Reimagining Historic House Museums

Since 2015, co-editors Kenneth C. Turino and Max A. van Balgooy have led the popular reinventing historic house workshop for the American Association for State and Local History. Kenneth C. Turino is Manager of Community Partnerships and Resource Development at Historic New England. He oversees community engagement projects throughout the New England states and is responsible for exhibition partnerships at the Eustis Estate, Langdon House, and Sarah Orne Jewett Museum and Visitor Center. He consults on interpretive planning and community engagement projects at historic sites, including Madame John's Legacy in New Orleans and the Palmer Warner House in Connecticut. Ken teaches courses on the future of historic houses in the Tufts University Museum Studies Program and is vice president of the board of the House of Seven Gables in Salem, Massachusetts. Max A. van Balgooy is president of Engaging Places, a design and strategy firm that connects people and historic places. For more than thirty years, he has worked with a wide range of historic sites on interpretive planning and business strategy, including Cliveden, Molly Brown House, Haas-Lilienthal House, James Madison’s Montpelier, and Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage. He is an assistant professor in the Museum Studies Program at George Washington University, directs the History Leadership Institute (formerly known as the Seminar for Historical Administration), and regularly leads workshops for the American Association for State and Local History.

• Table of ContentsIntroduction by Kenneth Turino and Max A. van BalgooyPart I Fundamentals and Essentials Chapter 1 Imagining a Reimagining Process for House Museums by Max A. van BalgooyChapter 2 Enterprising House Museums by Lawrence J. Yerdon Chapter 3 Evaluation is Not Just Nice, It is Necessary by Conny C. Graft Chapter 4 The Essential Role of Boards in Reimaging House Museums by Donna Ann Harris Chapter 5 Reaching New Heights with Volunteers in Historic House Museums by Alexandra Rasic Chapter 6 Surviving a Capital Campaign: A Slightly Irreverent Guide to Fundraising by Nina ZannieriChapter 7 Success Factors for Small Historic House Museums by Monta Lee Dakin and Steve Friesen Chapter 8 Reimagine House Museums: Loosen Up but Don’t Let Go! By Thomas A. Woods Chapter 9 Value of History Statement by History Relevance Part II Audiences Chapter 10 Using Historic House Museum Audiences to Drive Change by Katherine Kane Chapter 11 Cultural Heritage Travelers and Historic House Museums by Amy Jordan Webb Chapter 12 Finding Numen at Historical Sites by Ron M. PotvinChapter 13 Community Engagement: Radical Renewal for Historic House Museums by Dawn DiPrincePart III Different Approaches to Familiar Topics Chapter 14 “Do Something Transformative” by Callie Hawkins and Erin Carlson Mast Chapter 15 Listening for the Silences: Stories of Enslaved and Free Domestic Workers by Jennifer Pustz Chapter 16 Interpreting Women’s Lives at Historic House Museums by Mary A. van Balgooy Chapter 17 Where the Magic Happened by Susan FerentinosChapter 18 Reflecting Race and Ethnicity in House Museums by Jane M. Eliasof and Claudia Ocello Chapter 19 Why Do Furnishings Matter?: The Power of Furnishings in Historic House Museums by Laura C. KeimChapter 20 Rethinking Architecture in the Realm of House Museum Interpretation by Cheryl A. BachandChapter 21 Looking Beyond the Front Door to Find Spirit of Place by Lucinda A. Brockway Part IV Methods Chapter 22 The Historic House Museum Tour: A Matter of Life and Death by Patricia West Chapter 23 Everyone’s History Matters: School Programs at Historic New England by Carolin Collins Chapter 24 Creating Minds-On Exhibitions in Historic House Museums by Robert KiihnePart V Imagining New Kinds of House Museums Chapter 25 Reinventing the Historic House Museum: Three Potential Futures by Elizabeth Merritt with responses by Carol B. Stapp, Susie Wilkening, Brian Joyner, Jorge A. Hernandez, Emiliano ‘Nano’ Calderon, Nathan Ritchie, Barbara Silberman, and Joe McGillChapter 26 Yes, America, You Need Another House Museum (But Read This Book First) by Kenneth Turino Bibliography National and Regional OrganizationsAbout the Editors and the Contributors

What's best about this book is its comprehensive view of the process of reimagining historic house museums and the many voices it offers to the reader. Used thoughtfully and diligently, it poses many ways to make sure that historic house museums meet the challenges that face them, reinventing themselves for new audiences and renewed futures.