In what little spare time I have as a graduate student here at Tufts, I love reading plays. I’ve been hooked on this particular art form since I was ten years old, when my mom — an English major at the same university where I …
The United States boasts lots of historic house museums with at least a few in nearly every state, and one of the first-established historic house museums is right here in Boston: the Paul Revere House, opened to the public in 1908. From its construction around …
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.
Content warning: this post includes discussion of vandalism against museums and markers honoring women, Black Americans, and Jewish individuals. On September 26th, 2021, a fire engulfed the back porch of the Susan B. Anthony Museum & House in Rochester, New York. The fire department was …
Still looking for plans for Halloween weekend? Local museums have you covered! Check out this list for a few spooky museum events in the Boston area. The Peabody Essex Museum When it comes to Halloween celebrations, no place does it better than Salem! The Peabody …
This past summer I worked for Ken Turino of Historic New England and Tufts University(Exhibition Planning and Historic House Museums). Having been in remote school for a year at this time, I was prepared to conduct my museum studies practicum remotely. While my internship certainly was not the traditional practicum internship experience, I did gain a great deal of insight into the workings of regional heritage organizations like Historic New England. My responsibilities included assisting Ken and Max Van Balgooy on compiling a bibliography for their new book: Interpreting Christmas at House Museums and Historic Sites, as well as researching female abolitionists in New England and their contributions to the development of modern day Christmas traditions through abolitionist fairs. I was also able to attend a meeting with some of the book’s authors to further understand the process of writing a book with many different authors.
The bibliography passed by rather quickly, and before I knew it I was on my way to researching female abolitionists in New England. My research focus is early modern Europe, specifically women and gender roles; so while I was familiar with women’s history I certainly didn’t have significant experience on either American History or late modern history. I entered the Tufts Museum Studies and History Graduate program with the intention of becoming a curator; a job which requires significant research skills. Through this internship I was able to hone my research skills as well as apply them to different objects and interpret them, something similar to the job of a curator. This summer research culminated into a presentation which Ken and I will present entitled, Deck the Halls: Female Abolitionist Societies and the Evolution of Christmas. This will be presented on November 30 from 6-7 PM. This Event is virtual, so anyone is welcome to reserve their spot via this link and attend! The content is fascinating and details some of the history of female abolitionists in New England and how they influenced the development of modern day Christmas traditions through holding abolitionist fairs during the Christmas season to raise money and awareness towards the abolitionist movement.