Author: Jane V. Lapasaran (Page 2 of 3)

Collections Manager, Weeksville Heritage Center (Brooklyn, NY)

Development Manager, Association of Art Museums Curators & AAMC Foundation (New York, NY)

Public Programs and Events Associate, Mystic Seaport Museum (Mystic, CT)

Photo Archivist, Cape Ann Museum Library & Archives (Gloucester, MA)

Image Processing Assistant, Massachusetts Historical Society (Boston, MA)

Paper Conservator, Massachusetts Historical Society (Boston, MA)

Digital Preservation Archivist, Massachusetts Historical Society (Boston, MA)

Collections Care Technician, Newport Restoration Foundation (Newport, RI)

Collections & Exhibitions Technician, Boston Athenaeum (Boston, MA)

Curator of Education & Engagement, The Museums at Washington & Lee (Lexington, VA)

Thinking about the future of museums is a large, daunting task. Where will museums stand in culture, in communities, in education? Even now, we already see museum culture shifting in both purpose and attitude. Instead of placing emphasis and value solely on collections, museums have started to value the community connection they foster with their neighbors, the opportunity to bring people together into a common, though not neutral, space. Through this, we have even seen museums facilitate difficult conservations regarding race, immigration, healthcare, and other polarizing topics. And though this change is ultimately for the better, there is still a lingering question of whether museums can sustain themselves in this space between discussion and action.

The Smithsonian Arts + Industries Building recently reopened after being closed for nearly two decades, and its current exhibit tackles that very question of how museums can move between discussion and action. FUTURES is a building-wide exhibit that asks visitors to consider what their futures look like – Have humans started to colonize other planets? Is healthcare more streamlined and accessible? Does agriculture become more efficient with groundbreaking technology? FUTURES gives visitors an opportunity to explore all of these possibilities through real innovations being developed today.

Smithsonian Arts + Industries Building, FUTURES

During my visit to the Arts + Industries Building, I was constantly asked and prompted to consider how these technologies would affect my own future and how museums facilitated the development of some of these inventions. At first, like many others, I was confused by the latter part of the question. How could museums have affected the invention of something like the Bell Nexus, a self-driving hybrid-electric air taxi? Watching visitor reaction to innovations like this made the answer clear: museums inspire visitors to create innovations like these. The beauty of FUTURES is that you can trace nearly all of the inventions on display from concept all the way to development and that concept often starts with a question or a problem. FUTURES is a celebration of people asking questions and exploring their creativity; it is a reminder of the importance of exposing ourselves to bigger things around us.

The Bell Nexus air taxi

FUTURES is an opportunity for visitors to think more holistically about the futures of our communities; it is also an opportunity for museums to consider how they can foster this curiosity in visitors and encourage exploration and innovation.

Smithsonian Arts + Industries Building, FUTURES

To learn more about FUTURES and the Smithsonian Arts + Industries Building, visit their website here.

Communications and Administrative Coordinator – Carpenter Center for Visual Arts, Harvard University (Cambridge, MA)

Executive Assistant to the Director, Boston Athenaeum (Boston, MA)

Program & Volunteer Coordinator, Canterbury Shaker Village (Canterbury, NH)

Events Coordinator, Seacoast Science Center (Rye, NH)

HR & Finance Associate, Shelburne Museum (Shelburne, VT)

Regional Site Administrator Northern New England, Historic New England (Portsmouth, NH)

Collection Specialist, Maine Maritime Museum (Bath, ME)

Collections Manager, Nantucket Historical Association (Nantucket, MA)

Community History Project Manager, Connecticut Historical Society (Hartford, CT)

Archives and Research Manager, Historic Beverly (Beverly, MA)

Project Archivist, South County History Center (Kingston, RI)

Curatorial Assistant, Colgate University (Hamilton, NY)

Education Manager, Connecticut River Museum (Essex, CT)

Museum Educator, Martha’s Vineyard Museum (Vineyard Haven, MA)

Education Manager, Amelia Park Children’s Museum (Westfield, MA)

Student and Program Manager, MassArt Art Museum (Boston, MA)

This past weekend marked the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attack that shaped the future of U.S. security regulations and international relationships. Though it is still a dark memory that haunts thousands of people today, the 20th anniversary of this event also unveils an obvious, yet still surprising truth: there are many students today who have no memory or connection to the events that occurred on September 11, 2001. This has put educators in a tough spot; teaching about 9/11 felt more like a conversation, an opportunity to mourn together and discuss personal connections to a tragedy. Nowadays, the conversation is less personal and more formal since that direct memory or connection is no longer guaranteed.

So how do we start that conversation? For me, the best place to look was the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York City. Learning about difficult histories is, for me, only made worse in the classroom. Classroom teaching has always been a cold, disconnected field in my experience as both an educator and a student. Museums, however, have been a warm place to surround yourself with stories rather than facts, personality rather than numbers. So, of course, when trying to figure out how to begin talking about September 11, 2001, I immediately turned to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.

9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York City

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum has an abundance of resources on its website. These resources include lesson plans for different age groups, recordings and information for public programming, and even collaborative activities that allow parents to approach the subject with their children in an age-appropriate manner. There are far too many resources available for me to delve into, so instead I am choosing to focus on one that I think is universal and emotional yet pragmatic: oral histories. Both online and in the museum, you can hear actual interviews with people like Lieutenant Adrienne Walsh, first responder to the World Trade Center, or Arturo Ressi, World Trade Center engineer. These oral histories transport audiences to those pivotal moments on September 11, 2001 and offer real perspectives on the events of that day. There is fear, anger, and hope; there is determination, leadership, and loss. To hear the voices of people so directly tied to a tragedy is an unforgettable experience that serves as a great starting point for learners of all ages.

I cannot recommend another resource for teaching about this difficult history that would be more inclusive or informative than the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. I have crawled through endless pages and hyperlinks available on their website and virtual programming, and I continue to hope that museums will serve as a forefront for making education easier and more connected for communities.

The Smithsonian Institution felt the same pains that museums around the world experienced in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and its global shut downs —massive economic loss, sweeping reductions in staff, and an intense burnout as they, and museum professionals across the globe, struggled to adapt to a “new normal.” Fortunately, it appears that we are finally seeing the other side of this pandemic, and the Smithsonian has joined the likes of many others in reopening its doors to the public.

This era in the Smithsonian’s narrative will also be marked by none other than Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon and soon-to-be astronaut. Just days before his historic voyage to space through his rocket company Blue Origin, Bezos made a personal $200 million donation to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum, the largest philanthropic donation to the institution since its founding in 1846. The gift will help complete ongoing renovations at the museum, but the majority will go towards the development of a new education center that encourages learning and exploration in STEAM fields. 

Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

The Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is also in the midst of historic change. In 2019, artist Hiroshi Sugimoto’s proposed re-design for the Hirshhorn’s sculpture garden was approved, but not without major backlash. Sugimoto’s design drew heavily from Japanese culture and many felt that this detracted from the original concepts of museum architect Gordon Bunshaft and landscape architect Lester Collins. Though Bunshaft and Collins also used Japanese architecture as in inspiration for their work, the Hirshhorn has a largely Modernist aesthetic, and opposers of Sugimoto’s concept feared that his re-design would clash with this existing aesthetic. Some even called for Collins’s work on the sculpture garden to be included on the National Register of Historic Places. Ultimately, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts has voted to approve Sugimoto’s design, and this change will hopefully bring a new sense of design unity to the Hirshhorn and its sculpture garden.

Render of Sugimoto’s concept for the Hirshhorn Museum’s sculpture garden.

Since it’s founding, the Smithsonian Institution has had an incredible story of creation and change, and it is promising to see the institution continue to follow this narrative even in the wake of a global pandemic.