| Summary: | As our societies become more diverse and the demographics of heritage visitors change, many open-air museums are concerned about how to remain relevant. Making a shift to an activist approach is one way museums can evolve to better serve their visitors and community. Many traditional museums have adopted this approach, but relatively few open-air museums have done so. The experiment presented here tested the potential of a shared authority project in a ‘virtual’ open-air museum. Due to COVID, the study was done in an online format. Participants provided input on how to furnish a virtual roundhouse. They were surveyed before and after the activity about their ability to participate meaningfully in museum work, why they visit museums, and the goals of museums. The virtual format produced two data sets. The high level of consistency between archaeologists and non-archaeologists demonstrates that the public is very capable of engaging in this work at a high level. The survey data reveal that most participants feel more confident about engaging with museum work after completing the activity, and they view museums as a tool for empowerment. The data show that these projects can be effective at engaging visitors and deepening their thinking about the museum.
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