Objects don’t equal objectivity, or: The pitfalls of object-driven interpretation

Last week I was back in Germany finishing up the visitor interviews at Museum und Park Kalkriese for my doctorate research. One interview in particular struck a note with me. A visitor was very upset about what they felt was a major lack of balanced representation. They felt that there was little to nothing about … Continue reading Objects don’t equal objectivity, or: The pitfalls of object-driven interpretation →

Interpretation, facts, and a bit about respect

I spent last week at a thought-provoking seminar on interpreting megalithic sites. Most of the other participants were archaeologists, charged with unearthing the facts that might tell us what sites are all about. I couldn’t help but be impressed by their attention to detail, and their commitment to objectivity and truth. The latter is of … Continue reading Interpretation, facts, and a bit about respect →

Museums Change Lives (or do they?)

This Monday past I went to the launch of the UK Museums Association’s ‘Museums Change Lives’ vision document. And I will say that as ever, it is nice to hear and read a good few confident assertions of why our work as (museums) professionals actually matters. And it is good to have a large organisation … Continue reading Museums Change Lives (or do they?) →

Impressions from the IE/NAI Interpretation Conference in Sweden

I spent this week at the joint Interpret Europe/National Association for Interpretation conference in Sweden. The conference theme was global citizenship, but probably due to my own interests, I ended up hearing mostly papers on stakeholder engagement [1]. Here are a few impressions and thoughts that I’ve had during the conference – no doubt I’ll … Continue reading Impressions from the IE/NAI Interpretation Conference in Sweden →

The People’s Charter for Interpretation

One of the unexpected outcomes of my current research into heritage interpretation and public benefit is that visitors actually tell me what they expect of interpretation. I didn’t start out with this in mind; perhaps in my own version of researcher’s arrogance it didn’t even occur to me that they would be able to articulate … Continue reading The People’s Charter for Interpretation →

So how about interpreting mutual understanding?

Next month I’ll be presenting a paper at the NAI/IE joint conference entitled ‘Interpretation can make us citizens of the world’ in Sweden. I’m really looking forward to what people will say about this topic. As I’ve reported in my last blog post, only one couple out of the 100+ people I’ve interviewed so far … Continue reading So how about interpreting mutual understanding? →

Heritage and Public Benefit: What visitors have told me so far.

I’m three-thirds through my interviews with visitors at Battle Abbey [1], and this seemed a good time to stop for a moment and reflect. Firstly, and as always, it is just humbling to talk to visitors. Every time I have the luxury of actually spending time with them, I am reminded that in the … Continue reading Heritage and Public Benefit: What visitors have told me so far. →

Museums 2020 and the Public: Not quite in harmony

Last week, the UK Museums Association published the research report into what the public think are the purposes of museums. I’ve blogged about the announcement of the research, and especially the brief for it, here. I was particularly interested in their methodology [1]. My concerns were that the framework established in the brief would … Continue reading Museums 2020 and the Public: Not quite in harmony →

Encountering the Sacred: Reflections on the British Museum’s Study Day

I spent today at the British Museum’s ‘Encountering the Sacred in Museums’ Study Day. Museums: Spiritual or Secular? Johnathan Williams, Director of Collections at the British Museum, started the day by making much of the original collector’s intentions, which were apparently to show the divine as captured in objects and to challenge disbelievers by showing … Continue reading Encountering the Sacred: Reflections on the British Museum’s Study Day →