Taking the Museum Outside the Museum

In museum theory classes, you learn about the unique way visitors learn in museums. You also learn about the significant trust people place in museums over other sources of history, such as professors, books, even family members. If we assume that visitors are learning by making meaningful connections to other aspects of their life, then there are many places and people that use museum-style learning to effectively communicate their message. The following people and places are great examples of interesting information and programs similar to museums, but are apart from any sort of cultural institution.

Sarah Lohman

Four Pounds Flour

Sarah is someone I greatly admire for her unique perspective on history. Not only does she research historic recipes, but she recreates them so she and others can have a "taste of history." Though Sarah started in museums, which led her to her thesis, she has branched outside of the museum and that allows her to do very interesting things, like pub crawls. You can even hire her as a personal chef! Museums probably couldn't host pub crawls, but combining history with food and drinks is a great idea.

Jeffery Vinokur

Dancing Mad Scientist

Jeffery used his passion for both science and dance to create the "So You Think You Can Do Science Tour," a 45 minute show all about chemistry. Though his program is similar to that of science demos at many science and technology centers, Jeffery created a great business for himself, while sharing his energy and passion. Many science and technology centers couldn't (or even wouldn't) look for someone with a combined talent for science and dance. The thing to take away from this is to ask potential and current employees about their other talents and interests, you could discover something completely new that works for your museum.

David Briner
Genevieve Spencer

Similar to what the Massachusetts Historical Society is doing by tweeting the entries of John Quincy Adams's diaries, David Briner is tweeting the entries of his great-aunt's diaries. This is a great lesson for smaller history museums and historical societies who might not have access to the diaries of more famous individuals, like Adams. It's a great way to bring attention to your institution, while also sharing the treasures of your collection.

New York Nineteenth Century Society

The New York Nineteenth Century Society is composed of enthusiastic members inspired by the nineteenth century. Not only do these members participate to express their interest, but they also share their knowledge by offering events, lectures, etc, similar to a museum. A lesson for museums here is to tap into that energy and provide a forum for members of such organizations or start one themselves. A tip to the wise is to ensure that everyone is on the same page and dedicated to better understanding eras of history and not perpetuating myths and other ideas that have been proven false.