:00 Intro 00:15 Why is Ian in Finland? 00:45 Museum Archipelago's Early Days 01:30 Same Name 03:14 Arriving at the Archipelago Museum 04:05 Naomi Nordstedti 04:30 Life on the Archipelago 06:04 Opening the Museum 06:54 Boats 07:55 The Archipelago During Prohibition 08:28 Thoughts About 100 Episodes 10:40 Thanks For Listening 10:54 Outro | Join Club Archipelago 🏖 Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. Support Museum Archipelago🏖️ Club Archipelago offers exclusive access to Museum Archipelago extras. It’s also a great way to support the show directly. Join the Club for just $2/month. Your Club Archipelago membership includes: Access to a private podcast that guides you further behind the scenes of museums. Hear interviews, observations, and reviews that don’t make it into the main show; Archipelago at the Movies 🎟️ , a bonus bad-movie podcast exclusively featuring movies that take place at museums; Logo stickers , pins and other extras, mailed straight to your door; A warm feeling</stro
Mon, August 08, 2022
99. Museums in Video Games
The Computer Games Museum in Berlin knows that its visitors want to play games, so it lets them. The artifacts are fully-playable video games, from early arcade classics like PacMac to modern console and PC games, all with original hardware and controllers. By putting video games in a museum space, the Computer Games Museum invites visitors to become players. But, players can become visitors too. Video games have been inviting players into museum spaces for decades. In the mid 1990s, interaction designer Joe Kalicki remembers playing PacMan in another museum – only this one was inside a video game. In Namco Museum, players navigated a 3D museum space to access the games, elevating them to a high-culture setting. Since then, museums and their cultural shorthands have been a part of the video game landscape, implicitly inviting their players-turned-visitors to think critically about museums in the process. In this episode, Kalicki presents mainstream and indie examples of video games with museums inside them: from Animal Crossing’s village museum to Museum of Memories, which provides a virtual place for objects of sentimental value, to Occupy White Walls where players construct a museum, fill it with art – then invite others to come inside. Image: The Computer Games Museum in Berlin by Marcin Wichary (CC BY 2.0) Topics and Notes 00:00 Intro 00:15 Computerspielemuseum Berlin 01:23 Joe Kalicki 02:06 Namco Museum 03:42 Digital Museum Spaces Elevating Video Games 04:26 Museum of Memories by Kate Smith 05:25 Occupy White Walls 07:18 Discovery Tour for Assassin's Creed Origins 10:11 Animal Crossing 11:29 Video Game Engines In Museums 12:44 Joe Kalicki’s new podcast, Panoply 13:13 Museum Archipelago's 100th Episode Party 🎉 13:44 Outro | Join Club Archipelago 🏖 Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , <a h
Mon, February 14, 2022
98. At the Panama Canal Museum, Ana Elizabeth González Creates a Global Connection Point
When Ana Elizabeth González was growing up in Panama, the history she learned about the Panama Canal in school told a narrow story about the engineering feat of the Canal’s construction by the United States. This public history reflected the politics of Panama and control over the Canal. Today, González is executive Director of the Panama Canal Museum, and she’s determined to use the Canal and the struggles over its authority to tell a broader story about the history of Panama – one centered around Panama as a point of connection from pre-Colonial times to the present day. In this episode, González describes the geographic destiny of the Isthmus of Panama, how America’s ownership of the Canal physically divided the country, and how her team is developing galleries covering Panama’s recent history. Topics and Notes 00:00 Intro 00:15 The Panama Canal's Politically Sensitive History 01:20 Ana Elizabeth González, Executive Director of the Panama Canal Museum 01:35 Opening of the Panama Canal Museum in 1997 02:44 Making the Museum About Panama, Not Just The Canal 03:10 Geography is Destiny 03:30 The Isthmus of Panama as a Point of Connection 04:20 A Brief History 04:50 French Attempt at a Canal 05:10 Treaty of Hay–Bunau-Varilla 06:30 Construction of the Canal 07:00 "Gold Roll" and "Silver Roll" 08:00 Martyrs' Day 08:50 Work In Progress: Galleries of Panama's Recent History 09:10 Panama's Recent History, Briefly 11:10 The Museum's Future 11:15 Museum Archipelago's 100th Episode Party 🎉 12:20 Outro | Join Club Archipelago 🏖 Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. Support Museum Archipelago🏖️ Club Archipelago offers exclusive access to Museum Archipelago extras.
Mon, January 17, 2022
97. Richard Nixon Hoped to Never Say These Words about Apollo 11. In A New Exhibit, He Does.
As the Apollo 11 astronauts hurtled towards the moon on July 18th, 1969, members of the Nixon administration realized they should probably make a contingency plan. If the astronauts didn’t make it – or, even more horrible, if they made it to the moon and crashed and had no way to get back to earth – Richard Nixon would have to address the nation. That haunting speech was written but fortunately was never delivered. But you can go to the Museum of the Moving Image in New York City and watch Nixon somberly reciting those words. It looks like real historic footage, but it’s fake. Artists Francesca Panetta and Halsey Burgund used the text of the original address and media manipulation techniques like machine learning to create the synthetic Nixon for a film called In Event of Moon Disaster . It anchors an exhibit called Deepfake: Unstable Evidence on Screen . In this episode, Panetta and Burgund discuss how they created In Event of Moon Disaster as a way to highlight various misinformation techniques, the changing literacy of the general public towards media manipulation, and the effectiveness of misinformation in the museum medium. Topics and Notes 00:00 Intro 00:15 July 18th, 1969 00:40 The Safire Memo 01:38 Clip From In Event of Moon Disaster 02:30 Nixon’s Telephone Call 03:00 What is Deepfake? 03:30 Halsey Burgund 04:06 Francesca Panetta 04:30 How They Did It 04:50 Why This Speech? 06:02 Deepfake: Unstable Evidence on Screen at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York City 07:05 Misinformation By Editing 09:53 Misinformation and Medium 10:23 Museums as Trustworthy Institutions 11:27 What Would a “Deepfake Museum Gallery” Look Like? 13:43 In Event of Moon Disaster 14:00 Outro | Join Club Archipelago 🏖 Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts</a
Mon, November 15, 2021
96. Tegan Kehoe Explores American Healthcare Through 50 Museum Artifacts
Public historian and writer Tegan Kehoe knows that museum visitors act differently around the same object presented in different contexts—like how the same visitor excited by a bayonet that causes a triangular wound in an exhibit of 18th-century weapons could be disgusted by that same artifact when it’s presented in an exhibit of 18th-century medicine. Kehoe, who specialises in the history of healthcare and medical science, is attuned to how objects can inspire empathy, especially in the healthcare context. Kehoe’s new book, Exploring American Healthcare through 50 Historic Treasures, looks for opportunities for empathy in museum exhibits all around the U.S. Each of the 50 artifacts presented in the book becomes a physical lens through which to examine the complexities of American society’s relationship with health, from a 1889 bottle of “Hostetter’s Celebrated Stomach Bitters” that claimed to cure a host of ailments to activist Ed Roberts’s power wheelchair that he customized to work with his range of motion. In this episode, Kehoe describes how her work has helped her see tropes in the way museums tend to present medical topics and artifacts, how the aura of medical expertise is often culturally granted, and how living through the current coronavirus pandemic changed her relationship with many of the artifacts. Image: Ed Roberts's Wheelchair, National Museum of American History. Treasures of American History online exhibition. Topics and Notes 00:00 Intro 00:15 The Old State House “Weapons of the American Revolution” and “Medicine and the American Revolution” 01:35 Tegan Kehoe 02:00 Exploring American Healthcare Through 50 Historic Treasures 02:30 How Museums Tend to Present Medical History 05:40 Who Is “Worthy” of the Most Care? 08:02 Ed Roberts’s Power Wheelchair 10:06 Ambulance Damaged in the 9/11 Attacks 11:28 Lessons from the Latest Pandemic 13:41 Pre-Order Exploring American Healthcare Through 50 Historic Treasures 14:00 Outro | Join Club Archipelago 🏖 Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , <a
Tue, August 31, 2021
95. The Museum of Technology in Helsinki, Finland Knows Even the Most Futuristic Technology Will One Day Be History
In 1969, noticing that technological progress was changing their fields, heads of Finish industry came together to found a technology museum in Finland. Today, the Museum of Technology in Helsinki is the only general technological museum in the country. But of course, technical progress didn’t stop changing, as service coordinator Maddie Hentunen notes, and that can be challenging for a museum to keep up. In this episode, Hentunen describes the museum’s philosophical stance on technology, how the museum balances industrial development with more open source design practices, and how the museum thinks about its own obsolescence. Topics and Notes 00:00 Intro 00:15 1969 in Technology 00:49 Maddie Hentunen 01:02 The Museum of Technology in Helsinki, Finland 02:34 The Museum’s Building 03:51 Original Exhibits 04:50 Today’s Exhibits 07:07 The Museum’s Philosophical Stance on Technology 10:29 Outro | Join Club Archipelago 🏖 Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. Unlock Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. It offers exclusive access to Museum Archipelago extras. It’s also a great way to support the show directly. Join the Club for just $2/month. Your Club Archipelago membership includes: Access to a private podcast that guides you further behind the scenes of museums. Hear interviews, observations, and reviews that don’t make it into the main show; Archipelago at the Movies 🎟️ , a bonus bad-movie podcast exclusively featuring movies that take place at museums; Logo stickers , pins and other extras, mailed straight to your door; A warm feeling knowing you’re supporting the podcast. Transcript Below is a transcript of Museum Archipelago episode 95.
Mon, June 28, 2021
94. Jazz Dottin Guides Viewers Through Massachusetts’s Buried Black History
The deliberate exclusion of Black history and the history of slavery in the American South has been slow to reverse. But Jazz Dottin, creator and host of the Black Gems Unearthed YouTube channel says it can be just as slow in New England. Each video features Dottin somewhere in her home state of Massachusetts, often in front of a plaque or historical marker, presenting what’s missing, excluded, or downplayed. The history discussed on Black Gems Unearthed has been left out by conventional museums, which are among the most trustworthy institutions in modern American life, according to the American Alliance of Museums. This trust may have more to do with power than truth-telling — and today, there are many different ways to build trust with an audience online. Shows like Dottin’s might point to where our new relationship with the authoritative voice is heading. In this episode, Dottin describes how working as tour guide and creating travel itineraries influences her work today, how she came up with the idea for Black Gems Unearthed, and what the future holds. Image: Jazz Dottin in front of Emancipation in Boston, Mass. Topics and Notes 00:00 Intro 00:15 “Always Read The Plaque” 00:45 Jazz Dottin 01:00 Black Gems Unearthed 01:20 Hopkinton, Massachusetts 02:00 Exploring Black lives in MetroWest, MA in the 1700s - Black Gems Unearthed 02:26 Museum Archipelago 42. Freddi Williams Evans and Luther Gray Are Erecting Historic Markers on the Slave Trade in New Orleans 02:55 The Legacy of Slavery in New England 03:50 Working as a Tour Guide 05:35 The Idea for Black Gems Unearthed 08:21 Museums and Trustworthiness 09:36 Where The Name Comes From 10:10 Outro | Join Club Archipelago 🏖 11:39 What’s It Like Giving A Tour on A Segway? Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. <a href="https://www.patreon.com/museumarc
Mon, June 07, 2021
93. Bulgaria’s Narrow Gauge Railway Winds Through History. Ivan Pulevski Helped Turn One of Its Station Stops Into a Museum.
In 1916, concerned that the remote Rhodope mountains would be hard to defend against foreign invaders, a young Bulgarian Kingdom decided to build a narrow gauge railway to connect villages and towns to the rest of the country. The Bulgarian King himself, Tsar Boris III, drove the first locomotive to the town of Belitsa to celebrate its opening. But the Septemvri - Dobrinishte Narrow Gauge Railway would far outlast the King and the Kingdom, the communist era that followed, and the rocky post-communst period. Today, the railway is still a fixture of life in the region as a vital link to remote villages with no road access. But decades of neglect have left many stations crumbling. Train enthusiast Ivan Pulevski, a member of the organization “For The Narrow Gauge Railway,” helped found the House-Museum of the Narrow Gauge Railway in one of these abandoned stations. A sign on the building says the museum was built “for people, by people.” In this episode, Pulevski describes the decision to build the museum using only volunteers, how to interpret multiple eras of Bulgarian history through the lens of a railway, and why they have had no plans to seek official museum accreditation in Bulgaria. Topics and Notes 00:00 Intro 00:15 Winding Through History 00:50 Septemvri–Dobrinishte narrow-gauge line 01:10 Ivan Pulevski 01:33 Stoyan Mitov and the Engineering of the Railway 03:20 Tsar Boris III 03:50 The House-Museum of the Narrow Gauge Railway 04:40 No Electricity and No Water Supply 05:30 After The Collapse of the Communist Era 05:55 Organization "For The Narrow Gauge Railway" 06:32 Restoring the Building / Making the Museum 08:30 Bulgarian Museum Regulations 10:10 Outro | Join Club Archipelago 🏖 Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. Unlock Club Archipelago 🏖️ <div class
Mon, May 03, 2021
92. The Pleven Panorama Museum Transports Visitors Through Time, But Not Space
The Pleven Panorama transports visitors through time, but not space. The huge, hand-painted panorama features the decisive battles of the Russian-Turkish War of 1877–78, fought at this exact spot, which led to Bulgaria’s Liberation. The landscape of Pleven, Bulgaria depicted is exactly what you see outside the building, making it seem like you’re witnessing the battle on an observation point. Bogomil Stoev is a historian at the Pleven Panorama, which opened in 1977. The opening was timed to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Ottoman Empire’s surrender following the battles and the siege of Pleven. The building itself is etched with the story of the siege and the battles, and because the landscape is filled with the remains of the combattants, this was the only structure allowed to be built on the spot. In this episode, Stoev describes how the creators of the Pleven Panorama learned from previous panoramas, how the museum contextualizes the history of Bulgaria’s Liberation, and how this museum has become a symbol of the city of Pleven. Topics and Notes 00:00 Intro 00:15 Skobelev Park and the Remains of the Dead 01:06 Bogomil Stoev, Historian at the Pleven Panorama 01:36 Our Story Begins in the 14th Century 01:58 April Uprising 02:40 The Start of the Russian-Turkish War of 1877–78 03:10 The Pleven Panorama 05:16 General Skobelev 06:00 General Totleben 06:10 The Siege of Pleven 07:00 December 10th, 1977 07:40 Episodes 47 and 54 of Museum Archipelago 08:07 Building the Museum 08:46 A Brief History of Panoramas 10:15 Pleven’s Enduring Symbol 11:20 Outro | Join Club Archipelago 🏖 Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/5ImpDQJqEypxGNsl
Mon, April 19, 2021
91. How Fake Museums Are Used in Theme Parks with Shaelyn Amaio
Museums can be a shorthand for truth, or for history, or for what a culture values. Disney theme parks all around the world use fake museums as a tool to immerse visitors in the themed environment. This detailed world-building can make the imaginary universe more real—or provide a setup to subvert a narrative. But these fake museums aren’t the only ways the Disney theme parks present history to visitors. Public experience advocate Shaelyn Amaio describes how the parks “traffic in the past.” By removing references to the present or a future with consequences, parks like Disneyland free the visitor from responsibility for what happened in history. Since the opening of Disneyland in 1955, there have been several iterations of Disney theme parks, each reflecting the way we think about knowledge and history in the times they were built. In this episode, Amaio describes examples of fake museums in Disney theme parks, details how corporate-sponsored edutainment can reflect the public's anxiety, and explains why EPCOT has the most museum-like spaces at Disney theme parks. Topics and Notes 00:00 Intro 00:15 The Yeti Museum 01:30 Shaelyn Amaio 02:03 Amaio’s First Visit to Disney World 03:30 Yesterday, Tomorrow and Fantasy: History and Innocence in the Magic Kingdom 05:50 EPCOT and World’s Fairs 08:01 17. Entertainment and History at Disney’s America 09:12 Dinosaur at Disney’s Animal Kingdom 10:20 Layering in Theme Park Design 11:00 Overlap Between Museums and Theme Parks 11:55 Outro | Join Club Archipelago 🏖️ Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. Unlock Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. It offers exclusive access to Museum Archipelago extras. It’s also a great way to support the show directly. Join th
Mon, March 15, 2021
90. Civil Rights Progress Isn't Linear. The Grove Museum Interprets Tallahassee's Struggle in an Unexpected Setting.
The Grove Museum inside the historic Call/Collins House is one of Tallahassee’s newest museums, and it’s changing how the city interprets its own history. Instead of focusing on the mansion house’s famous owners, including Florida Governor LeRoy Collins, Executive Director John Grandage oriented the museum around civil rights. Cleverly tracing how Collins’s thinking on race relations evolved, the museum uses the house and the land it sits on to tell the story of the forced removal of indigenous people from the area, the enslaved craftspeople who built the house, and the Tallahassee Bus Boycott. Grandage says the museum’s interpretive plan and focus on civil rights wouldn't have been possible without the work of Black Tallahassee institutions like John G. Riley House Museum created by Althemese Barnes or the Southeastern Regional Black Archives built from FAMU Professor James Eaton’s collection. In this episode recorded at the museum, Grandage describes how historic preservation has always been about what the dominant culture finds worth persevering, the museum’s genealogical role, and the white backlash to Collins’s moderate positions on civil rights. Topics and Notes 00:00 Intro 00:15 Ian at the 1992 Springtime Tallahassee Parade 00:55 White Supremacy in Tallahassee 01:20 Smokey Hollow 01:40 John Grandage 02:35 The Grove Museum 03:05 Developing the Interpretive Plan with a Focus on Slavery and Civil Rights 03:30 Governorship of LeRoy Collins 04:36 Tallahassee Bus Boycott 06:08 Presenting the Narrative through Collins 06:50 White Backlash to Collins’s Moderate Position on Civil Rights 08:15 The Construction of the House by Enslaved Craftspeople 09:45 The Genealogical Role of the Museum 10:50 Forced Removal of Indigenous People in Tallahassee 12:25 How Tallahassee Interprets Its History 13:00 The John G. Riley House 13:10 The Meek-Eaton Black Archives 14:08 Outro | Join Club Archipelago 🏖️ Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via <a href="htt
Mon, February 22, 2021
89. Tehmina Goskar Critically Engages with Curation, Wherever It Happens
Dr. Tehmina Goskar, director of the Curatorial Research Centre, co-founded MuseumHour with Sophie Ballinger in October 2014. The weekly peer-to-peer chat on Twitter “holds space for debate” for museum people all around the world. This month, Goskar officially steps back from her role at MuseumHour. This episode serves as both an “exit interview” for Goskar’s MusuemHour work and a chance to highlight other projects that she has founded based on her curatorial philosophy. In this episode, Goskar discusses founding the Curatorial Research Centre, democratizing culture through her Citizen Curators program (in association with the Cornwall Museums Partnership), and how over six years of MuseumHour conversations have shaped her work. Topics and Notes 00:00 Intro 00:15 MuseumHour at 6.5 Years Old 00:50 Tehmina Goskar 01:20 MuseumHour's Founding 03:00 Mediums and Platforms 04:35 Museum Conferences 05:30 What is Curation? 07:15 "To Care For" 07:30 The Curatorial Research Centre 09:20 Citizen Curators 12:38 Archipelago at the Movies: How to Steal A Million (1966) 14:05 Outro | Join Club Archipelago 🏖️ Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. Unlock Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. It offers exclusive access to Museum Archipelago extras. It’s also a great way to support the show directly. Join the Club for just $2/month. Your Club Archipelago membership includes: Access to a private podcast that guides you further behind the scenes of museums.
Mon, January 25, 2021
88. Jérôme Blachon Collects and Transmits Precious Memories at the Museum of Resistance and Deportation in Haute-Garonne, France
During World War II, a Nazi collbatoring regime governed the south of France, and the city of Toulouse was a Resistance hub. The Vichy Government promoted anti-Semitism and collaborated with the Nazis, most specifically by deporting Jews to concentration and extermination camps. Fragmented Resistance fighters organized to form escape networks and build logistics chains to sabotage and disrupt the regime. In 1977, former Resistance members created a community museum in Toulouse about their experience. Today, that museum is called the Museum of Resistance and Deportation in Haute-Garonne, France, and is run by the regional government. Museum director Jérôme Blachon is reimagining how the museum tells the story of the French Resistance as the people who experienced firsthand pass away. In this episode, Blachon describes the challenge of presenting the fragmented nature of the resistance to a modern audience, the 2020 renovation of the museum, and his focus on transmitting precious memories. Topics and Notes 00:00 Intro 00:15 Memorials in Toulouse 01:00 Toulouse During World War II 01:32 Jérôme Blachon, Director of the Museum of Resistance and Deportation in Haute-Garonne, France 02:20 "Engage, Collect, Transmit" 02:50 France During Nazi Germany's Administration 03:38 Museum Archipelago Ep. 51 04:08 Presenting the Difference Forms of Resistance in the Museum 05:25 2020 Renovation 05:35 The Disappearance of the Last Witnesses 06:26 The Museum as Transmission 06:45 Outro | Join Club Archipelago 🏖️ Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never mis
Mon, November 16, 2020
87. The Vitosha Bear Museum Lives in a Tiny Mountain Hut
Vitosha Mountain, the southern border of Sofia, Bulgaria, is home to about 15 brown bears and one bear museum. According to Dr. Nikola Doykin, fauna expert at the Vitosha Nature Park Directorate, the bear population is stable—if humans stay away and protect their habitat. To Doykin and his team, teaching children about the bears is the best way forward, and the Vitosha Bear Museum does just that. Founded in 2002 by repurposing an abandoned mountain shelter for the Vitosha mountain rangers, the Vitosha Bear Museum provides “useful tips on how to meet a bear.” It’s also sparse: the entire gallery is a single room, and the gallery lighting is powered by a car battery. In this episode recorded at the museum, Dr. Nikola Doykin describes why the location is so useful for eco education, how groups of schoolchildren react to exhibits, and what the museum plans to do when it installs solar panels. Topics and Notes 00:00 Intro 00:15 Vitosha mountain 00:50 The Viosha Bear Museum 01:05 Dr. Nikola Doykin 02:10 The Location of the Museum 04:00 "Useful Tips On How To Meet A Bear" 04:35 Bear Markings in the Museum 06:40 Ep. 6 Muzeiko 06:50 Ep. 46 Vessela Gercheva Directs Playful Exhibits at Bulgaria’s First Children’s Museum 08:30 Outro | Join Club Archipelago 🏖️ Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. <a hr
Mon, September 21, 2020
86. Nashid Madyun Fights the Compression of Black History at the Meek-Eaton Black Archives
History professor Dr. James Eaton taught his students with the mantra: “African American History is the History of America.” As chair of the history department at FAMU, a historically Black University in Tallahassee, Florida, he was used to teaching students how to use interlibrary loan systems and how to access rare book collections for their research. But in the early 1970s, as his students' research questions got more in depth and dove deeper into Black history, he realized that there simply weren't enough documents. So he started collecting himself, driving a bus around South Georgia, South Alabama, and North Florida to gather artifacts. That collection grew to become the Meek-Eaton Southeastern Regional Black Archives Research Center and Museum on FAMU’s campus. Today, museum director Dr. Nashid Madyun presides over one of the largest repositories of African American history and culture in the Southeast. In this episode, Madyun describes how the structure of the gallery fights the compression of Black history, how the archive handles dehumanizing records and artifacts, and how a smaller museum can tell a major story. Topics and Links 00:00 Intro 00:15 Dr. James Eaton 00:50 Starting The Collection 01:35 Dr. Nashid Madyun 02:44 Carnegie Library 03:20 13 Galleries at the Meek-Eaton Black Archives 04:56 The Compression of African American History 05:20 Jim Crow and the KKK Exhibit 06:02 Presenting Derogatory Material at the Museum 07:00 How a Smaller Museum Can Tell a Major Story 08:20 Manumission Exhibit and Reading Cursive Handwriting 09:24 No Visitors During the Pandemic 10:40 Museum Archipelago Episode 85 11:00 The First Steps to Telling Hidden Stories 11:50 SPONSOR: SuperHelpful 12:45 Outro | Join Club Archipelago Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss
Mon, August 31, 2020
85. The John G. Riley House is All That Remains of Smokey Hollow. Althemese Barnes Turned It Into a Museum on Tallahassee’s Black History
During the period of Jim Crow and the Black Codes, a self-sustaining Black enclave called Smokey Hollow developed near downtown Tallahassee, Florida. As the first Black principal of Lincoln High School, John G. Riley was a critical part of the neighborhood. In 1890, he built a two-story house for his family—only about three blocks from where he was born enslaved. In the 1960s, the city of Tallahassee seized and destroyed the neighborhood as part of an urban renewal project through eminent domain. Riley's house was all that remained, thanks to activists who fought its demolition. Althemese Barnes was determined to not let the history fade: as founding director of John G. Riley Research Center and Museum, she transformed the building into a place where people can learn about Smokey Hollow. In this episode, Barnes talks about creating a museum to connect with young visitors, the process of becoming familiar with Florida's museum organizations which are often resistant to interpreting Black history, and the long process of building a commemoration to Smokey Hollow in Tallahassee’s urban landscape. Topics and Notes 00:00 Intro 00:15 John Gilmore Riley 00:50 Althemese Barnes, Founding Director of the John G. Riley House and Museum 01:15 Tallahassee in 1857 02:45 Why The Name Smokey Hollow? 04:00 The John Gilmore Riley House 05:00 Jim Crow and the Black Codes 05:40 Growing Up in Tallahassee 06:00 The Destruction of Smokey Hollow Through Eminent Domain 07:26 Barnes Steps Forward to Found the Museum 08:10 Interpreting Black History at the Museum 09:10 Dred Scott v. Sandford 09:25 Brown v. Board of Education 10:00 The Development of Cascades Park 11:40 Smokey Hollow Commemoration 12:15 Florida African American Heritage Preservation Network (FAAHPN) 12:30 Barnes Becoming Familiar with the Museum World 12:45 Resistance to Teaching History 13:4
Mon, August 10, 2020
84. On Richmond’s Transformed Monument Avenue, A Group of Historians Erect Rogue Historical Markers
Near the empty pedestals of Confederate figures that used to tower over Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia, a new type of historical marker now stands. The markers have most of the trappings of a state-erected historical plaque—but these are rogue markers erected by a group of anonymous historians called History is Illuminating. History is Illuminating decided to use historical markers as a medium to talk about the Black history taking place while those statues were erected as monuments to white supremacy. In this episode, an anonymous member of History is Illuminating discusses the ubiquity of the Lost Cause narrative, the reasons for being anonymous and going rogue, and the means of historical marker production. Topics and Notes 00:00 Intro 00:15 Historical Markers in the U.S. South 01:00 History is Illuminating 01:20 Rogue Historians 02:10 Lost Cause Narrative 03:13 Monument Avenue 05:15 The Origins of History is Illuminating 06:10 Studio Two Three 06:20 Naming History is Illuminating 08:10 Constructing the Historical Markers 08:30 Episode 42. Freddi Williams Evans and Luther Gray Are Erecting Historic Markers on the Slave Trade in New Orleans 09:05 The Markers 09:45 John Mitchell Jr. 10:30 Going Rogue 11:00 Means of Historical Marker Production 12:35 Learn More and Donate to History is Illuminating 13:05 SPONSOR: Pigeon by SRISYS 🐦 13:52 Outro | Join Club Archipelago 🏖 Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. Sponsor: Pigeon by SRISYS 🐦 This episode of Museum Archi
Mon, July 06, 2020
83. Chris Newell Forges The Snowshoe Path as the First Wabanaki Leader of the Abbe Museum
Chris Newell remembers the almost giddy level of excitement he felt when he visited the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor, Maine as a kid. Every summer, the family drove for more than two hours for his father to perform songs about their Passamaquoddy language at the Native Market and the Native American Festival hosted by the museum. But even as a young person, Newell could clearly see the difference between the the Native Market and the Festival, which were run by members of the Wabanaki Nations, and the Museum itself, which was not. Today, Chris Newell, a Passamaquoddy citizen, is the first member of the Wabanaki Nations to lead the Abbe Museum. When he took on the role, the museum changed his title to Executive Director and Senior Partner to Wabanaki Nations, one of many steps toward decolonizing the museum and shifting power. In this episode, Newell describes how to spot a colonial museum, how museums’ default colonial mindset—including when it comes to maps and language—harms everyone, and his plan for his tenure. Image: Beadwork by Kristen Newell (Mashantucket Pequot). Wabanaki double-curve motif with dawn time as the background. Topics and Notes 00:00 Intro 00:15 Visiting the Abbe Museum 01:40 Chris Newell, Executive Director and Senior Partner to the Wabanaki Nations 02:05 Akomawt Educational Initiative 02:29 Museum Archipelago Ep. 68 with endawnis Spears 02:46 What is a Colonial Museum? 04:30 The Abbe Museum’s Decolonization Process 05:45 The Wabanaki Nations 06:31 What It Means to be Senior Partner to the Wabanaki Nations 08:07 Museums’ Default Colonial Mindset 09:06 How Do You Know If You’re Visiting a Colonial Museum? 09:30 Maps in the Abbe Museum 10:39 The Use of Language in the Abbe Museum 12:05 “There’s No Book” 13:24 SPONSOR: A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green, Available Wherever Books Are Sold 14:27 Outro | Join Club Archipelago Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , <a href="https:/
Mon, June 15, 2020
82. Statues and Museums
In the wake of the racist murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Black Lives Matter protesters in Bristol tore down a statue of Edward Colston, a prominent 17th Century slave trader. Protesters rolled the statue through the street and pushed it into Bristol Harbor — the same harbor where Colston’s Royal African Company ships that forcibly carried 80,000 people from Africa to the Americas used to dock. In this episode, we examine the relationship of statues and museums. Why do so many call for statues of people like Colston to end up in a museum instead of at the bottom of a harbor? Looking at examples from Dr. Lyra Montero’s Washington's Next! project in the United States, American Hall of Honor museums for college football teams, and statues of Lenin and Stalin in Eastern Europe, we discuss the town-square-to-museum pipeline for statues. Image: CC Keir Gravil - Black Lives Matter Protest, Bristol, UK Topics and Notes 00:00 Intro 00:15 Tim Tebow Statue at the University of Florida 00:50 Football Hall of Honor Museums 02:02 Tearing Down Edward Colston’s Statue in Bristol 02:44 Dr. Lyra Monteiro 03:00 Episode 77. Washington's Next! 03:12 The “Slippery Slope” Argument 04:56 Dr. Sadiah Qureshi 05:33 Should Colston’s Statue End Up in a Museum? 05:58 Episode 5. Stalinworld 06:42 Grūtas Park 07:32 Episode 25. Museum of Socialist Art 08:20 Museums of Bristol Website 08:40 Number of Confederate Statues in the United States 09:55 <a href="https://www.patreon
Mon, June 01, 2020
81. Living History in a Pandemic at Old Sturbridge Village
Old Sturbridge Village is a living history museum in Massachusetts depicting life in rural New England during the early 19th century. But the early 19th century isn’t specific enough for the site’s historical interpreters—to immerse visitors in the world they’re recreating, knowing exactly what year it “is” matters. Tom Kelleher, Historian and Curator of Mechanical Arts at Old Sturbridge Village was tasked with choosing that “default” date. He chose 1838 in part because the social and political change of that time period would resonate with today’s visitors. But there’s another aspect of the year that will resonate with visitors today once the museum reopens after closing due to Covid-19: how people in New England responded to the Cholera Pandemic of the 1830s. In this episode, Kelleher describes the difference between first and third person interpretation, and how visitors might react to seeing 19th century costumed interpreters with modern facemasks. Topics and Notes 00:00 Intro 00:15 What does the word interpreter mean? 00:56 Tom Kelleher, Historian and Curator of Mechanical Arts at Old Sturbridge Village 01:34 Old Sturbridge Village 02:30 First-Person Interpretation 03:30 Third-Person Interpretation 05:35 “Who’s the president?” 06:50 Picking a default year 07:40 How people in New England responded to the Cholera Pandemic of the 1830s 09:30 Living History Museums Interpreting Pandemics 10:00 Interpreters in facemasks 10:44 Archipelago at the Movies 🍿 11:56 Outro Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. Unlock Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. It offers exclusive access to Museum Archipelago extras. It’s also a great way to support the show directly. <a href="https://ww
Mon, May 04, 2020
80. British Museum Curator Sushma Jansari Shares Stories and Experiments of Decolonising Museums
The British Museum’s South Asia Collection is full of Indian objects. Dr. Sushma Jansari, Tabor Foundation Curator of South Asia at the British Museum, does not want visitors to overlook the violence of how these objects were brought to the UK to be held in a museum. So for the 2017 renovation of the South Asia Collection, Jansari, who is the first curator of Indian descent of this collection, made sure to create unexpected moments in the gallery. She highlighted artifacts bequeathed to the museum by South Asian collectors and presented photographs of a modern Jain Temple in Leicester, where she’s from. In this episode, Jansari talks about giving visitors the tools to think about the colonial interest in items in the collection, why she started her excellent podcast, The Wonder House, and how not to let the decolonization movement’s momentum evaporate. Topics and Links 00:00 Intro 00:15 Seleucid–Mauryan war 00:45 Megasthenes 01:30 Dr. Sushma Jansari, Tabor Foundation Curator of South Asia at the British Museum 02:00 How Events Are Transformed Through History 03:00 Decolonising Museums and Collections 04:21 39. Hans Sloane and the Origins of the British Museum With James Delbourgo 04:50 Empire and Daily Life in the U.K. 05:46 Being the First South Asian Curator of the South Asia Collection 06:30 Working on the 2017 Renovation of the British Museum’s South Asia Collection 08:00 Creating Unexpected Moments in the Gallery 08:15 Mathura lion capital 09:30 Visitation Trends Since the Update 10:58 “Not Just One or Two Tweaks” 11:10 Why Jansari Started The Wonder House Podcast 12:10 “Every Movement Has Its Moment” 12:30 Subscribe to The Wonder House Podcast Apple Podcasts 13:30 SPONSOR: Pigeon by SRISYS 14:28 Outro | Join Club Archipelago 🏖️ Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/museum-archipelago/i
Mon, April 20, 2020
79. The Future of Hands-On Museum Exhibits with Paul Orselli
The modern museum invites you to touch. Or it would, if it wasn’t closed due to the Covid-19 outbreak. The screens inside the Fossil Hall at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC say “touch to begin” to an empty room. The normally cacophonous hands-on exhibits at the Exploratorium in San Francisco sit eerily silent. Museum exhibit developer Paul Orselli of Paul Orselli Workshop says he’ll be reluctant to use hands-on exhibits once museums open up again. But he hopes that future hands-on exhibits are more meaningful because museums will work harder to justify them. In this episode, Orselli predicts what hands-on exhibits could become, the possibility that the crisis will encourage museums to adhere to universal design principles instead of defaulting to touchscreens, and how Covid-19 might finally put an end to hands-on mini grocery store exhibits in children's museums. Topics and Links 00:00 Intro 00:15 Hands-On Exhibits in Museums 01:00 Michael Spock 02:04 Paul Orselli 02:40 The Growth of Hands-On Exhibits 03:30 “The last thing I want to do is rush into a super-crowded museum” 04:40 “Empty Interaction” 06:50 27. Yo, Museum Professionals 07:30 The Future of Touchscreens 09:14 Universal Design Principles 10:20 The End of Mini-Grocery Store Exhibits 11:00 “Constraints Are A Good Thing For Creativity” 11:40 Archipelago at the Movies : National Treasure is Now Free for Everyone 12:15 SPONSOR: Pigeon by SRISYS 13:10 Outro | Join Club Archipelago Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. Sponsor: Pigeon by SRISYS 🐦 This episode of Museum Archipelago is brought to you by SRISYS Inc - an innovative IT Apps Development Co
Mon, March 30, 2020
78. How Museums Present Public Health with Raven Forest Fruscalzo
Museums across the globe are now closed because of Covid-19. Some of those shuttered galleries presented the science behind outbreaks like the one we’re living through. As Raven Forrest Fruscalzo, Content Developer at the Field Museum in Chicago and host of the Tiny Vampires Podcast points out, the fact that museums are closed is an important statement: they trust the scientific information. In this episode, Forrest Fruscalzo discusses the people that make up public health, how museums can be a trusted source of public health information, and examples of museum galleries that incorporate public health. Topics and Links 00:00 Intro 00:15 Outbreak: Epidemics in a Connected World at the National Museum of Natural History 01:06 Raven Forest Fruscalzo 01:45 Public Health 02:08 Information Deficit Hypothesis 03:29 Museums and Trust 06:10 Museums That Present Public Health Topics 06:38 The Ancient Americas | Field Museum 07:04 Northwest African American Museum 07:40 Visitor Experience at Outbreak 08:40 Museum Closings Because of COVID-19 10:10 Tiny Vampires Podcast 11:00 SPONSOR: Pigeon 12:30 Outro | Join Club Archipelago Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. Sponsor: Pigeon by SRISYS 🐦 This episode of Museum Archipelago is brought to you by SRISYS Inc - an innovative IT Apps Development Company with its Smart Products like Project Eagle - an agile messaging platform and PIGEON - a real-time, intelligent platform that uncovers the power of wayfi
Mon, March 16, 2020
77. Trump Asks, “Who's Next?” Lyra Monteiro Answers, Washington’s Next!
The statue of George Washington in New York City's Union Square commemorates him on a particular day—November 25th, 1783—the date when the defeated British Army left Manhattan after the American Revolutionary War. The statue celebrates the idea that Washington brought freedom to the country, but professor of history at Rutgers University-Newark Dr. Lyra D. Monteiro researched how many people of African descent that Washington was enslaving on that same date: 271. Representing these people formed the heart of Washington's Next! , a participatory commemorative experience focused around that statue. In this episode, Monteiro describes how a tweet from President Trump was the inspiration for the name, how passersby reacted to the project, and the subtle ways that public monuments have power. Topics and Links 00:00 Intro 00:15 George Washington in Union Square 00:30 Evacuation Day 01:50 Dr. Lyra D. Monteiro 02:35 Trump’s Tweet 03:30 The Slippery Slope Argument 05:30 George Washington Viewed As Beyond Reproach 07:26 Washington's Next! 09:10 Making Something the Public Wants to Engage With 11:05 How Public Monuments Have Power 12:50 Museums on Site 13:20 Episode 25. The Museum of Socialist Art in Sofia, Bulgaria is Figuring Out What to Do With All the Lenins 13:40 Outro / Join Club Archipelago Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. Unlock Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipela
Mon, March 02, 2020
76. 400 Years Post-Mayflower, the Provincetown Museum Rethinks Its Historical Branding
Sometimes, a historical event is all about the branding. And the brand of Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts as the spot where the Mayflower pilgrims first disembarked 400 years ago this year is pretty strong. The branding is strong enough to override the fact that the Mayflower actually first landed on the other side of Cape Cod, in what is now Provincetown. The Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum commemorates that site. And even within a museum that’s trying to correct an inaccuracy, it has its own to grapple with: the museum used to portray the meetings between the members of the Wampanoag Nation and the Mayflower pilgrims with dehumanizing murals. In this episode, Courtney Hurst, board president of the Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum, describes how the museum is working to correct these inaccuracies by working closely with the Wampanoag Nation. And as the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower arrival approaches, the museum is in the middle of yet another rebrand. Just as the word pilgrim was reframed by Mayflower passenger William Bradford as a way to tie his journey to stories in the Christian Bible, the museum is reframing the word pilgrim to include recent Provincetown history. This episode was recorded at the Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum on February 22, 2020. Topics and Links 00:00 Intro 00:15 Plymouth Rock and Historical Branding 02:00 Courtney Hurst 02:20 Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum 03:55 Portrayal of the Wampanoag Nation 04:30 Our Story 05:20 Corn Hill 06:00 Provincetown 400 07:00 Reframing The Word Pilgrim 09:30 Spiritus Pizza Riot of 1990 10:17 Historical Brands are Powerful 11:30 Archipelago At the Movies 🎟️ 12:20 Outro/Join Club Archipelago Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. <a href="https://www.patreon.com/museumarchip
Mon, February 17, 2020
75. Museduino: Using Open Source Hardware to Power Museum Exhibits
Proprietary technology that runs museum interactives—everything from buttons to proximity sensors—tends to be expensive to purchase and maintain. But Rianne Trujillo , lead developer of the Cultural Technology Development Lab at New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU), realized that one way museums can avoid expensive, proprietary solutions to their technology needs is by choosing open source alternatives. She is part of the team behind Museduino , an open-source system for exhibits and installations. On this episode, Rianne Trujillo and fellow NMHU instructor of Software Systems Design Jonathan Lee describe the huge potential to applying the open source model to museum hardware. Topics and Links 00:00 Intro 00:15 Proprietary Technology in Museums 01:04 Rianne Trujillo 01:24 The Cultural Technology Development Lab 02:04 Museduino 02:35 Jonathan Lee 02:50 Open Source Software and Hardware 04:09 Arduino 06:35 Hardware Lock-In 07:02 Where Museduino is Already Installed 07:24 Museduino Workshops 08:55 Archipelago At the Movies 🎟️: Lisa the Iconoclast 09:44 Outro/Join Club Archipelago Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. Unlock Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. It offers exclusive access to Museum Archipelago extras. It’s also a great way to support the show directly. Join the Club for just
Mon, January 13, 2020
74. 'Houston, We Have A Restoration' with Sandra Tetley
Every time an Apollo astronaut said the word Houston, they were referring not just to a city, but a specific room in that city: Mission Control. In that room on July 20, 1969, NASA engineers answered radio calls from the surface of the moon. Sitting in front of rows of green consoles, cigarettes in hand, they guided humans safely back to earth, channeling the efforts of the thousands and thousands of people who worked on the program through one room. But until recently, that room was kind of a mess. After hosting Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and Shuttle missions through 1992, the room hosted retirement parties, movie screenings, and the crumbs that came with them. Spurred by the deadline of the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 in 2019, the room was carefully restored with a new visitor experience. The restoration project focused on accurately portraying how the area looked at key moments during that mission, right down to the ashtrays and soda cans. In this episode, Sandra Tetley, Historic Preservation Officer at the Johnson Space Center, describes the process of restoring “one of the most significant places on earth.” Topics and Links 00:00 Intro 00:14 Apollo Mission Control Center 00:49 Sandra Tetley 02:00 “History Keeps Going” 02:35 Becoming a National Historic Landmark 04:00 Starting the Restoration 04:40 Gene Kranz Steps In 05:15 Mission Control Visitor’s Galley 06:30 The Visitor Experience 08:10 The Drama of the Room 09:37 Independence Hall 10:10 Coffee Cups and Cigarettes 11:15 Apollo Flight Controllers Get to Celebrate 13:04 Archipelago At the Movies 🎟️: Lisa the Iconoclast 13:50 Outro/Join Club Archipelago Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. Unlock Club Archipelago 🏖️ <div c
Mon, December 02, 2019
73. Sanchita Balachandran Shifts the Framework for Conservation with Untold Stories
The field of conservation was created to fight change: to prevent objects from becoming dusty, broken, or rusted. But fighting to keep cultural objects preserved creates a certain mindset — a mindset where it’s too easy to imagine objects and cultures in a state of stasis. Sanchita Balachandran, Associate Director of the Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum, founded Untold Stories to change that mindset in the conservation profession. Through events at the annual meetings of the American Institute for Conservation, Untold Stories expands cultural heritage beyond preserving the objects we might find in a museum. In this episode, Balachandran talks about Untold Story’s 2019 event: Indigenous Futures and Collaborative Conservation, avoiding the savior mentality, and how the profession has changed since she was in school. Topics and Links 00:00 Intro 00:14 The Conservation Profession 01:12 Sanchita Balachandran 01:35 Untold Stories 03:30 Mohegan Sun 2019: Indigenous Futures and Collaborative Conservation 04:58 endawnis Spears and the Akomawt Educational Initiative (episode 68) 06:09 Savior Mentality in Conservation 07:37 Changing Working Practices 09:03 Changing Technical Practices 10:30 Changing Social Practices 11:25 Activating Cultural Heritage 12:15 Salt Lake City 2020: Preserving Cultural Landscapes 12:30 Learn More About Untold Stories and Watch Recordings of Past Events 12:40 SPONSOR: StoriesHere Podcast 13:40 Archipelago at the Movies 🎟️: National Treasure 14:34 Outro Photo credit: Jay T. Van Rensselear Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. Sponsor: StoriesHere Podcast
Mon, November 18, 2019
72. ‘Speechless: Different by Design’ Reframes Accessibility and Communication in a Museum Context
Museums tend to be verbal spaces: there’s usually a lot of words. Galleries open with walls of text, visitors are presented with rules of do and don'ts, and audio guides lead headphone-ed users from one piece to the next, paragraph by paragraph. But Speechless: Different by Design , a new exhibit at the Dallas Art Museum and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, guides visitors as far away as possible from words with six custom art installations. In this episode, curator Sarah Schleuning and graphic designer Laurie Haycock Makela discuss how their personal experiences lead them to Speechless , and describe the process and considerations of putting it all together. Topics and Links 00:00 Intro 00:14 Museums as Verbal Spaces 00:52 Speechless: Different by Design 01:05 Sarah Schleuning 01:30 Schleuning’s Personal Experience 02:45 Picture Exchange System 03:40 Planning Speechless 05:00 Yuri Suzuki’s ‘Sound of the Earth Chapter 2’ 05:17 Misha Kahn 05:38 Laurie Haycock Makela 06:08 Makela’s Personal Experience 06:55 The Exhibition's Ground Rules 07:11 The Exhibition's Design 09:26 Museum Fatigue 11:30 What Keeps Schleuning Up at Night 12:16 Museum Selfies 13:29 Introducing Archipelago at the Movies 🎟️! 14:16 Outro | Join Club Archipelago Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. Unlock Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. It offers exclusive access to Museum Archipelago extras. It’s also a great way to support the show directly. <a href="https://www.patreon.co
Mon, October 28, 2019
71. Assessing Curatorial Work for Social Justice With Elena Gonzales
Museums are seen as trustworthy, but what if that trust is misplaced? Chicago-based independent curator Elena Gonzales provides a solid jumping off point for thinking critically about museums in her new book, Exhibitions for Social Justice . The book is a whirlwind tour of different museums, examining how they approach social justice. It’s also a guide map for anyone interested in a way forward. In this episode, Gonzales takes us on a tour of some of the main themes of the book, examining the strategies of museum institutions from the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia to the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago. Topics and Links 00:00 Intro 00:15 Trust in Museum Institutions 01:00 Elena Gonzales Website Twitter 01:45 Exhibitions for Social Justice 03:05 What is an Exhibition for Social Justice? 04:20 National Museum of Mexican Art 07:12 “Questioning the Visitor” 07:50 Anne Frank House Museum 08:25 Eastern State Penitentiary 11:23 Buy Exhibitions for Social Justice On Routledge (Use Promo Code ADS19 for 30% Off) On IndieBound On Amazon 12:30 Introducing Archipelago at the Movies ! Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. Unlock Club Archipelago 🏖️ <div class="ro
Mon, September 30, 2019
70. The Gabrovo Museum of Humor Bolsters Its Legacy of Political Satire Post-Communism
To the extent that there was a Communist capital of humor in the last half of the 20th century, it was Gabrovo, Bulgaria. Situated in a valley of the Balkan mountains, the city prides itself on its unique brand of self-effacing humor. In 1972, the Museum House of Humor and Satire opened here, and the city celebrated political humor with people in Soviet block countries and even some invited Western guests. Today, three decades after the collapse of Communism, the Museum House of Humor and Satire remains one of the region's most important cultural landmarks. The museum has had to reinvent itself to interpret not only a democratic Bulgaria, but a the global, meme-driven, and internet-forged culture most visitors live in. I went to Gabrovo to visit museum director Margarita Dorovska, who describes how the museum's strengths in its early years—like knowing how to present political humor without arousing the interest of the authorities—inform how the museum thinks of its role in the world today. Topics and Links 00:00 Intro 00:15 Gabrovo, Bulgaria 01:07 Margarita Dorovska 01:44 How the Museum House of Humour and Satire Started 02:40 How to Run A Humor Museum Under Communism 04:05 1st International Biennial of Humour and Satire in the Arts in Gabrovo 05:55 The Museum in 1989 06:40 After the Collapse 07:00 Humor is Not Universal 07:30 Media Freedom in Bulgaria 07:55 Addressing Civic Space in Bulgaria: Garden Town 09:09 The Museum and the Internet 11:00 Outro | Join Club Archipelago Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. Unlock Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. It offers exclusive access to Museum Archipelago extras. It’s also a great way to support the show directly. Join the Club for just $2/month. </stron
Mon, August 26, 2019
69. Soviet Spacecraft in the American Heartland: The Story of the Kansas Cosmosphere
From Apollo Mission Control in Houston, Texas, to the field in southeastern Russia where Yuri Gargarin finished his first orbit, there are many sites on earth that played a role in space exploration. But Hutchinson, Kansas isn’t one of them. And yet, Hutchinson—a town of 40,000 people—is home to the Cosmosphere, a massive space museum. The Cosmosphere boasts an enormous collection of spacecraft, including the largest collection of Soviet space hardware anywhere outside Russia. How did all of these space artifacts end up in the middle of Kansas? To find out, I visited Hutchinson to talk to Cosmosphere curator Shannon Whetzel. In this episode, Whetzel describes the story of the Cosmosphere as “being in the right place at the right time,” why the museum’s collection includes “destroyed” artifacts, and how she interprets Soviet hardware for a new generation. Topics and Links 00:00 Intro 00:15 The Cosmosphere 01:20 Why Not Kansas? 01:35 Shannon Whetzel 01:45 Patty Carey 02:18 Starting the Collection 04:10 Apollo 13 Command Module 05:02 Successes and Failures 05:50 Soviet Hardware 06:50 Space Race Gallery 07:58 Lunasphere 08:35 Teaching the Political Context of the Space Race 09:30 Leaving Trash on the Moon 09:58 Site-Specific Museums 10:51 Join Club Archipelago Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. Unlock Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. It offers exclusive access to Museum Archipelago extras. It’s also a great way to support the show directly. <a href="https://www.patreon.com/mus
Mon, August 05, 2019
68. The Akomawt Educational Initiative Forges a Snowshoe Path to Indigenize Museums
Akomawt is a Passamaquoddy word for the snowshoe path. At the beginning of winter, the snowshoe path is hard to find. But the more people pass along and carve out this path through the snow during the season, the easier it becomes for everyone to walk it together. endawnis Spears (Diné/ Ojibwe/ Chickasaw/ Choctaw) is director of programming and outreach for the Akomawt Educational Initiative . She saw a need to supply regional educators with the tools to implement competent education on Native history and Native contemporary issues. She co-founded the Initiative with Chris Newell (Passamaquoddy) and Dr. Jason Mancini to make those tools. In this episode, Spears talks about the different between living culture and sterile museum artifacts, her discussion at Untold Stories 2019: Indigenous Futures and Collaborative Conservation about how Native narratives are violently presented through a white lens in museums, and the potential for museums to disrupt that for many visitors. Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. Unlock Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. It offers exclusive access to Museum Archipelago extras. It’s also a great way to support the show directly. Join the Club for just $2/month. Your Club Archipelago membership includes: Access to a private podcast that guides you further behind the scenes of museums. Hear interviews, observations, and reviews that don’t make it into the main show; Logo stickers , pins and other extras, mailed straight to your door; A warm feeling knowing you’re supporting the podcast. Transcript Below is a transcript of Museum Archipelago episode 68. Museum Archipelago is produced for the ear, and only the audio of the episode is canonical. For more
Mon, July 15, 2019
67. Cité de l'Espace Celebrates Apollo Day from the Middle of the Space Race
Cité de l'Espace in Toulouse, France is a museum in the middle. It is in the middle of France’s Aerospace Valley and the European Space Industry. But it is also geographically in the middle of the two competing superpowers in the Space Race that ended with Apollo 11. From its vantage point in the middle, Cité de l'Espace has its own story to tell. The museum features a mix of Soviet and American space hardware, like an American Apollo lunar module and a Soviet Soyuz capsule. The museum also features an extentive collection of French-made space hardware. In this episode commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, I visit Cité de l'Espace to see their preparations for “Apollo Day,” discuss a museum on the lunar surface , and see how the Space Race is presented from the middle. Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. Unlock Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. It offers exclusive access to Museum Archipelago extras. It’s also a great way to support the show directly. Join the Club for just $2/month. Your Club Archipelago membership includes: Access to a private podcast that guides you further behind the scenes of museums. Hear interviews, observations, and reviews that don’t make it into the main show; Logo stickers , pins and other extras, mailed straight to your door; A warm feeling knowing you’re supporting the podcast. Transcript Below is a transcript of Museum Archipelago episode 67. Museum Archipelago is produced for the ear, and only the audio of the episode is canonical. For more information on the people and ideas in the episode, refer to the links above. <label for=
Mon, June 17, 2019
66. From ‘Extinct Monsters’ to ‘Deep Time’: A History of the Smithsonian Fossil Hall
The most-visited room in the most-visited science museum in the world reopened last week after a massive, five year renovation . Deep Time , as the new gallery is colloquially known, is the latest iteration of the Fossil Hall at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. It might not seem like much in geologic time, but the Smithsonian Fossil Hall has been welcoming visitors for more than 100 years. Over those years, the dinosaur bones and other fossils—even some individual specimens—have remained at the center, even as the museum presentation around them has changed dramatically. You can measure the change by the different names of the hall through time. What is today Deep Time first opened in 1911 with a different name: The Hall of Extinct Monsters . In this episode, we’re going back in time through the iterations of the Fossil Hall with Ben Miller , an exhibitions developer at the Field Museum in Chicago. From its opening as The Hall of Extinct Monsters in 1911, to renovations in the 1960s and 1980s, to the forceful climate crisis message of 2019’s Deep Time gallery, the Smithsonian Fossil Hall has answered life’s biggest questions. This is the story of how museum workers shrugged off their “cabinet of curiosity” roots and embraced education-oriented exhibits like what we see in the gallery today. Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. Unlock Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. It offers exclusive access to Museum Archipelago extras. It’s also a great way to support the show directly. Join the Club for just $2/month. Your Club Archipelago membership includes: Access to a private podcast that guides you further behind the scenes of museums. Hear interviews, observations, and reviews that don’t make it into the main show; Logo stickers , pins and
Mon, June 03, 2019
65. Sarah Nguyen Helps Fight Digital Decay with Preserve This Podcast
Everything decays. In the past, human heritage that decayed slowly enough on stone, vellum, bamboo, silk, or paper could be put in a museum—still decaying, but at least visible. Today, human heritage is decaying on hard drives. Sarah Nguyen , a MLIS student at the University of Washington, is the project coordinator of Preserve This Podcast , a project and podcast of the same name that proposes solutions to fight against the threats of digital decay for podcasts. Alongside archivists Mary Kidd and Dana Gerber-Margie , and producer Molly Schwartz, Nguyen advocates for Personal Digital Archiving , the idea that for the first time, your data is under your control and you can archive it to inform future history. Personal archiving counters the institutional gatekeepers who determined which data and stories are worth preserving. In this episode, Nguyen cautions that preserving culture digitally comes with its own set of pitfalls, describes the steps that individuals can do to reduce the role of chance in preserving digital media, and why automatic archiving tools don’t properly contextualize. Image (left to right): Mary Kidd, Sarah Nguyen, Molly Schwartz, Dana Gerber-Margie, and Lyra Gerber-Margie Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an epsiode. Unlock Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. It offers exclusive access to Museum Archipelago extras. It’s also a great way to support the show directly. Join the Club for just $2/month. Your Club Archipelago membership includes: Access to a private podcast that guides you further behind the scenes of museums. Hear interviews, observations, and reviews that don’t make it into the main show; Logo stickers , pins and other extras, mailed straight to your door; <stron
Mon, May 13, 2019
64. Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Atlantis Experience Is Part Museum, Part Themed Attraction
The Space Shuttle Atlantis Experience, which opened at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Cape Canaveral, Florida in 2013 brings visitors “nose to nose” with one of the three remaining Space Shuttle orbiters. The team that built it used principles of themed attraction design to introduce visitors to the orbiter and the rest of the exhibits. Atlantis is introduced linearly and deliberately: visitors see two movies about the shuttle before the actual orbiter is dramatically revealed behind a screen. The orbiter’s grand entrance was designed by PGAV Destinations , whose portfolio includes theme parks and museums. Diane Lochner, a vice president of the company who was part of the architectural design team, says that without that carefully-planned preparation, visitors wouldn’t have the same powerful emotional reaction to the Shuttle. In this episode, Lochner is joined by Tom Owen, another vice president at PGAV Destinations to talk about the visitor experience considerations of the Shuttle Atlantis Experience, whether attractions engineered to create a specific emotional response in visitors are appropriate for museum contexts, and the broader trend of museums taking cues from theme park design. Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an epsiode. Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. Join Club Archipelago today to help me continue making podcasts about museums (and get some fun benefits)! Transcript Below is a transcript of Museum Archipelago episode 64. Museum Archipelago is produced for the ear and the only the audio of the episode is canonical. For more information on the people and ideas in the episode, refer to the links above. View Transcript We’re going to start today’s episode wit
Mon, April 29, 2019
63. Sex and Death Are on Display at The Museum of Old and New Art
The Museum of Old and New Art opened in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia in 2011. With a name like that, MONA could include any type of art. But looking at the collection, it’s clear that its creator, millionaire gambler David Walsh , has a fascination with sex and death -- and bets that the rest of us do too. Walsh himself calls MONA a “subversive adult Disneyland.” The building’s architecture is designed to make you feel lost, and the art is displayed without any labels whatsoever. It’s just you and the art. In this episode, Hobart-based musician Bianca Blackhall talks about how she’s watched MONA reshape the creative community and art landscape of the island, what makes the museum different from other art museums, and how Hobart is now in “Sauron's Eye of tourism.” This month on Museum Archipelago, we’re taking you to Tasmania . Over the course of three episodes, we’re conducting a survey of museums on the island, and exploring how each of them relates to the wider landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , or Spotify to never miss an episode. Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. Join Club Archipelago today to help me continue making podcasts about museums (and get some fun benefits)! Topics Discussed 00:00: Intro 00:15: This Month, Museum Archipelago is Taking You To Tasmania 00:47: Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) 01:05: Museum Archipelago on ABC Radio Hobart 01:30: The Way MONA Shapes the Island 01:44: MONA’s Architecture is Designed to Make You Feel Lost 02:42: Bianca Blackhall 03:05: David Walsh 03:50: “A Subversive Adult Disneyland” 0
Mon, April 15, 2019
62. David Gough Reclaims Stewardship of Tiagarra for Aboriginal Tasmanians
The displays at the Tiagarra Cultural Centre and Museum in Devonport, Tasmania, Australia were built in 1976 by non-indigenous citizens and scientists without consulting Aboriginal Tasmanians. David Gough , chairperson of the Six Rivers Aboriginal Corporation, remembers visiting the museum when he was younger and seeing his own culture presented as extinct . Today, Gough is the manager of Tiagarra. When he took over, one of the first things he did was put masking tape over the inappropriate and incorrect descriptions and write in the correct information. As Gough explains, racist language covered up and written over by the very people it describes is the perfect metaphor for what Tiagarra was in the past and what it is going to be in the future. On this episode, Gough and fellow Six Rivers Aboriginal Corporation board member Sammy Howard give a special tour of the museum, describe using the museum to educate members of their community and the wider public, and discuss the future of Tiagarra . This month on Museum Archipelago, we’re taking you to Tasmania . Over the course of three episodes, we’re conducting a survey of museums on the island, and exploring how each of them relates to the wider landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , or Spotify to never miss an episode. Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. Join Club Archipelago today to help me continue making podcasts about museums (and get some fun benefits)! Topics and Links 00:00 Intro 00:15 This Month, Museum Archipelago is Taking You To Tasmania 00:46 Tiagarra Cultural Centre and Museum 01:56 Dave Mangenner Gough 02:53 “To Kee
Mon, April 01, 2019
61. Jody Steele Centers the Convict Women of Tasmania's Penal Colonies at the Female Factory
Penal transportation from England to Australia from the late 1700s to the mid-1800s was used to expand Britain's spheres of influence and to reduce overcrowding in British prisons. The male convict experience is well-known, but the Cascades Female Factory in Hobart is at the center of a shift in how Australians think of the role that female convicts played in the colonization of Tasmania. Dr. Jody Steele, the heritage interpretation manager for the Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority , which includes the Female Factory, says that having a convict ancestor used to be considered shameful. But in the past 20 years, attitudes have shifted dramatically. Sites like the Female Factory , the Female Convicts Research Centre , and a general interest in geological research have helped the public better understand how the forced labor of women built the economy of the island. Today, the museum is on the cusp of a major renovation . Dr Steele describes how the proposed design, chosen by an all-female panel, will present the female convict experience in Tasmania. This month on Museum Archipelago, we’re taking you to Tasmania. For the next three episodes, we’re conducting a survey of museums on the island, and exploring how each of them relates to the wider landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , or Spotify to never miss an episode. Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. Join Club Archipelago today to help me continue making podcasts about museums (and get some fun benefits)! Topics and Links 00:00 Intro 00:15 This Month, Museum Archipelago is Taking You To Tasmania 00:46 Cascades Female Factory 01:00 The Male and Female Convict Experience 02:26 Dr. Jody Steele 02:48 Why It’s Called The Female Factory 04:30 Being A “Respectable” W
Mon, March 18, 2019
60. Stephanie Cunningham on the Creation and Growth of Museum Hue
The fight for racial diversity in museums and other cultural institutions is not new: people of color have been fighting for inclusion in white mainstream museums for over 50 years . Dispose these efforts, change has been limited. A 2018 survey by the Mellon Foundation found that 88% of people in museum leadership positions are white. Stephanie Cunningham has a clear answer for why these white institutions aren’t changing: “When you’ve been practicing exclusion for so long, you can’t change overnight.” That’s one of the reasons why she co-founded Museum Hue with Monica Montgomery in 2015. In this episode, Cunningham traces Museum Hue ’s trajectory from a small collective to a national membership-based organization , and spells out why being a well-meaning institution is necessary but not sufficient for equity in the field. Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , or Spotify to never miss an epsiode. Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. Join Club Archipelago today to help me continue making podcasts about museums (and get some fun benefits)! Topics and Links 00:00 Intro 00:15 The Ongoing Fight for Racial Diversity in Museums 01:52 Stephanie Cunningham 02:26 The Founding of Museum Hue 03:05 Hueseum Tours 03:52 “Authentic Participation” and Jobs 06:29 Museum Hue’s Membership Model 07:05 Knock On Effects of Resistance to Change 08:56 A Story of the Museum Exhibition Design Company 10:10 The Unchecked Cultural Power of Museums 11:05 Black Visuality 11:25 Museum Hue’s Memberships 12:07 Arts Targeted By Oppressive Forces 13:55 Outro/Join Club Ar
Mon, March 04, 2019
59. Faith Displayed As Science: How Creationists Co-opted Museums with Julie Garcia
There’s a new tool in young-Earth creationists' quest for scientific legitimacy: the museum. Over the past 25 years, dozens of so-called creation museums have been built, including the Answers in Genesis (AiG) Creation Museum in Kentucky. Borrowing the style of natural history museums and science centers, these public display spaces use the form and rhetoric of mainstream science to support a belief in the literal truth of the Bible, including the creation of the universe in six days about 6,000 years ago. In her 2009 thesis, “ Faith Displayed As Science: The Role of The Creation Museum in the Modern Creationist Movement ”, Julie Garcia visited the AiG Creation Museum and three other creation museums: The Creation Evidence Museum in Glenrose, TX, Dinosaur Adventureland in Pensacola, FL, and the Institute for Creation Research which is near San Diego, CA. In this episode, Garcia discusses her findings and explores why museums are a particularly well-suited medium for creationist ideas. Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Castbox , Overcast , or Spotify to never miss an epsiode. Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. Join Club Archipelago today to help me continue making podcasts about museums (and get some fun benefits)! Topics and Links 00:00: Intro 00:15: Quest for Scientific Legitimacy 01:06: Julie Garcia 02:25: Garcia's Thesis 03:50: Visiting Creation Museums 04:45: Using Dinosaurs to Attract Children To Creation Museums 07:00: Why Build A Museum? 10:51: Creationists Going Directly To Their Audience 11:17: “Biblically Correct” Tours 11:48: The Two Model Approach 13:00: Outro
Mon, February 11, 2019
58. Joe Galliano Fills In The UK’s Family Tree At The Queer Britain Museum
Joe Galliano came up with the idea for Queer Britain , the UK’s national LGBTQ+ museum, during the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalization of homosexual acts in England and Wales . Discouraged by the focus on male homosexuality and on legislation, he launched a bid to preserve histories that have been ignored or destroyed. If all goes well, the museum will open in London in a few years. In this episode, Galliano talks about the UK’s history of anti-gay legislation, how he is working to create a ‘catalytic space’ at Queer Britain, and why the medium of museums is right for this project. The word ‘queer’ was synonymous with ‘strange’ or ‘weird’, and a common slur thrown at LGBT individuals. Activists in the 1980s reclaimed the word and used it as an umbrella term for a wide range of sexual orientations and gender identities. Nowadays, queer is an increasingly popular way to identify within the community, but as historical traumas persist, and the word can still be found in hostile environments, it’s important to note that not everyone is in agreement. Joe Galliano and Queer Britain use the term as a proud self-identifier, and an intentional move away from using the word ‘gay’, and male homosexuality in general, as a stand-in for all identities. Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , or Spotify to never miss an epsiode. Sponsor: Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, GW University This show is brought to you by the Museum Studies Graduate Program at the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at the George Washington University. With a graduate degree in Museum Studies, you will be equipped to respond to the evolving museum profession by engaging in hands-on training in the heart of the nation’s museum capital. To learn more, click here. Topics and Links 00:00: Intro 00:15: Joseph Galliano 00:35: 50th anniversary of the Partial Decriminalization of Homosexuality in England and Wales 01:55: Legislation from the 'Buggery' Act to Today <b
Mon, January 28, 2019
57. The Colored Conventions Project Resurrects Disremembered History With Denise Burgher, Jim Casey, Gabrielle Foreman, & Many Others
In American history most often told, the vitality of Black activism has been obscured in favor of celebrating white-lead movements. In the 19th century, an enormous network of African American activists created a series of state and national political meetings known as the Colored Conventions Movement . The Colored Conventions Project (CCP) is a Black digital humanities initiative dedicated to identifying, collecting, and curating all of the documents produced by the Colored Conventions Movement. In this episode, two of the CCP’s cofounders and co-directors, Jim Casey and Gabrielle Foreman are joined by Project Fellow Denise Burgher to discuss how the Project mirrors the energy and collective commitments of the Conventions themselves, how to see data as a form of protest, and creating an a set of organizational principles. Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , or Spotify to never miss an epsiode. Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. Join Club Archipelago today on Patreon to help me continue making podcasts about museums (and get some fun benefits)! Topics and Links 00:00: Intro 00:15: Colored Conventions Movement 01:23: Gabrielle Foreman And Jim Casey 02:00: Colored Conventions Project 02:21: Denise Burgher 03:34: Data As A Form Of Protest 06:25: Terms Of Use For CCP’s Data 07:20: “To Respect, Not Just Collect” 09:20: “Celebratory History Of American Progress” 10:23: The Understudy Of The Colored Conventions Movement 11:25: Women's Centrality To The Movement 12:30: Getting People Involved 12:54: Douglass Day 14:15: Museums And Digital Spaces 15:00: Announcing Museum Archipelago Stickers Transcript Below is a transcript of Mus
Mon, January 07, 2019
56. Lana Pajdas Trains Her ‘Fun Museums’ Lens to Croatian Heritage Sites, From The Battle of Vukovar to Over-Tourism in Dubrovnik
Lana Pajdas is the founder of Fun Museums , a heritage and culture travel blog with a radical idea: museums are fun. It is the guiding principle of her museum marketing, consulting work , and even her photographs . In this episode, Pajdas describes Heritage Sites in her native Croatia, from the interpretation of the 1991 Battle of Vukovar at the Vukovar Municipal Museum to the Game of Thrones-inspired Over-Tourism in Dubrovnik Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast for free to never miss an episode. Sponsor: The Museums, Heritage, and Public History program at the University of Missouri at St. Louis This episode of Museum Archipelago is sponsored by The Museums, Heritage, and Public History program at the University of Missouri at St. Louis . The program is currently accepting applications for the Fall 2019 semester. They offer an MA degree as well as a Graduate Certificate. Their programs address pressing needs of museums and heritage institutions in the 21st century and prepare students for professional careers in museums, historic sites and societies, cultural agencies, and related organizations. Financial support is available for a limited number of students and applications are due on February 1st. For more information, please call 314-516-4805 or visit their website. Topics and Links 00:00: Intro 00:15: Croatia 00:40: Over-Tourism in Dubrovnik, Croatia 01:14: Lana Pajdas and the Fun Museums Blog 02:39: Disney’s America on Museum Archipelago 03:15: Vukovar Municipal Museum on the Battle of Vukovar 05:12: “Museum Procrastination” 06:14: Sustainable Tourism 07:59: Possible Solutions to Over-Tourism 09:08: FunMuseums.eu 09:18: Sponsor: The Museums, Heritage, and Public History program at the University of Missouri at St. Louis 10:11: Outro | Join Club Archipelago Transcript Below is a transcript of Museum Archipelago episode 56. Museum Archipelago is produced for the ear and the only the audio of the episode is canonical. For more information on the people and ideas in the episode, refer to the links above. <div class="wr
Mon, December 03, 2018
55. Barbara Hicks-Collins Is Turning Her Family Home Into the Bogalusa Civil Rights Museum
Barbara Hicks-Collins grew up in a Civil Rights house in Bogalusa, Louisiana. In her family breakfast room in 1965, her father, the late Robert “Bob” Hicks , founded the Bogalusa chapter of the Deacons for Defense and Justice . The armed self-defense force was formed in response to local anti-integration violence that the local police force complicitly supported. The house became a communication hub, a safe house, and a medical triage station for injured activists denied medical services at the state hospital. After her father’s death, Barbara Hicks-Collins decided that the house has one more chapter: as the Bogalusa Civil Rights Museum . In this episode, Barbara Hicks-Collins talks about growing up with the Civil Rights movement in her living room and describes the process, progress, and challenges of today’s Bogalusa Civil Rights Museum project. Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , or Spotify to never miss an epsiode. Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. Join Club Archipelago today to help me continue making podcasts about museums (and get some fun benefits)! Topics and Links 00:00: Intro 00:15: Barbara Hicks-Collins 00:42: Robert “Bob” Hicks 01:28: “Why Not A Museum?" 02:54: The City of Bogalusa, Louisiana 03:45: “ The Civil Rights House " 04:11: The Events of February 1, 1965 05:04: The Deacons for Defense: Armed Resistance and the Civil Rights Movement 06:28: Daily Life Under Threat 07:20: Bogalusa Civil Rights Museum 09:35: The Process 11:18: "It's Not Easy But It's Possible" 12:16: <a h
Mon, November 19, 2018
54. Buzludzha Is Deteriorating. Brian Muthaliff Wants To Turn It Into A Winery.
High in the Balkan mountains, Buzludzha monument is deteriorating. Designed to emphasize the power and modernity of the Bulgarian Communist Party , Buzludzha is now at the center of a debate over how Bulgaria remembers its past . Architect Brian Muthaliff wants the building to evolve along with Bulgaria. His master’s thesis on Buzludzha describes a re-adaption of the site to subvert the original intention of the architecture, including installing a winery and a theater. Unlike architect Dora Ivanova’s Buzludzha Project , which we discussed at length in episode 47 , Muthaliff’s plan only calls for a single, museum-like space. In this episode, we use Muthaliff’s thesis as a guide as we go in-depth on what a museum means and discuss the best path forward for this building and for Bulgaria. Image: Rendering from R.E.D | Reconstruction in an Era of Dilapidation: A Proposal for the Revitalization of the Former House of the Communist Party by Brian Muthaliff Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , or Spotify to never miss an epsiode. Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. Join Club Archipelago today to help me continue making podcasts about museums (and get some fun benefits)! Topics and Links 00:00: Intro 00:15: Buzludzha Monument 00:45: Brief History 01:45: Brian Muthaliff 02:30: The Buzludzha Project 03:18: "Buildings Turned Into Artifacts" 03:50: Reconstruction in an Era of Dilapidation 05:16: Museum of Socialist Art in Sofia 05:
Mon, November 05, 2018
53. Tribal Historic Preservation Office Helps Students Map Seminole Life for the Ah-tah-thi-ki Museum
The Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Seminole Indian Museum , on the Big Cypress Reservation in the Florida Everglades, serves as the public face of the Seminole Tribe of Florida . But the museum collaborates with the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s Tribal Historic Preservation Office (THPO) next door to preserve the tribe's culture, working for and with the community through various shared projects. One of the projects is called Are We There Yet: Engaging the Tribal Youth with Story Maps , which is now on display in the museum. Quenton Cypress, Community Engagement Coordinator at THPO, and Lacee Cofer, Geo Spatial Analyst at THPO, started the project with Juan Cancel, Chief Data Analyst at THPO. The team taught 11th grade students at the Ahfachkee School (the school on the Big Cypress Reservation) GIS mapping software and helped the students create their own maps about a Seminole or Native American topic . In this episode, the THPO team talks about the process of teaching the students how to use geospatial software, the Story Maps that the students created, and how the students reacted to seeing their work in the museum gallery. Image: Lacee Cofer, Juan Cancel & Quenton Cypress presenting thier project at the Esri User Conference in San Diego in 2018. Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. Join Club Archipelago today to help me continue making podcasts about museums (and get some fun benefits)! 00:00: Intro 00:15: The Big Cypress Reservation & Quenton Cypress 01:05: Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki on Episode 16 of Museum Archipelago 01:48: The Seminole Tribe of Florida’s Tribal Historic Preservation Office 03:00: Lacee Cofer 03:30: Are We There Yet: Engaging the Tribal Youth with Story Maps 03:58: Juan Cancel 04:50: “But how does that serve the tribal community?” 07:09: The Topics Students Choose 08:58: Students Seeing Their Work at Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki 10:32: Why Mapping? 11:46: Outro / Watch Making-Of For Free on Patreon Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the
Mon, October 15, 2018
52. Paula Santos Dives Into The "How" of Museum Work on Cultura Conscious
By day, Paula Santos is Community Engagement Manager at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art . By night, she hosts the excellent Cultura Conscious podcast. On Cultura Conscious, which just celebrated its one-year anniversary, Santos interviews cultural workers on their work with justice and equity. The discussions dive deep into what Santos calls the "nuts and bolts" of museum work. On this episode, Santos describes her thoughts about the relationship between cultural institutions and the communities they identify as “underserved,” gives examples on how institutions can cede power, and explains how the idea for her podcast came out of a cultural worker discussion collective she was a part of in New York City. Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. Join Club Archipelago today to help me continue making podcasts about museums (and get some fun benefits)! Topics Discussed: 00:00 Intro 00:15 Paula Santos 00:53 Cultural Institutions and Communities 04:14: Cultura Conscious 05:27: The Idea for the Show 06:55: Nuts and Bolts of Museum Work 07:58: Subscribe to Cultura Conscious 09:50: Outro & Club Archipelago Museum Archipelago is a fortnightly museum podcast guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums and surrounding culture. Subscribe to the podcast for free to never miss an episode. Transcript Below is a transcript of Museum Archipelago episode 52. Museum Archipelago is produced for the ear and the only the audio of the episode is canonical. For more information on the people and ideas in the episode, refer to the links above. View Transcript Paula Santos and I have some things in common. We both work in the museum world during the day, and by night, we both host podcasts about museums. We even describe our day jobs in the same way: we are programmers. I am a computer programmer, writing the code that runs interactive media displays in museums. And Santos, as Community Engagement Manager at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, is a museum programmer, managing programs and events. Paula Santos: Hello, I’m Paula S
Mon, October 01, 2018
51. Yulina Mihaylova Presents a Moral Lesson at the Sofia Jewish Museum of History
The Jewish Museum of History in Sofia, Bulgaria is housed on the second floor of the Sofia Synagogue in the center of Bulgaria's capital, just steps away from an Orthodox Church, and Sofia's Mosque. This clustering of places of worship — it's hard to find another example of this in Europe — is part of the unique story of Jewish people in Bulgaria. While the museum tells the full story of the Jewish people in Bulgaria from ancient Roman times to today, Yulina Mihaylova of the Jewish Museum of History says that the culmination of the story is the rescue of the Jews in Bulgaria from deportation to Nazi death camps during the Second World War. The museum takes on the complexities of this story , including the fact that not all Jews in Bulgarian-controlled territories were saved from deportation, and uses it to challenge young visitors. Subscribe to Museum Archipelago for free to never miss an episode. Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. Join Club Archipelago today to help me continue making podcasts about museums (and get some fun benefits)! Topics Discussed: 00:00 Intro 00:14 Jewish Museum of History in Sofia, Bulgaria 01:10 Yulina Mihaylova 01:50 The Sofia Synagogue 02:10 Jews in Bulgaria in the Early 20th Century 04:00 Jews in Bulgaria During World War Two 04:50 The Holocaust and the Rescue of the Jews in Bulgaria 09:44 Jews in Bulgaria During Communist Times 10:45 Educational Programming Moral Message 12:05 Outro / Join Club Archipelago Transcript Below is a transcript of Museum Archipelago episode 51. Museum Archipelago is produced for the ear and the only the audio of the episode is canonical. For more information on the people and ideas in the episode, refer to the links above. View Transcript Sometimes in the Museum Archipelago, museums are isolated from other institutions by vast bodies of water, and sometimes, points of interest are clustered in dense island chains. The Jewish Museum of History in Sofia, Bulgaria
Mon, September 17, 2018
50. Allison Sansone Connects Writers and Readers at the American Writers Museum
When the American Writers Museum opened in Chicago in 2017, it became the first museum in the US to celebrate all genres of writing. Early in the planning phase, founder Malcolm O’Hagan made a couple of key decisions: no artifacts and no single curator. In this episode, the museum’s programs director Allison Sansone explains how these decisions continue to shape the museum, from a timeline of 100 significant authors of fiction and nonfiction to galleries honoring the craft of writing. This episode was recorded at the American Writers Museum in Chicago, IL, USA on September 2nd, 2018. This episode was released in tandem with Club Archipelago 5. 50th Episode Extravaganza 🎉 . Subscribe to Museum Archipelago for free to never miss an episode. Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. Join Club Archipelago today for $2 to help me continue making podcasts about museums (and get some fun benefits)! Topics Discussed: 00:00 Intro 00:15 Museum Archipelago's 50th Episode 🎉 01:50 The American Writers Museum 02:00 Programs Director Allison Sansone 02:15 Museum Founder Malcolm O’Hagan 02:50 Early Decisions 03:45 American Voices Exhibit 05:30 The Mind of a Writer Gallery 06:45 Story of the Day Exhibit 08:20 The Craft of Writing the Museum 09:11 Outro Transcript Below is a transcript of Museum Archipelago episode 50. Museum Archipelago is produced for the ear and the only the audio of the episode is canonical. For more information on the people and ideas in the episode, refer to the links above. View Transcript [Intro] Well, not quite. This is the 50th episode of Museum Archipelago, and I’m celebrating by compiling this message, from listeners like you.
Mon, September 03, 2018
49. Deyana Kostova Centers ‘The Little Man’ in War at the Bulgarian National Museum of Military History
The campus of the Bulgarian National Museum of Military History in Sofia is defended on all sides by a garden of missiles and tanks . But as Director of Public Relations Deyana Kostova points out, many of the exhibits inside focus on the consequences of war rather than the tools of warfare. One of these exhibits, called 'The Little Man in the Great War' , explores the Bulgarian World War I experience through overarching emotions. In this episode, Kostova gives a tour of the exhibit, explains how the museum contextualizes Bulgarian and world history, and describes the mission of the museum to present history from multiple points of view. Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. Join Club Archipelago today for $2 a month to help me continue making podcasts about museums (and get some fun benefits)! Topics Discussed: 00:00: Intro 00:40: Diana Kostova, Director of Public Relations 01:40: Bulgaria in World War I 02:05: 'The Little Man in the Great War' 05:28: Vasil Levski's Hair 06:34: Bulgaria in World War II 08:00: Lopsided History During The Period Of Socialist Rule 08:25: The Mission of the Museum To Present History From Multiple Points of View 09:09: Museum Archipelago’s 50th Episode: Submit Your Audio This episode was recorded at the National Museum of Military History in Sofia, Bulgaria on June 8th, 2018. Transcript Below is a transcript of Museum Archipelago episode 49. Museum Archipelago is produced for the ear and the only the audio of the episode is canonical. For more information on the people and ideas in the episode, refer to the links above. [Intro] I don’t really know how I’m supposed to feel at a military museum, particularly those that have gardens of comically oversized missiles and tanks. The Bulgarian National Museum of Military History is one of these museums, but Bulgaria is a country that has spent much of its recent military history buffeted and whiplashed by bigger powers. And that makes for a different experience wandering through these giant tools of war. Deyana Kostova: Hello, my name is Diana Kostova, and I am director of museum marketing, public relations [at the] National Museum of Military H
Mon, August 20, 2018
48. Museums Are Really Sensitive To Critique. Palace Shaw & Ariana Lee Decided They Don’t Care.
Ariana Lee and Palace Shaw create The Whitest Cube , an excellent new museum podcast about people of color and their experiences with art institutions as artists, visitors, workers, activists, or casual admirers. The podcast interrogates the city of Boston and its museums through the lens of race. In this episode, Lee and Shaw talk about the reasons for starting the podcast, what diversity in museums really means, and how to pressure cultural institutions to change. If you’re interested in museums, you should subscribe to the Whitest Cube on Apple Podcasts , Soundcloud , or Instagram . You can support their work directly on Patreon . Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. Join Club Archipelago today to help me continue making podcasts about museums (and get some fun benefits)! Topics Discussed: 00:00: Intro 00:15: “Supposedly, These Institutions Are Trying To Diversify” 00:36: Palace Shaw & Ariana Lee Create The Whitest Cube Podcast 01:14: The White Cube Display Method 01:59: The City of Boston As A Case Study For Talking About Museums And Race 04:09: Palace Shaw’s Experiences Working At Art Institutions 07:17: Art Museums And Other Museums 08:11: “People Believe That Museums Tell The Truth” 09:20: There Are Not Enough Voices Challenging Museums 10:00: Subscribe To The Whitest Cube 10:20: Why We Need An Active Effort To Shift The Culture 11:05: Museum Archipelago’s 50th Episode: Submit Your Audio This episode was recorded at the PRX Podcast Garage in Allston, MA, USA on August 13th, 2018. Transcript Below is a transcript of Museum Archipelago episode 48. Museum Archipelago is produced for the ear and the only the audio of the episode is canonical. For more information on the people and ideas in the episode, refer to the links above. [Intro] Ariana Lee: Supposedly these institutions are pushing to diversify. What does it mean to diversify? You could say that if you take stock of all of the museum’s employees it is a very diverse workforce because you may very well have many people of color working in your janitorial services. But they are not at any kind of sea
Mon, July 23, 2018
47. Buzludzha is Deteriorating. Dora Ivanova Wants To Turn It Into A Museum.
High in the Bulgarian mountains, Buzludzha monument is deteriorating. Commemorating early Bulgarian Marxists , it was designed to emphasize the power and modernity of the Bulgarian Communist Party . Buzludzha is now at the center of a debate over how Bulgaria remembers its past . Some people want to destroy it, some people want to restore it to its former glory, but Bulgarian architect Dora Ivanova has a better idea . Ivanova wants to turn it into a museum, and she founded the Buzludzha Project Foundation to do exactly that. In this episode, Ivanova describes how the city of Berlin inspired her plan for the preservation of Buzludzha, how to preserve the past without glorifying it, and the next steps to making her plan a reality . Topics Discussed 00:00 Intro 00:15 Buzludzha's Opening Ceremony 01:04 Buzludzha Today 01:38 Buzludzha As Propaganda 02:00 Dora Ivanova 02:20 "The Cathedral of Socialism" 02:45 Ian's Buzludzha Visit 03:30 Ivanova on Perserving Buzludzha 04:22 What To Do With Old Monuments 04:59 Ivanova's Museum Proposal 06:20 Tower Elevator 07:05 Next Steps 07:56 Inspiration From The City of Berlin 09:22 The Buzludzha Project Foundation 09:37 Outro - Join Club Archipelago Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. Unlock Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. It offers exclusive access to Museum Archipelago extras. It’s also a great way to support the show directly. <a href="https://www
Mon, July 09, 2018
46. Vessela Gercheva Directs Playful Exhibits at Bulgaria’s First Children’s Museum
There were no children’s museums in the Balkans before Muzeiko opened in Sofia, Bulgaria in 2015. Days before Muzeiko’s historic opening, I interviewed Vessela Gercheva, the museum’s Programs and Exhibits Director. Gercheva talked about the challenges of opening the museum, not the least of which was how few people actually knew what a children’s museum was. Today, almost three years later, Gercheva says things have changed. Muzeiko is packed with kids, careening through exhibits designed just for them. Gercheva and Muzeiko are at the forefront of a shifting attitude towards children's education in Bulgaria. This episode was recorded on May 28, 2018 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. Join Club Archipelago today to help me continue making podcasts about museums (and get some fun benefits)! This episode pairs with Club Archipelago episode 4, which features a behind-the-scenes tour of Muzeiko with Vessela Gercheva. Transcript Below is a transcript of Museum Archipelago episode 46. Museum Archipelago is produced for the ear and the only the audio of the episode is canonical. For more information on the people and ideas in the episode, refer to the links above. View Transcript [Intro] Vessela Gerchva: Hello, my name is Vessela Gerchva and I’m the exhibits director for Muszeko. Muzeiko, which means little museum in Bulgarian, is the first children’s museum in the Balkans. Before it opened in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia in 2015, all museums in the country where of the artifacts-behind-glass variety. I first interviewed Gercheva in 2015, just before Muzeiko opened. In that interview, she said that th
Mon, June 25, 2018
45. Margaret Middleton Designs Museum Exhibits for All Ages
Margaret Middleton is an independent exhibit designer and museum consultant based in Providence, RI, USA. Middleton recently completed the design of the children's exhibits at the Discovery Museum in Acton, MA, USA. Driven by a background in industrial design and queer activism, Middleton is passionate about creating visitor-centered museum experiences , and writes and speaks about inclusion in museums. In 2014 Middleton developed the Family Inclusive Language Chart , now widely used in museums across the country. In this episode, Middleton describes what makes exhibit design for children's museums so unique and exciting and what other types of museums can learn from children's museums. Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. Join Club Archipelago today to help me continue making podcasts about museums (and get some fun benefits)! Topics Discussed: 00:00: Intro 00:15: Margaret Middleton, Independent Exhibit Designer and Museum Consultant 00:25: Middleton’s Favorite Thing About Children’s Museums 01:48: Focusing on the User/Visitor 03:55: What Other Museums Can Learn From Children’s Museums 06:10: Middleton’s Family Inclusive Language Chart 09:10: Making Museum Conferences More Accessible 10:10: Learn More 10:30: Outro
Mon, June 11, 2018
44. Vassil Makarinov Presents Technology and History at the Bulgarian Polytechnical Museum
The Bulgarian National Polytechnical Museum is a science museum that also tells the story of Bulgarian and world history. The building itself once housed a museum of a Bulgarian communist leader, and the technical artifacts on display , from simple machines to Bulgarian-made computers from the 1980s present both scientific concepts and the political contexts in which they were developed . In this episode, curator Vassil Macaranov describes how the increasing role of technology in our lives underscores the importance of presenting scientific and technological artifacts with their historical contexts. This episode was recorded at the Bulgarian National Polytechnical Museum in Sofia Bulgaria on June 8th, 2018. Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. Join Club Archipelago today to help me continue making podcasts about museums (and get some fun benefits)! Topics Discussed: 00:00: Intro 00:15: Vassil Makarinov, Curator 00:28: Early Childhood Museums 01:09: Bulgarian National Polytechnical Museum 01:50: A Brief History of Bulgaria 05:23: Early Bulgarian Computers 07:15: Educating Bulgarian Children 10:09: Technology Within Historical Contexts 10:52: Outro - Made possible by listeners like you. Join Club Archipelago today.
Mon, May 28, 2018
43. Blake Bradford Aims To Increase Number of Black Museum Professionals with Lincoln University Program
In episode 36 of this podcast , Bill Bradberry, Chair of the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Area Commission , described encountering the glaring lack of cultural diversity within and around the museum industry, particularly in leadership. He cited the new Museum Studies program at Lincoln University as an example of a program that addresses the problem directly. Blake Bradford is the director of that Museum Studies Program, a partnership between Lincoln University and the Barnes Foundation. In this episode, Bradford describes ways to change museum institutions that already consider themselves successful. He also talks about museums as public-facing institutions, inviting his students to think critically about how truth is established through museums, and what surprises him about his students. Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. Join Club Archipelago today to help me continue making podcasts about museums (and get some fun benefits)! Topics Discussed: 00:00: Intro 00:15: Blake Bradford 00:53: Museums Accountable to The Public 01:49: Convincing Museums to Do The Right Thing 02:24: Museum Studies Program at Lincoln University 03:20: “Safe” Diversity is Not Diversity 04:30: Critical Analysis Curriculum 07:10: Taking The Magic Out of Exhibit Production 08:36: Post-Museum Students 11:01: Outro
Mon, May 14, 2018
42. Freddi Williams Evans and Luther Gray Are Erecting Historic Markers on the Slave Trade in New Orleans
Until a few weeks ago, one of the only places in downtown New Orleans acknowledging the city’s slave-trading past was a marker in Congo Square , erected in 1997. The New Orleans Committee to Erect Historic Markers on the Slave Trade has since put up two new markers, one on the transatlantic slave trade along the Moonwalk and another on the domestic slave trade at the intersection of Esplanade Avenue and Chartres Street . Author and historian Freddi Williams Evans and activist Luther Gray are the two original co-chairs of the committee. In this episode, Evans and Gray describe New Orleans’s past as the center of the overlapping international and domestic slave trades. They also discuss their conservation efforts at Congo Square, the logistics of erecting the markers with a sankofa bird instead of a pelican at the top, and the Maafa ceremony , which will host the unveiling of these markers later this year. This episode was recorded on May 10, 2018 in New Orleans. Committee members mentioned in this episode are Guy Hughes, Leon Waters, Ibrahima Seck, Erin Greenwald, Joshua Rothman, Joyce Miller, and Midlo Hall. Steve Prince designed the logo for the transatlantic marker. Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , or Spotify to never miss an epsiode. Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. Join Club Archipelago today to help me continue making podcasts about museums (and get some fun benefits)! Guests: Freddi Williams Evans <a href="http://www.congosquarepreservationsociety.org/luthe
Mon, April 30, 2018
41. 16,000 Years at the Meadowcroft Rockshelter with David Scofield
View Shownotes As the oldest site of human habitation in North America, the Meadowcroft Rockshelter has a challenge: how to convey its mind-boggling timescale, spanning from prehistory to the 19th century? David Scofield, director of the Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village, describes how the museum is designed to connect the big changes in how people lived through 16,000 years of history. The Meadowcroft Rockshelter opens for its 50th season on May 5th, 2018. It is part of the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pennsylvania. Made possible by listeners like you. Join Club Archipelago today. Guest: David Scofield Topics Discussed 00:00: Intro 00:14: David Scofield, Director of the Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village 01:02: What Else Was Happening 16,000 Years Ago? 01:30: Discovery 04:20: Beringia 05:44: Expressing Large Timescales in Museums 08:55: Meadowcroft’s 50 Season 09:14: Outro
Mon, April 16, 2018
40. Conserving Digital Photos with Jenny Mathiasson and Kloe Rumsey
View Shownotes Jenny Mathiasson and Kloe Rumsey started The C Word: The Conservators’ Podcast to broadcast their friendly and professional discussions about conservation. Each episode features a different hot topic in the conservation world, and the podcast stands out for its hosts willingness to tackle complex topics. In this episode, the hosts discuss whether photos are data or objects, the Digitized Photograph Project at the Rwandan Genocide Memorial Centre , and museums asking people to bring in their own objects. For new listeners, Mathiasson and Rumsey recommend starting with S01E01: Demographics . Made possible by listeners like you. Join Club Archipelago today. Guests: Jenny Mathiasson Kloe Rumsey Topics Discussed: 00:00: Intro 00:15: Jenny Mathiasson and Kloe Rumsey 00:45: The Origins of The C Word Podcast 01:45: Photos As Data Or Objects 04:25: Digitized Photograph Project at the Rwandan Genocide Memorial 06:03: Privacy and Data 08:10: Queer Britain 09:00: Best C Word Podcast Episodes to Start With? 09:25: Outro
Mon, April 02, 2018
39. Hans Sloane and the Origins of the British Museum with James Delbourgo
Over the course of his long life, Hans Sloane collected tens of thousands of items which became the basis for what is today the British Museum. Funded in large part by his marriage into the enslaving plantocracy of Jamaica and the Atlantic slave trade, and aided by Britain’s rising colonial power and global reach, he assembled an encyclopedic collection of specimens and objects from all around the world. James Delbourgo , professor of History of Science and Atlantic World at Rutgers University, is the author of Collecting the World: Hans Sloane and the Origins of the British Museum . In this episode, Delbourgo describes Sloane’s formative years in Jamaica, how his collection was an attempt to catalogue the wonders and intricacies of a divine creation, and how the British Museum, which opened in 1759, came into being as a result of the terms Sloane laid down in his will. Delbourgo also discusses how Sloane’s idea of universal public access to his collections remains radical to this day. Guest: James Delbourgo Book: Collecting the World: Hans Sloane and the Origins of the British Museum Topics Discussed: 00:00: Intro 00:15: James Delbourgo 00:40: Hans Sloane 02:10: Sloane in Jamaica 02:58: Earliest Transcription of African Music in the Americas 04:21: Sloane in London 06:58: Universal Public Access at the British Museum 10:40: Admission Charges at the Metropolitan Museum of Art 11:27: Recommendation: Museums in Strange Places 12:00: Outro Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. Support Museum Archipelago🏖️ Club Archipelago offers exclusive access to Museum Archipelago extras. It’s also a great way to support the show directly. Join the Club for just $2/month. Y
Mon, March 19, 2018
38. Conservation in the 21st Century with Sanchita Balachandran
Image: Sanchita Balachandran. Photo Credit: James Rensselaer. Sanchita Balachandran , Associate Director of the Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum , hopes to see the field of conservation develop into more of a social process, rather than simply a technical one. From her 2016 talk at the American Institute for Conservation’s Annual Meeting , to teaching her students how to interrogate an object in person, to her Untold Stories project , Balachandran has thought critically about the role of conservators. In this epsiode, Balachandran talks about her early formative experiences in the field of conservation and how whether or not someone’s history is worth preserving is a deeply political decision. Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. Join Club Archipelago today to help me continue making podcasts about museums (and get some fun benefits)! Topcis Discussed: 00:00: Intro 00:14: Sanchita Balachandran 00:30: What Does a Conservator Do? 03:10: Early Formative Experiences 03:35: The Needs of Objects 05:35: Race, Diversity and Politics in Conservation: Our 21st Century Crisis 10:30: Objects vs. Data 13:03: Outro
Mon, March 05, 2018
37. The National Public Housing Museum with Robert J. Smith III
It would have been much easier to build the National Public Housing Museum from scratch instead of retrofitting it in the last remaining building of the Jane Addams Homes, the first public housing development in Chicago. But doing so would have undermined one of the core principles of the museum: that place has power. Robert J. Smith III , the associate director of the National Public Housing Museum, describes the mission of the museum as preserving, promoting, and propelling housing as a human right. In this epsiode, he describes the history of the Jane Addams Homes, how national public policy connects to the lives of public housing residents, and some ongoing decisions about what the museum will look like when it opens next year. Museum Archipelago is a fortnightly museum podcast guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums and surrounding culture. Subscribe to the podcast for free to never miss an episode. Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. Join Club Archipelago today to help me continue making podcasts about museums (and get some fun benefits)! Topics Discussed: 00:00: Intro 00:14: Robert J. Smith III 00:24: The Mission of the Museum 01:00: Preserving a Building of the Jane Addams Homes 02:18: The Chicago Housing Authority’s Plan for Transformation 03:05: Deverra Beverly 04:41: Beyond Preservation 06:25: Docent-Guided Tours 07:00: Apartment Tours 9:50: Demand the Impossible 11:05: Housing as a Human Right Transcript Below is a transcript of Museum Archipelago episode 37. Museum Archipelago is produced for the ear and the only the audio of the episode is canonical. For more information on the people and ideas in the episode, refer to the links above. View Transcript Robert Smith: Good afternoon. My name is Robert Smith and I am associate director of the National Public Housing Museum in Chicago. So the mission of the museum is to preserve, promote and propel Housing is a human right, and we do that through exhibitions, public programs and by bringing arts and culture together with public policy to create, You know, we hope for creative and lasting solutions of housing in security. The National Public Housing Museum, which is not yet open
Mon, February 19, 2018
36. The Underground Railroad in Niagara Falls with Bill Bradberry
Bill Bradberry, the President and Chairman of the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Area Commission , thinks of the entire city of Niagara Falls, NY as an open crime scene from “the crime of holding people in bondage, and the man-made crime of trying to escape.” With Canada just across the Niagara river, the Commission conducts research on the Underground Railroad as it relates to Niagara Falls and the surrounding area — for some, the last terminus in the United States. The Commission will open the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center on May 4th, 2018. Bradberry hopes that the center will show the full story, from black waiters at hotels helping enslaved people escape while serving their enslavers with duplicitous professionalism to massive brawls breaking out between abolitionists and bounty hunters. In this episode, Bradberry talks about situating previously unknown stories into our understanding of the Underground Railroad, discovering the lack of non-white faces in the museum world he has recently entered, and his plan to change that. Guest: Bill Bradberry Topics Discussed: 00:00: Intro 00:15: Bill Bradberry 01:10: The Geography of Escape 02:05: The Cataract House Hotel 04:25: John Morrison 05:10: Historical Research 06:12: Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center Opening 07:10: The Lack of Non-White Faces in the Museum World 11:11: Introducing Club Archipelago Museum Archipelago is proud to announce Club Archipelago , a new, members-only podcast that reviews interactive museum exhibits. To subscribe, support the show on Patreon .
Mon, February 05, 2018
35. Cartoons from the Museum Floor with Attendants View
Attendants View is a blog of hand-drawn, single page cartoons that capture a slice of a museum attendant’s day. The comics show confused visitors, tourists asking the same questions over and over again, and museum board members flouting the rules. The writer and illustrator behind Attendants View has been creating comics about her experiences in museums for the past seven years. About 60% of the comics are about something that has happened to her or around her personally, and the rest come from stories colleagues and others have told her. She wants anyone to feel comfortable sharing their experiences with her; for this and other reasons, she has chosen to remain anonymous for this interview. By sharing experiences through the medium of comics, Attendants View hopes to demystify various museum jobs. In this episode, Attendants View talks about her creative process, the changes in her professional role, and voluntarism in museums. To read her excellent comics, visit the Attendants View blog here .
Mon, January 22, 2018
34. Erotic Heritage Museum with Dr. Victoria Hartmann
The Las Vegas Erotic Heritage Museum is the largest erotic museum in the world. Sex scholar Dr. Victoria Hartmann has been the museum’s director since 2014, and her mission is to create a space for people to safely explore and engage the topic of human sexuality. Dr. Hartmann thinks museums too often tell the visitor what to think. She would rather use visitors’ responses to the galleries as a starting point to further discussions. At the Erotic Heritage Museum, there is a lot to react to: a statue of Donald Trump next to a galley of political, religious, and celebrity personalities connected to sex scandals; a huge collection of erotic artifacts from around the world; and a wall full of posters from the January 21st 2017 Las Vegas Women's March. In this episode, Dr. Hartmann talks about the inherently political nature of sex, exhibit development with a diverse staff in positions of authority, and what visitors imagine when they hear the word museum. Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , or Spotify to never miss an epsiode. Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. Join Club Archipelago today to help me continue making podcasts about museums (and get some fun benefits)!
Mon, January 08, 2018
33. Icelandic Museums with Hannah Hethmon
Iceland has many more museums per person than the UK and the US. The country is also in the middle of a massive tourism boom: there are several times more tourists than residents. Hannah Hethmon , an American museum professional and Fulbright Fellow living in Reykjavík, was interested in this abundance of museums and the nature of museum tourism in Iceland. Her Fulbright project is the podcast Museums in Strange Places , which explores these and other Icelandic museum topics. In each episode, Hannah brings listeners through a different museum through the stories of the people who work there. In this episode, Hannah talks about what the tourist boom means for Icelandic museums, what makes museums on this island unique, and what is next for her podcast. For new listeners, Hannah recommends starting with episode 3: A Writer’s Home . Guest: Hannah Hethmon Topics Discussed: 00:00: Intro 00:15: Hannah Hethmon & Museums in Strange Places 03:25: Tourist Boom in Iceland 05:40: Icelandic Museums Serving Locals and Tourists 08:40: Why Podcasting? 10:05: Giving the Project its Boundaries 11:30: Where Should People Start with Museums in Strange Places?
Mon, December 25, 2017
32. What a Museum on the Moon Might Look Like With Michelle Hanlon
Image: The Lower Half of the Apollo 17 Lunar Lander in a debris field in the Taurus–Littrow valley. This view was captured minutes after the last humans left the moon and it would look exactly the same today. What humans left behind on the moon are part of our human heritage, on par with Laetoli and Lascaux . Unlike human heritage sites on earth, the lunar landing sites are pristine, completely untouched by natural erosion or human disruption. But the lunar landing sites are also unprotected. On earth, protecting heritage sites is a national affair: countries nominate sites within their own territory to be recognized by UNESCO. Sites on the moon are technically nobody’s territory , so no country can nominate the landing sites, including the six Apollo bases. The people behind For All Moonkind are designing the legal framework to protect and preserve these human heritage sites. Today, we talk with Michelle Hanlon , a space lawyer who volunteers with For All Moonkind, about what it will take to protect these sites them for future generations -- and speculate about what a lunar museum might look like. Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. Join Club Archipelago today to help me continue making podcasts about museums (and get some fun benefits)! Topics and Links 00:00: Welcome to Museum Archipelago 00:14: The Lunar Liftoff of Apollo 17 02:10: Induction to Michelle Hanlon 03:00: For All Moonkind 04:10: Protecting Heritage Sites on Earth 05:42: Outer Space Treaty 06:50: Apollo Landing Sites Today 08:45: Proposals for Lunar Museums 11:30: What Story Should Lunar Museums Tell?
Mon, December 11, 2017
31. Habemus with Romina Frontini & Christian Díaz
Habemus is a Spanish-language radio program about museum topics broadcasting out of Bahía Blanca, Argentina. Every Friday from 9 to 11pm, team members interview museum people and promote an ideology of fun and hacks in museums. The title is a play on words — linking the Spanish word “museos” with the Latin verb “we have.” Since the show is on a popular radio station, Habemus team members Romina Frontini and Christian Díaz say it’s up to them to introduce museum topics to a general audience. In this episode, Romina Frontini and Christian Díaz talk about their project and their ideologies. After listening to this podcast, you can stream their program at http://www.urbana939.com.ar .
Mon, November 06, 2017
30. Visitors of Color with Dr. Porchia Moore
Dr. Porchia Moore , Inclusion Catalyst at the Columbia Museum of Art , started Visitors of Color with nikhil trivedi in 2015. Visitors of Color is a Tumblr project that documents the perspectives and experiences of marginalized people in museums. It is a record of what the museum experience can be like for people who are often discussed but whose voices are rarely privileged, people that don’t feel welcome in museums, and people that don’t feel like nearby museum spaces are for them. In this episode, Dr. Moore discusses the Museum Computer Network conference where the project launched, the museum-visiting habits of freshmen at a Historically Black College, and how Visitors of Color has been received by the wider museum community. Special thanks to Dr. Moore for taking the time for the interview. Guest: Dr. Porchia Moore Topics Discussed: 00:00: Intro 00:14: Dr. Porchia Moore 00:36: “A Librarian Who Studies Museums” 01:11: Survey of College Freshmen 03:43: Visitors of Color Launch 06:35: Gathering Stories for Visitors of Color 07:30: Visitors of Color as a Counternarrative Project 08:45: The Power of Museums as Cultural Heritage Institutions 09:45: Response from Institutions Across the Country
Mon, October 23, 2017
29. A Digital Approach to Museum Maps
Image: An example of a digital mapping tool, Mapbox Studio Classic. Everything happens at a time and a place. In a museum, that coordinate system can help keep a story straight, even if it is not at the forefront of a gallery. And when designing maps for museums, we should keep in mind how humanistic digital tools are — and how helpful they can be to museum visitors. We should pay close attention to mental map matching. Museum visitors have a sense of geography marked by their own lived experiences. What feels like an important city landmark to one person isn’t even on the radar for another. To account for this, museums should approach maps in the same way that an online mapping service does: by making rules about what categories of landmarks appear at different zoom levels, and then letting the software take over. With the help of digital tools, we can work toward a map that draws on a hierarchy of categories instead of our personal experience.
Mon, October 09, 2017
28. Leaving the Museum Field with Marieke Van Damme
Executive Director of the Cambridge Historical Society Marieke Van Damme affectionately calls anyone working in the museum field “Museum People.” On her excellent podcast of the same name, she interviews museum people every episode. Many museum people are museum workers. In 2016, together with other noted museum professionals (Sarah Erdman, Claudia Ocello and Dawn Estabrooks Salerno), Marieke asked why museum workers leave the field. Last month, they published a summary of the findings titled, Leaving the Museum Field . As Marieke explains, she always knew that working in the museum field is hard. Museum workers face difficult conditions, and some of the very same things that make working in the museum field desirable (passion for the mission) contribute to the bad (discriminatory societal and economic systems, student loans, intense job competition). Marieke has had countless conversation that begin, “I love working in museums, but I don’t think I can do it anymore because of [insert reason here]”. Leaving the Museum Field is now the most-viewed article on the AAM Alliance blog since it launched a year ago. Through her research, Marieke tries to better understand the difficult conditions museum workers face. Though her projects like Joyful Museums , she provides resources and writings about creating a positive workplace culture. Guest: Marieke Van Damme Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. Help me continue making podcasts about museums (and get some fun benefits) by joining Club Archipelago today!
Mon, September 11, 2017
27. Yo, Museum Professionals
Yo, museum professionals: exhibitions aimed at kids should not include interactive screens in galleries. You're undermining your mission! — Jody Rosen (@jodyrosen) September 4, 2017 Notably missing from discussions like these is a willingness to defend the interactive screen. The defense is simple: concepts that museums are tasked with teaching aren’t tangible anymore. Today’s students learn complex concepts that kids weren’t exposed to a generation ago. Even basic knowledge of science today requires a deep understanding of systems and ecosystems and how they interact at different scales. Interactive screens provide the conceptual tools, like rescaling and simulation, that help with that understanding. In this episode, I describe how an interactive screen can teach global climate change in ways an object can’t. Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. Join Club Archipelago today to help me continue making podcasts about museums (and get some fun benefits)!
Mon, August 28, 2017
26. Arab American National Museum with Devon Akmon
Image: Arab American National Museum photo by knightfoundation CC BY-SA 2.0. Before the Arab American National Museum opened in Dearborn, MI in 2005, there wasn’t a singular museum telling the Arab American story. The museum defines the Arab World as 22 countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Southeast Michigan has the highest concentration of people from the Arab World in North America, and much of the social, religious, cultural, and commercial enterprises are centered in Dearborn. In this episode, museum director Devon Akmon describes the process of using arts and culture as a mechanism to build greater community and to share the complexities of the stories with the wider public. Devon also talks about how his institution relates to other museums on issues of equity and justice. Subscribe to Museum Archipelago for free to never miss an episode. Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. Join Club Archipelago today for $2 to help me continue making podcasts about museums (and get some fun benefits)! Guest: Devon Akmon Topics Discussed: 00:00: Intro 00:15: Devon Akmon, Director of the Arab American National Museum 00:45: Why Dearborn, MI? 02:53: Displacement in the Arab World 03:30: Using Arts to Build Community 04:04: Building the Museum 05:07: Exhibitions and Space 06:40: Feedback Mechanisms 07:35: Different Audiences 10:01: Talking to Other Museums
Mon, July 17, 2017
25. The Museum of Socialist Art in Sofia, Bulgaria is Figuring Out What to Do With All the Lenins
After the fall of communism in Bulgaria in 1989, statues of Bulgarian communist leaders, idealized revolutionary workers, and Lenins were taken down all over the county. Some of these statues are now in the Museum of Socialist Art in Sofia. Bulgaria doesn’t have a history museum that explores its communist past. The Museum of Socialist Art doesn’t fill that void, exactly: it is an extension of the Bulgarian National Gallery of Art. In this episode, museum director Nikolai Ushtavaliiski and art historian Elitsa Terzieva talk about organizing the past by focusing on art. The outdoor sculpture garden, above, is unorganized, with statues placed wherever there is room. The indoor galleries, by contrast, are organized by exhibitions exploring specific themes. Even though the museum stays as far away from politics as possible by focusing on the art, these exhibitions provide the framework to start interpreting the era. At some point, there will be a museum that explores the communist era in Bulgaria, but until then this collection of artwork gives you a lot to think about. Links Museum of Socialist Art in Sofia Mythologems of the Heroic Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. This Episode was recorded at the Museum of Socialist Art in Sofia, Bulgaria on July 6th, 2017. Unlock Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. It offers exclusive access to Museum Archipelago extras. It’s also a great way to support the show directly. Join the Club for just $2/month. Your Club Archipelago membership includes: Access to a private podcast that guides you further behind the scenes of museums. Hear interviews, observations, and reviews that don’t make it into the main show; Archipelago at the Movies 🎟️</str
Mon, July 03, 2017
24. College Hill and the International Slave Trade Walking Tour with Elon Cook
Elon Cook created the College Hill and the International Slave Trade Walking Tour in Providence after researching the crucial and massive role that Rhode Island played in the history of slavery. The walking tour covers an an area of about one square mile in and around Brown University. Here, wealth and stability were created off of the buying and selling of enslaved people in Rhode Island and elsewhere. The built landscape of Providence serves as a museum without walls, and Elon considers each of the stops on the tour to be a different mini-exhibition. In this episode, Cook talks about creating the walking tour, the glossing over of local history, and tracing her ancestors’ genealogy before the 1860s. Elon Cook is the program manager and curator for the Center for Reconciliation , a non-profit focused on educating the public about the United States’ history of slavery, slave trading and resistance. This episode was recorded immediately after a walking tour on June 22nd, 2017. Tickets to the next walking tour on July 14, 2017 can be found here . Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , or Spotify to never miss an epsiode. Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. Join Club Archipelago today to help me continue making podcasts about museums (and get some fun benefits)! Topics Discussed: 00:00: Intro 00:14: Elon Cook, Program Director and Curator at the Center for Reconciliation 00:40: Slavery in Maryland and Local Education 01:50: Learning Rhode Island’s Role in the International Slave Trade 03:10: The Way Slavery is Taught 05:10: The First Walking Tour 06:00: Future Museum 07:00: Using the Built Landscape of Providence as an Exhibition 08:15: Genealogy Before the 1860s Transcript Below is a transcript of Museum Archipelago episode 24. Museum Archipelago is produced for the ear and the only the audio of the episode is canonical. For more informatio
Mon, June 05, 2017
23. Museum-Metro Station Hybrids
Image: An early rendering of the Serdika station in Sofia, Bulgaria, displaying Roman ruins on the first level underneath the street. During the planning stages for the Sofia Metro in Bulgaria, ruins of an old Roman fortress and city wall were discovered at the network’s proposed Serdika station . This wasn’t a surprise. People have been living in what is now Sofia for at least 4,000 years, and when you dig a tunnel, you’re bound to find something. The agendas of archaeologists and metro builders are often contradictory. Metro builders want to proceed quickly, while archaeological examination can be extremely time consuming. After the construction finished, however, Serdika station resolved these differences into a museum-metro station hybrid. Serdika station is just one example of this museum-metro station hybrid. Metro systems in cities like Mexico City, Istanbul, and Rome have stations featuring artifacts unearthed during their construction. Museum Archipelago tries to make sense of these museum-like spaces. Links: Problems of Cultural Monuments' Preservation Connected with the Construction of the Sofia Underground MISC | Archaeology & Subways
Mon, May 15, 2017
22. Guide Training at Akagera National Park with Lisa Brochu
I met interpretive planner Lisa Brochu in Akagara National Park in Rwanda. I was there as a tourist, and she was there as a guide trainer. Lisa’s teaching stresses that the best way to communicate with the visiting public is by having strong, central theme. At Akagara National Park, park-employed and community freelance guides are the ones doing that communication. By working with them, Lisa hopes visitors’ experience in Akegara will stick with them longer. Lisa teaches that instead of rattling off a list of facts, guides should bundle them together with a strong, central theme. Repeating the theme throughout the tour builds an emotional connection that standalone facts don’t. In this episode, Lisa explains the importance of “going beyond the wow,” particularly for institutions like Akagara that have plenty of cool experiences to offer visitors. The “wow” doesn’t last, but a good theme will leave visitors with something to reflect on afterwards and then hopefully stimulate the visitor to make to make a commitment to the park’s conservation. Guest: Lisa Brochu
Mon, May 01, 2017
21. Apollo 11 Historic Site
Even before I started working in the museum field, I was thinking about the future museum at the Apollo 11 landing site at Tranquility Base on the moon. The site is special. No matter how the human experiment turns out, the site will represent the first step off earth. Now Tranquility Base is a pile of historical artifacts in their original context. Even the astronauts' footprints in the delicate, powder-like dust of the lunar surface are still there. How should we treat this well-preserved historic site? What will the museum at the site have to say to future visitors, all of whom took the same journey as the Apollo 11 astronauts?Museum Archipelago has some ideas (and more questions). Subscribe to Museum Archipelago for free to never miss an episode! Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. Join Club Archipelago today to help me continue making podcasts about museums (and get some fun benefits)!
Tue, April 18, 2017
20. Universal Design at the White House Visitor Center with Sherril York
Dr. Sherril York , executive director of the National Center on Accessibility , was part of the team that renovated the White House Visitor Center in 2012. Design priorities included making the experience accessible for all visitors. The new visitor center features raised line floor plans, tactile 3D models, and physical directional keys adjacent to touchscreens. In this episode, based on her case study for the fall 2015 issue of the Exhibitionist , Dr. York describes the process of working on alternative navigation methods, explains the difference between accessability and universal design, and underscores the importance of not thinking about accessibility and universal design as an afterthought. Guests: Dr. Sherril York Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , or Spotify to never miss an epsiode.
Mon, April 03, 2017
19. Remembering the Rwandan Genocide Against the Tutsi at the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre
When the Kigali Genocide Memorial was first built in 1999, it was a burial site outside the Rwandan capitol city for thousands of victims of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide Against the Tutsi. Rwandans came to visit the final resting place of friends and family. Today, the city has expanded to envelop the memorial, which has also expanded to include a museum and archive. We talk with Honoré Gatera, the manager of the memorial, about what the center means to the city and country in 2017 and why a museum is the right medium for the center. This podcast was recorded at the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre on March 24th, 2017. Subscribe to Museum Archipelago for free to never miss an epsiode . Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. Join Club Archipelago today to help me continue making podcasts about museums (and get some fun benefits)! Guests: Honoré Gatera Topics Discussed: 00:00: Intro 00:14: Honoré Gatera, Manager of the Memorial 01:00: Burial Site 01:45: Visitor Experience / Opening Film 04:00: Individual Stories Lead to Community Stories 04:50: Video Is In Two Parts 05:25: Pre-Colonial Period 07:10: Why is a Museum the Right Medium to Tell the Story? 09:06: School Groups / Educational Outreach 11:07: Photographs in the Museum 13:00: Genocide Archive
Mon, February 27, 2017
18. Maps and the 20th Century at the British Library
Image: Two propaganda maps at the Maps and the 20th Century exhibit at the British Library. The Maps and the 20th Century exhibit at the British Library is quick to get to central theme of the exhibition: in order to understand a map, you must understand how and why it was made. Maps are not neutral. In a museum context, however, it can be tempting to present a map as the source of truth. Topics Discussed: 00:00: Intro 00:14: Maps in Museums 01:08: Limiting the Gallery to the 20th Century 01:45: “Global North” 02:15: Propaganda Maps and Globes 02:40: German Map of European immigrants living in the US Links: Maps and the 20th Century: Drawing the Line
Mon, February 06, 2017
17. Entertainment and History at Disney's America
Image: A Civil War-era village that would have served as the hub of Disney's America. Image (c) Disney In 1994, Disney was hard at work on a new theme park called Disney's America. The park, which would open in Virginia not far from Washington DC, would showcase the “sweep of American History.” Confident and enthusiastic, Disney executives were walking a tightrope between entertainment and history. Topics Discussed: 00:00: Intro 00:14: Disney's America 00:37: "The Complexity of the American Experience" 01:24: Themed Lands at the Magic Kingdom 01:50: Themed Lands at Disney's America 03:10: "Serious Fun" 03:50: Courtland Milloy 05:10: Theme Park Design 05:50: Marc Davis Links: DISNEY SAYS VA. PARK WILL BE SERIOUS FUN - The Washington Post HELPING DISNEY, HURTING AMERICA? SLAVERY IS NOT AMUSING Disney Avenue: Imagineers Remember Creating Pirates of the Caribbean Passport to Dreams Old & New: Marc Davis
Mon, January 16, 2017
16. Visitation Trends at the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Seminole Indian Museum
The Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Seminole Indian Museum is commemorating three anniversaries in 2017: the 200-year anniversary of the first attack of the Seminole War, the 60th anniversary of federal recognition of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and the 20th anniversary of the opening of the museum . Carrie Dilley, Visitor Services and Development Manager at the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki museum, compiles data collected from visitors. Last year, she discovered that visitors from one third of countries visited the museum , including a surprising number of Europeans. In this episode, Carrie discusses possible reasons behind the visitation numbers, some museum goals for the next year, and Seminole history. Topics Discussed: 00:00: Intro 00:14: Carrie Dilley 00:48: Three anniversaries in 2017 03:30: Overall Visitation Numbers 04:44: What a Wonderful World Blog Post 05:25: Why the interest from Europe in general and Germany in particular? 07:30: Museum guides in multiple languages 08:00: How much do Europeans know about general American history? 10:30: New exhibits on the way Guest: Carrie Dilley , Visitor Services and Development Manager at the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki museum.
Mon, January 02, 2017
15. Tamar Avishai's The Lonely Palette
The Lonely Palette is the best museum podcast out there. Host Tamar Avishai wants to make art more accessible and to help people feel more comfortable talking about what they see in museums. She uses her experience as a Spotlight Lecturer at the Museum of Fine Art in Boston as a jumping off point for her relaxed and unconventional approach to art history. Topics discussed: 00:00 Intro 00:16 Tamar Avishai 00:29 The Lonely Palette 01:26 Museum education as a recent addition to the museum experience 02:04 Museum education making visitors feel welcome 02:49 Spotlight lectures at the MFA 04:14 A tour nobody asked for 06:05 The intro, by museum guests, in the Lonely Palette 10:10 The problem with audio guides Guest: Tamar Avishai
Mon, December 12, 2016
14. Early Interpretive Planning at the National Museum of African American History and Culture
Image: Guard tower from Camp H at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola at the National Museum Of African American History And Culture The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) opened in September 2016. Today we will talk to some of the people who were thinking about the museum in 2007. Sara Smith and Andrew Anway were part of the Interpretive Planing team. They discuss NMAAHC director Lonnie Bunch's guiding principals for the museum as a whole, trips to other museums during the planning process, and the mission to show that what is happening in culture today is rooted in the past. Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. Join Club Archipelago today to help me continue making podcasts about museums (and get some fun benefits)! Topcis Discussed: 00:00: Intro 00:30: Sara Smith and Andy Anway 01:12: National Museum of the American Indian 02:59: Guiding Principles of NMAAHC 06:59: Guard tower from Camp H at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola 08:50: Where in History Does the Museum Start? 09:44: The Museum Today 11:24: Getting The Museum Built
Thu, June 23, 2016
13. Museums at a Crossroads with Rainey Tisdale
Curator Rainey Tisdale sees two possible futures for museums: they play a more interdisciplinary role for their audiences or keep going down the same path they're on, becoming less and less relevant each year. Why should it be the job of the museum to enter the domain of other traditional institutions? And how can museums engage the public in new ways? By bringing together brain, body and spirit. Notes: - City Stories - @raineytisdale
Tue, May 24, 2016
12. Dead Bodies in Museums Part 2
Image: Lenin's mausoleum, Moscow. CC by Veni The American Association of Museums (AAM) has this to say about human remains in its code of ethics: “The unique and special nature of human remains and funerary and sacred objects is recognized as the basis of all decisions concerning such collections collections-related activities promote the public good rather than individual financial gain.” When AAM uses the word “special,” it means that every instance of a dead body is special, not a special body from a special person. What is different about displaying the everyman? In the second half of this two part series about dead bodies, we look at how cultures view their own dead from museums to mausoleums. We explore the Body Worlds exhibits, which bring visitors face-to-face with dozens of dead bodies, all identifying markers removed. We also discuss a landfill in Staten Island, where much of the sorting of museum artifacts and human remains from rubble took place after the September 11 attacks. NOTES: Give Me My Father's Body: The Life of Minik, the New York Eskimo Regarding the Dead: Human Remains in the British Museum - The British Museum creates guidelines for displaying dead bodies. Code of Ethics for Museums - AAM
Fri, April 22, 2016
11. Dead Bodies in Museums Part 1
Image: A rendering of Minik in the New York World When Robert Peary brought six Inuits from Greenland back from his Arctic expedition, they landed in the care of the American Museum of Natural History. Among these people were an eight year old boy named Minik and his father Qisuk. After Qisuk became ill and died, the museum staged a fake burial and put his remains in the museum as artifacts. This is part one of a two-part series on dead bodies in museums. NOTES: Give Me My Father's Body: The Life of Minik, the New York Eskimo - The work on which most of this episode is based. Regarding the Dead: Human Remains in the British Museum - The British Museum creates guidelines for displaying dead bodies. American Experience . Minik, The Lost Eskimo | PBS
Mon, April 04, 2016
10. Framework For Engaging with Art
At an art museum, would you rather listen to a detailed guided tour or just enjoy the art without any interpretative support? Are you more comfortable visiting with a friend, or do you prefer being in a group of interested strangers? The Dallas Museum of Art has determined that visitors fall into one of four clusters, based on their preferred learning styles. While she was director of the museum, Bonnie Pitman applied the results of the survey to make the museum more engaging to all types of visitors. In this episode, we take a look at the four clusters, analyze the study, and talk to Bonnie Pitman. Notes: Ignite the Power of Art: Advancing Visitor Engagement in Museums (Dallas Museum of Art Publications) by Bonnie Pitman and Ellen Hirzy Dallas Museum of Art: Home Dallas Museum of Art on Twitter Framework for Engaging with Art | Dallas Museum of Art
Fri, March 11, 2016
9. The Museum Selfie with Dustin Growick
Dustin Growick is in charge of audience development and the team lead for science at Museum Hack . Growick and Museum Hack treat a museum as a platform to build something more personal and fun. One of the tools that they use to make it more personal and fun is the museum selfie. The theory is that taking selfies is easy way to put yourself literally and figuratively in the context of the museum. In this this episode, Growick discusses the philosophy (as well as some dos and don'ts) of museum selfies. Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. Unlock Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. It offers exclusive access to Museum Archipelago extras. It’s also a great way to support the show directly. Join the Club for just $2/month. Your Club Archipelago membership includes: Access to a private podcast that guides you further behind the scenes of museums. Hear interviews, observations, and reviews that don’t make it into the main show; Archipelago at the Movies 🎟️ , a bonus bad-movie podcast exclusively featuring movies that take place at museums; Logo stickers , pins and other extras, mailed straight to your door; A warm feeling knowing you’re supporting the podcast. Transcript Below is a transcript of Museum Archipelago episode 9. Museum Archipelago is produced for the ear, and only the audio of the episode is canonical. For more information on the people and ideas in the episode, refer to the links above. View Transcript Welcome to Museum archipelago. I'm Ian Elsner. Museum Archipelago guides you through the rocky landscape of muse
Wed, February 10, 2016
8. Calatrava and the Museum Icon
This week, we visit two museum works by architect Santiago Calatrava : the Prince Felipe Museum of Science in Valencia, Spain and the Milwaukee Art Museum in Milwaukee, USA. Both museums look nothing like the museum icon on maps and in mapping programs. Do these facades have anything to say about about what the museum icon might look like in 50 years? Do these buildings even make good museums? Correction: This episode misidentifies the Milwaukee Art Museum as the Milwaukee Public Museum. Notes: Santiago Calatrava - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia City of Arts and Sciences - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Milwaukee Art Museum | Museum Info
Wed, January 27, 2016
7. What Happens to Dead Amusement Parks?
Most of the time, nothing. This week, special guest Carole Sanderson of the National Roller Coaster Museum and Archives describes the process and challenges of documenting the entertainment industry. Notes: Six Flags New Orleans - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia National Roller Coaster Museum: Welcome Matterhorn Bobsleds - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Special thanks to Carole Sanderson
Thu, October 01, 2015
6. Muzeiko
Until Muzeiko opened in Sofia, Bulgaria on October 1st 2015, there were no children’s museums in the Balkans. One of the reasons for the lack of children’s museums was a cultural attitude towards childhood education during communist times, according to Vessela Gercheva, the Programs and Exhibits Director for Muzeiko. In this episode, Museum of Museums visits Muzeiko to find a shifting attitude towards children's education. Notes: Muzeiko - Official Site A Children’s Museum Comes to Bulgaria - NYT
Fri, July 24, 2015
5. StalinWorld
Image: Monika Bernotas and her family interact with statues of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin that were previously located in the cities of Lithuania at Grutas park. Go to the central square of any Soviet influenced country like Lithuania, and you will find empty pedestals. The pedestals used hold monuments to Soviet leaders. Where there once were statues of Lenin and Stalin, you now find overgrown bushes and pop-up cell phone stores. Where are the statues now? In Lithuania, they are in a pseudo-theme park called Grūtas Park or, unofficially, Stalin World. With special guest Monika Bernotas . Notes and Links: Grutas Park and the Fate of Soviet Statuary in Lithuania Grūtas Park - Wikipedia Music composed by Adam Emanon from his album for rest (2008) . Used under a Creative Commons licence.
Wed, May 27, 2015
4. Bison Hunt on Horseback
Built in 1966, the Bison Hunt on Horseback diorama at the Milwaukee Public Museum is a throwback to an older style of exhibit, without projectors or screens. In this epsiode, Dr. Ellen Censky, Senior Vice President and Academic Dean at the Milwaukee Public Museum, talks about the diorama and modern exhibit design. Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , or Spotify to never miss an epsiode.
Tue, May 05, 2015
3. Museum Authority in a World of User-Generated Content with Seb Chan
As one of the nation's most-trusted category of institutions, museums project an enormous amount of authority over their subject matter. In this episode, Seb Chan, Director of Digital & Emerging Technologies at Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, talks about the ways that museums can share that authority with museum visitors comfortable with a less top-down approach to authority. For discussions on how museum's got to amass so much authority, stay tuned to Museum Archipelago. Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. Unlock Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. It offers exclusive access to Museum Archipelago extras. It’s also a great way to support the show directly. Join the Club for just $2/month. Your Club Archipelago membership includes: Access to a private podcast that guides you further behind the scenes of museums. Hear interviews, observations, and reviews that don’t make it into the main show; Archipelago at the Movies 🎟️ , a bonus bad-movie podcast exclusively featuring movies that take place at museums; Logo stickers , pins and other extras, mailed straight to your door; A warm feeling knowing you’re supporting the podcast. Transcript Below is a transcript of Museum Archipelago episode 3. Museum Archipelago is produced for the ear, and only the audio of the episode is canonical. For more information on the people and ideas in the episode, refer to the links above. View Transcript [Intro] When we walk into a museum, we trust that the objects laid out across the table are done so with some expertise. Who gets to decide where those objects go? In a school, the teacher is the authority. In a household, the parent might be the authority. An
Wed, April 15, 2015
2. Labels
Early 20th century cartoons showed exhausted visitors craning their necks to read labels and stopping over to examine artifacts. What's the story 100 years later? Topics and Links Exhibit Labels: An Interpretive Approach by Beverly Serrell MUSEUM FATIGUE, 1928, JAMA Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , or Spotify to never miss an epsiode.
Fri, April 03, 2015
1. Lobby
The lobby is where you transform from an ordinary person into a museum visitor. In this first episode of Museum Archipelago, host Ian Elsner introduces the show and describes the transformative power of the museum lobby. Topics Discussed: The British Museum by J. Mordaunt Crook The museum foyer as a transformative space of communication by Ditte Laursen, Erik Kristiansen, and Kirsten Drotner . Museum Archipelago is a tiny show guiding you through the rocky landscape of museums. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple Podcasts , Google Podcasts , Overcast , Spotify , or even email to never miss an episode. Unlock Club Archipelago 🏖️ If you like episodes like this one, you’ll love Club Archipelago. It offers exclusive access to Museum Archipelago extras. It’s also a great way to support the show directly. Join the Club for just $2/month. Your Club Archipelago membership includes: Access to a private podcast that guides you further behind the scenes of museums. Hear interviews, observations, and reviews that don’t make it into the main show; Archipelago at the Movies 🎟️ , a bonus bad-movie podcast exclusively featuring movies that take place at museums; Logo stickers , pins and other extras, mailed straight to your door; A warm feeling knowing you’re supporting the podcast. Transcript Below is a transcript of Museum Archipelago episode 1. Museum Archipelago is produced for the ear and the only the audio of the episode is canonical. For more information on the people and ideas in the episode, refer to the links above. View Transcript Welcome to Museum Archipelago. I’m Ian Elsner. Museum Archipelago guides you through the rocky landscape of museums. Each e

Museum Archipelago

110. Revisiting The ‘Enola Gay Fiasco’ Today

109. The Rise and Fall of Enterprise Square, USA

108. The Museum of Utopia and Daily Life

107. Crypto and Museums Part 1

106. Last Call on 'The Streets of Old Milwaukee'

105. Building a Better Visitor Experience with Open Source Software

104. What Large Institutions Can Learn From Small Museums

103. How Computers Transformed Museums and Created A New Type of Professional

102. Copies in Museums

101. Buzludzha Always Centered Visitor Experience. Dora Ivanova is Using Its Structure to Create a New One.

100. The Archipelago Museum

99. Museums in Video Games

98. At the Panama Canal Museum, Ana Elizabeth González Creates a Global Connection Point

97. Richard Nixon Hoped to Never Say These Words about Apollo 11. In A New Exhibit, He Does.

96. Tegan Kehoe Explores American Healthcare Through 50 Museum Artifacts

95. The Museum of Technology in Helsinki, Finland Knows Even the Most Futuristic Technology Will One Day Be History

94. Jazz Dottin Guides Viewers Through Massachusetts’s Buried Black History

93. Bulgaria’s Narrow Gauge Railway Winds Through History. Ivan Pulevski Helped Turn One of Its Station Stops Into a Museum.

92. The Pleven Panorama Museum Transports Visitors Through Time, But Not Space

91. How Fake Museums Are Used in Theme Parks with Shaelyn Amaio

90. Civil Rights Progress Isn't Linear. The Grove Museum Interprets Tallahassee's Struggle in an Unexpected Setting.

89. Tehmina Goskar Critically Engages with Curation, Wherever It Happens

88. Jérôme Blachon Collects and Transmits Precious Memories at the Museum of Resistance and Deportation in Haute-Garonne, France

87. The Vitosha Bear Museum Lives in a Tiny Mountain Hut

86. Nashid Madyun Fights the Compression of Black History at the Meek-Eaton Black Archives

85. The John G. Riley House is All That Remains of Smokey Hollow. Althemese Barnes Turned It Into a Museum on Tallahassee’s Black History

84. On Richmond’s Transformed Monument Avenue, A Group of Historians Erect Rogue Historical Markers

83. Chris Newell Forges The Snowshoe Path as the First Wabanaki Leader of the Abbe Museum

82. Statues and Museums

81. Living History in a Pandemic at Old Sturbridge Village

80. British Museum Curator Sushma Jansari Shares Stories and Experiments of Decolonising Museums

79. The Future of Hands-On Museum Exhibits with Paul Orselli

78. How Museums Present Public Health with Raven Forest Fruscalzo

77. Trump Asks, “Who's Next?” Lyra Monteiro Answers, Washington’s Next!

76. 400 Years Post-Mayflower, the Provincetown Museum Rethinks Its Historical Branding

75. Museduino: Using Open Source Hardware to Power Museum Exhibits

74. 'Houston, We Have A Restoration' with Sandra Tetley

73. Sanchita Balachandran Shifts the Framework for Conservation with Untold Stories

72. ‘Speechless: Different by Design’ Reframes Accessibility and Communication in a Museum Context

71. Assessing Curatorial Work for Social Justice With Elena Gonzales

70. The Gabrovo Museum of Humor Bolsters Its Legacy of Political Satire Post-Communism

69. Soviet Spacecraft in the American Heartland: The Story of the Kansas Cosmosphere

68. The Akomawt Educational Initiative Forges a Snowshoe Path to Indigenize Museums

67. Cité de l'Espace Celebrates Apollo Day from the Middle of the Space Race

66. From ‘Extinct Monsters’ to ‘Deep Time’: A History of the Smithsonian Fossil Hall

65. Sarah Nguyen Helps Fight Digital Decay with Preserve This Podcast

64. Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Atlantis Experience Is Part Museum, Part Themed Attraction

63. Sex and Death Are on Display at The Museum of Old and New Art

62. David Gough Reclaims Stewardship of Tiagarra for Aboriginal Tasmanians

61. Jody Steele Centers the Convict Women of Tasmania's Penal Colonies at the Female Factory

60. Stephanie Cunningham on the Creation and Growth of Museum Hue

59. Faith Displayed As Science: How Creationists Co-opted Museums with Julie Garcia

58. Joe Galliano Fills In The UK’s Family Tree At The Queer Britain Museum

57. The Colored Conventions Project Resurrects Disremembered History With Denise Burgher, Jim Casey, Gabrielle Foreman, & Many Others

56. Lana Pajdas Trains Her ‘Fun Museums’ Lens to Croatian Heritage Sites, From The Battle of Vukovar to Over-Tourism in Dubrovnik

55. Barbara Hicks-Collins Is Turning Her Family Home Into the Bogalusa Civil Rights Museum

54. Buzludzha Is Deteriorating. Brian Muthaliff Wants To Turn It Into A Winery.

53. Tribal Historic Preservation Office Helps Students Map Seminole Life for the Ah-tah-thi-ki Museum

52. Paula Santos Dives Into The "How" of Museum Work on Cultura Conscious

51. Yulina Mihaylova Presents a Moral Lesson at the Sofia Jewish Museum of History

50. Allison Sansone Connects Writers and Readers at the American Writers Museum

49. Deyana Kostova Centers ‘The Little Man’ in War at the Bulgarian National Museum of Military History

48. Museums Are Really Sensitive To Critique. Palace Shaw & Ariana Lee Decided They Don’t Care.

47. Buzludzha is Deteriorating. Dora Ivanova Wants To Turn It Into A Museum.

46. Vessela Gercheva Directs Playful Exhibits at Bulgaria’s First Children’s Museum

45. Margaret Middleton Designs Museum Exhibits for All Ages

44. Vassil Makarinov Presents Technology and History at the Bulgarian Polytechnical Museum

43. Blake Bradford Aims To Increase Number of Black Museum Professionals with Lincoln University Program

42. Freddi Williams Evans and Luther Gray Are Erecting Historic Markers on the Slave Trade in New Orleans

41. 16,000 Years at the Meadowcroft Rockshelter with David Scofield

40. Conserving Digital Photos with Jenny Mathiasson and Kloe Rumsey

39. Hans Sloane and the Origins of the British Museum with James Delbourgo

38. Conservation in the 21st Century with Sanchita Balachandran

37. The National Public Housing Museum with Robert J. Smith III

36. The Underground Railroad in Niagara Falls with Bill Bradberry

35. Cartoons from the Museum Floor with Attendants View

34. Erotic Heritage Museum with Dr. Victoria Hartmann

33. Icelandic Museums with Hannah Hethmon

32. What a Museum on the Moon Might Look Like With Michelle Hanlon