Weekly Links - July 16-22

Yes, I have been terrible at putting these weekly links up. But I'm going to give it another whirl! Here goes:

• Love the creativity of this map. I could see a museum doing something like this with a map of the facility.
• I can't leave Nina Simon's post on increasing attendance off this week's list.

That's it for this week's list. Not much going on. Maybe everyone is on vacation?

Iceberg Ahead!

Titanic Museum Exterior

Over the July 4th holiday, I had the chance to visit two museums in the Ozarks. The first was the Titanic Museum in Branson, Missouri. When planning my visit to Branson with my family, I mentioned the possibility of visiting the Titanic Museum to my grandfather. He was incredibly excited at the prospect and I was somewhat intrigued. However, after checking their website, I was slightly concerned about the focus of the museum.  Overall, the museum was reminiscent of a historic site or village. On the other hand, the subject matter was quite morbid to be presented in such a "Disney"-esque manner. I cannot fathom another site that deals with a similar tragedy to present the material in such a way. If the Oklahoma Memorial Museum had used such tactics, I and I'm sure many others would be completely turned off.  


Painting a Picture


Similar to a historic site or village, the Titanic Museum relies heavily on costumed interpreters. Interestingly enough, these interpreters also speak with a British accent, in the middle of the Ozarks. My father also commented that there were a ton of women dressed as First Class maids, but there were only a dozen or so on the voyage itself (this is what my dad read - anyone super interested in the Titanic can definitely do the research if they so desire).


The museum takes great pains to make you feel as if you are on the Titanic. Some areas are more traditional and use gallery spaces to display objects, while other areas focus on recreating the ship. The exterior is just the start. The grand staircase is recreated as well as a First Class Cabin. The communication equipment is displayed as it would have looked on the ship and leads into a recreated command deck. You have the opportunity to sit in a lifeboat as well.


The Good


Despite some of the strange aspects of the museum, it was great at presenting a number of things:

• The "real" experience: When you first enter the museum, you are given a card with a name and story. At the end of the visit, you learn whether the person on your card survived the sinking. I believe this is also used on the touring exhibit. You are able to touch an iceberg - this is actually one of the first activities in the museum and really gives you a sense of horror at the unbearable cold. Later in the exhibit, you can put your hand in 28 degree water and see how long you last. Yes, morbid, but it gets the point across. You're also able to try to climb the deck as it sinks.
• The "real" artifacts: Nearly everything on display is a real object, not a reproduction. For those who are intrigued by the Titanic or like to see the "real" thing, this is a great museum.
• Everything you ever wanted to know: The museum presents everything there is to possibly know about the museum. For me, it was information overload, but I was with a group that read everything and moved slowly. 

The Strange


In a museum about the Titanic, you almost have to expect that it will be morbidly fascinating. The recent 100th anniversary of the event created some strange activities across the US and UK, including memorial cruises and last meals on the Titanic fundraisers. 

• Prices: Like any other museum, the Titanic Museum displayed the prices of things at the time of the sinking. On the other hand, most museums do not display the current price of artifacts were they to go to auction. I found this slightly disconcerting. Why would I, as the visitor, want to know how much an artifact costs today? I'm sure it was expensive to build this museum as many of the artifacts were priced in the six-figures.
• Dogs: In one of the first rooms, live dogs are on display. They are only in the window during certain times, but I found it to be an odd experience. There were dogs on the Titanic, but why would I want to see them in an exhibit? Live dogs!?

Overall, the museum was interesting. I could describe more of the strange things I encountered, but overall, it was a feeling I got when entering the place. After I forked over my $25, I couldn't help but feel I was in an amusement park, waiting for the roller coaster ride to begin. I did not have the same feeling of appreciation for the people on the ship as I had for the people in Murrow bombing. I could not sympathize with the people on the Titanic as much as I wanted to. On leaving the exhibit, we mentioned to a worker that it was somewhat of a sad place. She said something along the lines of we try not to make it sad. Perhaps they missed the lesson of the tragedy entirely.