Drawing from innovative organizations across the United States, Reimagining Historic House Museums is an indispensable source of field-tested tools and techniques drawn from such wide-ranging sources as non-profit management, business strategy, and software development. It also profiles historic sites that are using new models to engage with their communities to become more relevant, are adopting creative forms of interpretation and programming, and earning income to become more financially sustainable. The book is a combination of a museum conference, a hands-on workshop, and toolbox. It contains five main parts: 1.Fundamentals and Essentials 2.Audiences 3.Different Approaches to Familiar Topics 4.Methods 5.Imagining New Kinds of House Museums This authoritative guide from the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) will help house museum boards, directors, and staff seeking a path forward in rapidly changing times. Graduate programs in public history, museum studies, curatorial studies, and historic preservation will discover models and approaches that will provoke lively discussions about the issues facing the field.
Table of Contents Introduction by Kenneth Turino and Max A. van Balgooy Part I Fundamentals and Essentials Chapter 1Imagining a Reimagining Process for House Museums by Max A. van Balgooy Chapter 2 Enterprising House Museums by Lawrence J. Yerdon Chapter 3 Evaluation is Not Just Nice, It is Necessary by Conny C. Graft Chapter 4 The Essential Role of Boards in Reimaging House Museums by Donna Ann Harris Chapter 5 Reaching New Heights with Volunteers in Historic House Museums by Alexandra Rasic Chapter 6 Surviving a Capital Campaign: A Slightly Irreverent Guide to Fundraising by Nina Zannieri Chapter 7 Success Factors for Small Historic House Museums by Monta Lee Dakin and Steve Friesen Chapter 8 Reimagine House Museums: Loosen Up but Don't Let Go! By Thomas A. Woods Chapter 9 Value of History Statement by History Relevance Part II Audiences Chapter 10 Using Historic House Museum Audiences to Drive Change by Katherine Kane Chapter 11 Cultural Heritage Travelers and Historic House Museums by Amy Jordan Webb Chapter 12 Finding Numen at Historical Sites by Ron M. Potvin Chapter 13 Community Engagement: Radical Renewal for Historic House Museums by Dawn DiPrince Part III Different Approaches to Familiar Topics Chapter 14 "Do Something Transformative" by Callie Hawkins and Erin Carlson Mast Chapter 15 Listening for the Silences: Stories of Enslaved and Free Domestic Workers by Jennifer Pustz Chapter 16 Interpreting Women's Lives at Historic House Museums by Mary A. van Balgooy Chapter 17 Where the Magic Happened by Susan Ferentinos Chapter 18 Reflecting Race and Ethnicity in House Museums by Jane M. Eliasof and Claudia Ocello Chapter 19 Why Do Furnishings Matter?: The Power of Furnishings in Historic House Museums by Laura C. Keim Chapter 20 Rethinking Architecture in the Realm of House Museum Interpretation by Cheryl A. Bachand Chapter 21 Looking Beyond the Front Door to Find Spirit of Place by Lucinda A. Brockway Part IV Methods Chapter 22 The Historic House Museum Tour: A Matter of Life and Death by Patricia West Chapter 23 Everyone's History Matters: School Programs at Historic New England by Carolin Collins Chapter 24 Creating Minds-On Exhibitions in Historic House Museums by Robert Kiihne Part V Imagining New Kinds of House Museums Chapter 25 Reinventing the Historic House Museum: Three Potential Futures by Elizabeth Merritt with responses by Carol B. Stapp, Susie Wilkening, Brian Joyner, Jorge A. Hernandez, Emiliano 'Nano' Calderon, Nathan Ritchie, Barbara Silberman, and Joe McGill Chapter 26 Yes, America, You Need Another House Museum (But Read This Book First) by Kenneth Turino Bibliography National and Regional Organizations About the Editors and the Contributors
