Crafting the Past: Theory and Practice of Museums

How do we know something is real? We say something exists when it is tangible and we can touch it; it is factual when we can compare it to other known variables, and historic when it fulfils our expectation of the past. There are objects and activities that blur these categories and cause people to...

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Main Author: Katherine Ambry Linhein Muller
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: EXARC 2013-02-01
Series:EXARC Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://exarc.net/ark:/88735/10097
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author Katherine Ambry Linhein Muller
author_facet Katherine Ambry Linhein Muller
author_sort Katherine Ambry Linhein Muller
collection DOAJ
description How do we know something is real? We say something exists when it is tangible and we can touch it; it is factual when we can compare it to other known variables, and historic when it fulfils our expectation of the past. There are objects and activities that blur these categories and cause people to accept alternative histories. A museum is one such example. The buildings are constructed for displays, the people are only performers and the sounds and smells are fabricated, but the experiences, though they vary from person to person, are real. At museums the public and the interpreters interact in a shared space but not a shared mindset. By borrowing from Mark Leone’s critical theory it is possible to examine the dissonance between the museum’s production of history and the public’s perception.
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spelling doaj.art-9b3fefbda8864d1692b9aedf8c65b34b2024-11-27T13:38:37ZengEXARCEXARC Journal2212-89562013-02-012013/1ark:/88735/10097Crafting the Past: Theory and Practice of MuseumsKatherine Ambry Linhein MullerHow do we know something is real? We say something exists when it is tangible and we can touch it; it is factual when we can compare it to other known variables, and historic when it fulfils our expectation of the past. There are objects and activities that blur these categories and cause people to accept alternative histories. A museum is one such example. The buildings are constructed for displays, the people are only performers and the sounds and smells are fabricated, but the experiences, though they vary from person to person, are real. At museums the public and the interpreters interact in a shared space but not a shared mindset. By borrowing from Mark Leone’s critical theory it is possible to examine the dissonance between the museum’s production of history and the public’s perception.https://exarc.net/ark:/88735/10097theoryliving historyinterpretationopen-air museumheritagenewest erausa
spellingShingle Katherine Ambry Linhein Muller
Crafting the Past: Theory and Practice of Museums
EXARC Journal
theory
living history
interpretation
open-air museum
heritage
newest era
usa
title Crafting the Past: Theory and Practice of Museums
title_full Crafting the Past: Theory and Practice of Museums
title_fullStr Crafting the Past: Theory and Practice of Museums
title_full_unstemmed Crafting the Past: Theory and Practice of Museums
title_short Crafting the Past: Theory and Practice of Museums
title_sort crafting the past theory and practice of museums
topic theory
living history
interpretation
open-air museum
heritage
newest era
usa
url https://exarc.net/ark:/88735/10097
work_keys_str_mv AT katherineambrylinheinmuller craftingthepasttheoryandpracticeofmuseums