Get documents about "Power _ Predicament of Historic Houses_ History New Spring10
Description
Series of articles about the house museums
Document Sample
The Power and
Bill Hosley
Predicament of Historic Sites
By David A. Janssen, Bill Hosely, and Ron M. Potvin
Left: Little Falls Historical Society Museum, Little Falls, NY; Right: Wyman Tavern Museum, Historical Society of Cheshire County, Keene, NH.
H
istoric sites landscape of economic recession and demographic shifts.1
Megan Callewaert
At a grassroots level, the work required to preserve and
are in an share thousands of sites across the nation is personal and
era of self- emotional. It is often fueled by two main objectives: 1) A
reflection. While many focus on preservation for preservation’s sake and 2) A Field of
Dreams faith that if you save it, they will come. The first pre-
individual institutions struggle
sumes that a site’s continued existence is enough to motivate
to fund- or friend-raise, support, regardless of how it otherwise delivers on its poten-
David A. Janssen
there is a broader need to tial. The second relies on a heritage tourism model that is
reconsider, articulate, and affirm their role. The not working for most sites.
Historic site leaders cannot afford such passivity; nor can
essays that follow respond to that crisis of identity.
we presume that a site’s worth to a community is evident.
One mounts a defense; the other proposes a We must earn the continued existence of our historic re-
philosophical shift. Considered together, they raise sources by looking hard at the benefit they offer.
important questions about the very purpose of a
historic house museum, the experience it provides, The Experience
The stereotypical historic site product is a guided tour. In
and its best chances for survival. the hands of strong interpreters, there is clearly educational
Inspired by the U.S. bicentennial of 1976, seemingly every and evocative value in that use. History is complex and needs
community looked to save the local, important house in a to be viewed from different angles. While academic study is
surge of populism and patriotism. The result is an average indispensible in gaining an intellectual understanding of his-
of about one and one-quarter historic house museums per tory, it lacks the emotive power of place, of standing in the
county in the United States. Historic house museums are space where events unfolded and lives were led. Presented
ubiquitous, to an extent that art museums, science centers, well, historic sites can provide fascinating, provocative expe-
or zoos are not. They are also a complex type of museum to riences that are without parallel.
operate, combining all of the challenges of historic preserva- Dr. Kiersten Latham’s work on the numinous experience
tion, cultural landscape conservation, educational method- of artifacts underscores this point. She explored the ways in
ology, exhibitry, collections care, development, and event which artifacts and historic spaces can evoke an emotional—
staging—typically with very small staffs and very limited almost spiritual—connection to the lives they represent.
funding. Facing mounting evidence that many are struggling, Simple objects, given the right combination of individual
National Trust for Historic Preservation president Richard interest, knowledge, and context, can bring people to tears.
Moe asked the provocative question in 2002, “Are There That potential is the latent, unique power of a historic site.
Too Many House Museums?” Addressing the issue five years It is an asset that cannot be dictated or predicted, but should
later, the Forum on Historic Sites Stewardship—the second not be forfeited.2
Kykuit Conference—produced a call for action and urged a That said, it takes a great deal of skill (and luck) to
willingness to consider alternative uses and models of opera- achieve the inspirational impact that the standard historic
tion. The discussion continues in the midst of an evolving house tour aspires to offer. Additionally, the interpretations
h i S t o ry n e wS 7
and exhibits we design to make those connections are only more couples postpone parenthood until later, the makeup
a part of the visitor experience. Anxieties stemming from of the slightly older/better-educated/more-affluent-than-
directions, parking, bathrooms, and poor customer service average visitor that museums attract is changing. In that
can quickly undermine the best program delivery. And case, what will be the role of a nineteenth-century house
even when it is done well, and embraced by the visitors, the museum in a twenty-first century society?3
house tour is never lucrative enough to sustain site opera-
tions on its own. The Value
External factors are shifting as well. Clearly there is more Historic site leadership requires constant balancing: pres-
competition for the time and interest of potential visitors, ervation vs. access, conservation funding vs. program sup-
and the make-up of the traditional audience is changing. As port, and even reverence for those connected to the site’s
the Baby Boomers approach retirement, do they want the past vs. respect for the needs and interests of those who can
same things from historic sites that their parents expected? promise its future. That balance is different for every site
As minorities increase as a percentage of the population, as and finding it depends in part on how well the site is con-
more wives become the primary household breadwinners, as nected to its community. Both of the contributors to this
Housing History: A Search for
arthur Simoes
the perils of our most ubiquitous genre of museums. There are
Place, Past and Community literally thousands of them. Most are poor. Many depend en-
By Bill Hosley tirely on volunteers who are not always replaceable. Some have
failed, others may follow. However, I believe the glass is half
T
he house museums, public col- full and that the best is yet to come. Evidence is overwhelm-
lections, and historical societies ing that it does not cost a fortune to transform buildings, col-
that serve, document, and reflect lections, archives, and related historic resources into superb
Bill Hosley communities face challenges to sustain- visitor experiences and beacons for community spirit. It starts
ability even as their relevance and value with staff, volunteers, friends telling friends, and teachers with
have never been greater. Under the banner of “too many house a spark who understand that the best learning often happens
museums” the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the outside the classroom. Nothing beats exploring an object-rich
American Association for State and Local History recently began environment with someone who loves and knows what they
discussion aimed at transitioning them to other uses. In some cases have to show and share or of experiencing a constellation of
this is sensible and necessary. What’s missing from this campaign, great things to see, feel, and do.
I believe, is the message that the best of our historic houses and So why isn’t the preservation, presentation, and promotion
community museums offer inspirational experiences, are extraor- of these treasures a priority? Small may be beautiful, but rarely
dinary teaching tools, do the work of historic preservation in indis- is it powerful. Too often these treasures remain unknown and
pensible ways, preserve and present unique aspects of the American unloved by the foundations, government officials and agencies,
experience, and are a refuge at a time when homogenization and neighboring schools, and tourism officials who ought to care
consumerism are destroying local knowledge and chipping away at most and are responsible for education, social and environ-
civic involvement that together are the essence of community. mental welfare, economic development, and more. We need to
There are few institutions left in our civilization that so richly make the case for this work more insistently. We need to get
encapsulate, embody, express, and reveal the quality, character, better at self-advocacy and government activism and we need to
and diversity of American life and accomplishment. As experiential take our own side in the issue every chance we get—to encour-
learning environments, our historic houses and community muse- age friends and family to participate and explore. It is our job
ums are unrivaled and necessary. The cultural diversity they repre- to bear witness and inspire others to see, as we do, that an af-
sent is not unlike the biodiversity we talk so much about. We lose fection for historic resources is a pathway to civic engagement,
or abuse it at our peril. neighborliness, patriotism, and environmental stewardship.
Despite the Kykuit conference’s report that there are too many We’ve hidden our lights under too many bushels and have
house museums with too much in common, the inescapable truth not always been persistent or clear in our conviction that house
is that there is hardly an institutional, educational, or commercial museums and historical collections aren’t just another thing
genre in modern life more variegated and distinctive. Most histori- like parks, libraries, schools, churches, art museums, hospitals,
cal collections are the antithesis of homogenous. Against all odds, and performing arts venues. They are the most indispensible thing
they are preserving emblems of cultures and communities more and every bit as worthy of public support from foundations and
genuine than flags or football; more peaceful than religions; and granting agencies that need to adjust their costly procedures
in ways that are organic, grounded, and centered in the places and abstract theories to accommodate the needs of the small
we love. There is no better way to refresh our sense of awe at the and the local, even when—especially when—they are volun-
beauty and wonder of the American experience than by visiting and teer-run. A recent survey of Vermont museums determined
revisiting these little laboratories of localism. that one-third have annual operating budgets less than $5,000.
AASLH and the National Trust are not wrong in pointing out These are the organizations doing the lion’s share of the work,
8 Spring 2010
piece stress that connection differently. Bill Hosley under- Sustaining that contribution requires an objective look at
scores the value in preserving the distinct histories of “little how well each site is fulfilling its potential and a “willingness
laboratories of localism.” Ronald Potvin suggests a more to change its structure, programs, and services in response to
active role, strategically using the past to address modern the changing needs of that community.”5
issues. Each approach is in line with the recommenda- Regardless of the unique histories we aspire to preserve
tion stemming from the Kykuit Conference that argued, and the ideals we espouse in defending them, our sites are
“Sustainability begins with each historic site’s engagement businesses that must grow financial resources to the degree
with its community.” 4 that their operation and preservation require. While it is
John Durel, of QM2, distills that recommendation when easy to accept that every site’s story deserves to be pre-
he asks, “Does your audience love you?” His question de- served and shared, the harder truth is that many organiza-
fines a level of support beyond volunteering, donating, and tions charged with that common mission are failing. Too
advocating. It suggests an identity for historic sites that is many of us are forced to rely on the charity of our support-
not based solely in a pride in local history, but in an immedi- ers. Too few of us are adept at identifying community
ate, real, and regular contribution to the lives of neighbors. (continued on page 10)
House or Home? Rethinking
Erin Boyle
preserving, presenting, and promoting our cultural heritage
and patrimony and the time to lend a hand is NOW. They ask the House Museum Paradigm
for little. They get less. That’s got to change! By ron M. potvin
That said, we have not always been the best friend to our
A
causes. Does local history belong to the descendants of the t their best, historic sites and
families who made the history? Have professional standards house museums provide mean-
gotten in the way of common sense? Has it become someone’s ingful and personal touchstones
personal fiefdom to hoard and restrict rather than share? Are Ron M. Potvin to the past. They provide a forum and
there other things we do that say, “Not Welcome?” a place to connect historical, social, and
Most of the time it is more a matter of cutting through the cultural issues with contemporary counterparts. They inspire us
clutter of stuff designed to keep us buying what they’re selling. to think about and act on those issues in our own lives and com-
No one is selling simple pleasures, domestic arts, neighborli- munities.
ness, frugality, localism, gratitude, remembrance, or restraint. Yet for much of the public, a historic house museum connotes
But these are the qualities our future depends on. And there’s something at least partly negative: an old building filled with
no better way to get there than through this work. People precious things carefully protected by velvet ropes and draconian
who devote time and effort to civic betterment are the glue that guides, offering an experience that is alternately boring and fan-
holds our society together. Our states, towns, schools, and ciful, passive, and even off-putting. House museums have over-
foundations should not only support this work, but should looked the essence of these places as homes, precluding current
subsidize student visits and do more to assure that the civic relevance in favor of immutable stories and physical barriers.
dimensions of life are a necessary and constant part of our House museums are at their worst when they overemphasize the
children’s education. On some level all history is local and physical attributes of the site—its aesthetics and its collections,
there really is no better place to start than by an immersion in the “thingness” of the place—through rigid standards for histori-
local knowledge. cal preservation and collections care, carried out at the expense
It is up to us to effect change. We are an army with outposts of the site’s educational and inspirational potential.
in every corner and town in an age when the technology to The cultural tourism model has failed most house museums.
mobilize grass roots has never been stronger. Small though Iconic places, like Mount Vernon, will always have a place in the
we are, we are many and our work offers the greatest chance museum landscape, but the majority of house museums are not
of calling Americans to a higher sense of place, past, and destination sites. Places of local (as opposed to regional and na-
community—needed now more than ever—because we love tional) relevance may suffer lingering deaths if they do not adopt
our homes, we value the ideals of America, and we understand new methods and philosophies. Inevitably, the roof will collapse,
that good stewardship is imperative, for us, for our children, figuratively and literally. It is time to reconceptualize historic
and for tomorrow. sites and embrace the Darwinian principle that survival requires
We are still a nation bound together by a mission state- adaptation.
ment and the United States is still the best deal on earth. A good start would be to abandon the term historic house mu-
Freedom and self-government depend on an informed, en- seum and with it the physical and metaphorical velvet ropes it has
gaged, educated, and virtuous citizenry as much now as when come to imply. The word “house” objectifies the museum setting,
the Founding Fathers first envisioned it. Historic sites have a treating the building as something that is as much a part of a col-
valuable role to play in fostering civic engagement and under- lection as the things contained within it, rather than as a place of
standing. A civilization that remembers is a civilization that warmth where real people lived and breathed, ate and slept, drank
moves forward with gratitude and grace. too much, had sex and raised children, fought with each other,
(continued on page 10)
h i S t o ry n e wS 9
needs and creating solutions that we are uniquely
equipped to provide. and maintained strong and controversial belief systems—in
Pondering the demise of his beloved Model T, the car short, all of the things that happen in a home today.
that had sustained and defined his company for two de- A historic home museum acknowledges and celebrates the
cades, Henry Ford complained that “The only thing wrong events of everyday life, desanctifies the house and creates
with the car was that people stopped buying it.” Convinced instead a setting for the occurrences of life. It converts vague
of the inherent worth of his product, Ford nonetheless and sacrosanct historical figures into flesh and blood, warts
retooled the company’s offerings and identity. As we navi- and all, because our flaws are an important part of what makes
gate our own crossroads as a field, we must not cling to the us human. A house is just a building, but a home is a place of
models that have served us in the past, but make thoughtful life with the potential to connect the past and present through
decisions about who we are and what we offer our custom- objects, stories, and emotions—our shared humanity.
ers, before too many of them stop buying it.6 Examples of historic home museums do exist, including
the oft cited—but still worth mentioning—Lower East Side
Conclusion Tenement Museum, which focuses on difficult and complex
A historic house can be the object-rich teaching environ- issues involving immigration and assimilation. There, objects
ment that Bill Hosley describes; it can make the past im- play a supporting role to illustrate stories of real people and
mediately relevant and personal, as in the examples Ronald families. Their visitors—including descendants of immigrants,
Potvin cites. It can be a laboratory for historic preservation recent immigrants, and international tourists—seek personal
and interpretation like Drayton Hall, in Charleston, South relevance, and often find emotional connections, in the ex-
Carolina, or the backdrop for a community cultural hub, periences of the historic inhabitants of 97 Orchard Street. At
like Brucemore, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Each site responds its heart, the Tenement Museum is a site of activism, present-
to the expectations and needs of its audience differently. ing and interpreting the variety of immigrant experiences
Regardless of which model and identity a site forges, on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Its challenge is to draw on
the final measure of success is sustainability over time. connections between past and present to elevate the national
The AASLH Technical Leaflet #224, “How Sustainable Is conversation about immigration.
A lesser-known example is Dr.
The Detroit institute of arts, Bill kennedy photographic Collection
Your Historic House Museum?” articulates characteristics
of a sustainable historic house and offers a good perspec- Bob’s Home in Akron, Ohio, where
tive from which to consider these essays and their ap- Robert Smith and Bill W. (Wilson)
proaches to the field.8 t battled their addictions and ham-
mered out the basic principles of
David A. Janssen (davidj@detroithistorical.org) is Vice President of Alcoholics Anonymous. Throughout
Collections and Interpretation at the Detroit Historical Society and the 1930s and 1940s, Dr. Bob and
served in a similar capacity at Edsel & Eleanor Ford House. He is a his wife Anne helped hundreds of
member of the AASLH Historic House Committee, the Seminar for people, invited many to stay in their
Historical Administration Alumni Committee, and was a participant home, and counseled them over
in the Kykuit II summit chronicled in Autumn 2007 in History News. endless pots of coffee. Today, a sign
above the front door greets visitors
Bill Hosley (wnhosley@snet.net or www.billhosley.com), President with the words “Welcome Home,”
of Terra Firma Associates, is a cultural resource consultant, plan- as does the staff inside. The greeters
ner, teacher, writer, and photographer. serve a dual function of presenting
the story of Dr. Bob and Bill W., and
Ron M. Potvin is Assistant Director and Curator of the John of engaging visitors who might be Edsel and Henry Ford
Nicholas Brown Center at Brown University. He can be reached at struggling with their own addictions.
Ronald_Potvin@brown.edu. When I visited in 2007, a greeter offered me a fresh cup of
coffee brewed in a replica of Dr. Bob’s original coffeepot and
1
Richard Moe, “Are There Too Many House Museums?” Forum a seat at the kitchen table. Visits are self-guided, with simple
Journal.16:3; James Vaughan, “The Call for a National Conversation,” Forum labels indicating the rooms where Dr. Bob and Bill W. slept.
Journal, 22:3, 6-7. Jay Vogt, “The Kykuit II Summit: The Sustainability of
Historic Sites,” History News 62:4, 17-21. Every June, 12,000 people make a pilgrimage to Akron for
2
Latham, Kiersten. “Numinous Experiences with Museum Objects” Founder’s Day, visiting the site of the first A.A. meeting, the
(Doctoral dissertation: ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database: AAT graves of Dr. Bob and Anne Smith, and Dr. Bob’s Home.
3357980) Emporia State University, April 2009.
3
The Center for the Future of Museums, “Museums & Society 2034: Trends
These places have deep personal and spiritual meaning to
and Potential Futures,” American Association of Museums, 2008. visitors struggling with their own recoveries. Dr. Bob’s home
4
Vaughan, 6-7. is an activist place of the spirit that only happens to be made
5
John Durel, “Social Entrepreneurship: Leading through Crisis and of bricks and wood.
Embracing Change” CEO Forum, 2009 AASLH Annual Meeting, Indianapolis,
Indiana; Vaughan, 6-7. Within homes, families have always engaged in domestic
6
Peter Collier and David Horowitz. The Fords: An American Epic. (San activism—in small ways inside kitchens, bedrooms, and par-
Francisco: Encounter Books, 2002). lors, in discussions about chores and family responsibilities,
7
For more information on StEPs see www.aaslh.org/steps.
or in larger ways with arguments about politics, race, gender,
8
“How Sustainable Is Your Historic House Museum?” Technical Leaflet #224,
included in History News, 63:4 and available at www.aaslh.org/hhouses. and social structure and hierarchy. Historic home museums
10 Spring 2010
should be places to discuss and even This is taking the easy way out. It does not require decision-
argue the many meanings of home, making by museum professionals and preservationists, only
from family rituals to the social or- obedience to a single uniform approach. In fact, some objects
ganization of slave cabins. Historic are more durable than others. Some are more replaceable than
home museums have the potential to others. Further, at the risk of bringing angry torchbearers to
robert Holbrook Smith collection, Brown University Library
be the kitchen tables of cultural dis- my heretical door, some objects are more important than oth-
course. Identifying links between ers, and there is such a thing as an acceptable risk. Instead of
culturally relevant topics, his- don’t touch anything, the revised standard that historic house
This is the original torical importance, and mission- museums should adopt is “Don’t Touch Everything.” Museums
Wear-Ever Aluminum driven programs will result in should invite visitors to touch, hold, sit upon, and even smell
Coffee Percolator used enhanced and sustainable visitor certain objects. Historic sites should employ the collective
by Dr. Bob Smith and
Bill W. (Wilson) when and community engagement. wisdom of curators, conservators, educators, preservationists,
they first began meeting House museums a century ago peer reviewers, and funders in making decisions about respon-
together in Smith’s sought to express the American sible and flexible use of collections.
home in May 1935.
Experience in large part through The shift in emphasis from house to home—from rigid,
Progressivism and the Colonial unimaginative sanctification to flexible, creative activism—
Revival. These social movements promoted “proper” aesthet- will require a careful balance between preservation needs and
ics and “traditional” American values as a means to good moral audience engagement, combining the imagination, creativity,
character and behavior, especially for poorer working classes and professional integrity of the preservation and museum
and newly arrived immigrants. During this period, an underly- fields. It also necessitates a close and ongoing reexamination
ing goal of the creation of new house museums was to protect of professional standards and practices, supported by funding
and enshrine American virtue and to indoctrinate non-native agencies and museum and preservation professional associa-
peoples with this principle, itself a form of activism, guided tions. This process is already underway, with the launch in
by politics and beliefs that are now 2009 of the Standards and Excellence Program for History
obsolete. In the years leading to the Organizations (StEPs), a voluntary assessment program
American bicentennial, the American for small- and mid-sized history organizations, created by
experience in house museums was AASLH with support from the Institute for Museum and
further shaped by celebratory stories Library Services.7
of patriotism, in part a reaction to the The modern American experience remains mutable, and its
political and social upheaval of the representation within house museums is unsettled. Its defini-
Vietnam War era. tion incorporates multiculturalism, characterized by the ma-
During the movement toward pro- turity of the Civil Rights Movement, the advent of expanded
fessionalization in the first half of the LGBT rights, and the confident voices of Americans of many
twentieth century, the role of house ethnicities and political persuasions in American govern-
museums as venues of activism became ment and culture. Technology, especially the rapid spread of
secondary or lost. However, social Web-based social networking, allows us to speak and accept
activism within museums has become the cultural languages of many distinct groups. The Internet
more the norm of late, in places like and some aspects of popular culture, including television, pro-
the Underground Railroad Museum mote non-linear thought, through which we are able to weave
and Freedom Center and with orga- seemingly unrelated ideas into rich and highly individualized
with a Model T, 1927. nizations such as the International patterns. However we define the contemporary American ex-
Coalition of Sites of Conscience, perience, most house museums, with their tradition-bound sto-
which counts among its members the Martin Luther King, ries, rigid professional standards, and linear interpretation (in
Jr. National Historic Site, the District Six Museum in South the form of guided tours) lack the nimbleness to close the cul-
Africa, the Gulag Museum at Perm-36 in Russia, and the tural gap and remain relevant to their visitors and communi-
Lower East Side Tenement Museum. Other sites also offer ties. In recent years, house museums have begun to do a better
hope, such as Jane Addams Hull House Museum with its com- job of telling the stories of immigrants, slaves, working-class
munity organic garden and alternative labeling project, which people, and women, but there is still much work remaining.
the museum describes as “civic engagement and reflection.” The most difficult hurdle may be overcoming the reluc-
These activist museums hope to engage and inspire their visi- tance of historic sites to rethink or abandon traditional ap-
tors to enact personal or social change. proaches. This is understandable. Making changes to bring in
Unfortunately, professional standards for collections care an expanded or different public, tell new stories, and connect
and preservation have contributed to emotionless interpre- with modern culture is often a frightening prospect that risks
tation and limited visitor engagement. The typical house desanctification of a site and alienation of existing audience.
museum tour focuses on the senses of sight and listening and For some house museums, the chasm between house and
ignores the powerful human connections achieved through the home may be too vast. However, the alternative is a site that
remaining senses. This is most evident in the treatment of ob- enshrines dead people, dead ideas, and dead culture—and a
jects. The standard rule for visitors is “Don’t Touch Anything.” collapsing roof.
h i S t o ry n e wS 11
