Journal Article

Plan C for Curate

Gerona, Carla

2019

Overview

Museums are everywhere. Along the Northern Rail Trail in Franklin, New Hampshire, the author came across an old train yard with an interpretive sign indicating, \"the granite blocks you are looking at are all that remains of this eighteenth-century railroad table.\" Of course, trains did not cross the region until the nineteenth century. Not far from this example of inaccurate history, there was a different outdoor display with black and white panels featuring beautiful old pictures of small stations that had once stood along the tracks. A local high school had created these fine interpretations, correctly stating that railroads fueled the growth of mill towns along New England's raging rivers. That walk revealed both the perils and promise of public history exhibits. These panels also suggested that there is nothing new about classes constructing historical exhibits. What has changed is the increasing need to do so--and not merely to get the facts straight. Teaching creatively at the intersection of historical and museum studies offers new opportunities to engage students. At Georgia Tech, undergraduates can take a social science general education class in the history program called \"Introduction to Museum Studies.\" Having taught the class six times, the author has become more convinced of the course's immense value--not just for students who are planning careers in museums. Curation has become a crucial skill for all. This essay seeks to share useful guidelines for other historians who would like to teach such classes, so that more schools can add history studios to the curriculum offerings.

• Publisher: Society for History Education
• Subject: Exhibits / History Instruction / History Outside the Classroom / Museums / Teaching Methods / Undergraduate Study / United States History