O Say Can You See?

Sounds of the season

I tend to work later in the day than many of my museum colleagues and while the building was under construction that was quite a drag-as I left each evening I said my goodbyes to empty hallways and plastic-covered mannequins. Now that the museum is buzzing with life again, I’ve been finding myself treated to unfamiliar sights and sounds as I make my way out of the building. Walking towards the exit earlier this week, for example, I was delighted to hear the tune “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” wafting through the atrium.

The melodious sound drew me towards a rehearsal taking place for a new program called “Happy Holidays! American Popular Songs, 1941-45.” This was not run-of-the-mill holiday caroling and the program—which will run on select days in December—is about more than just entertainment. The performances are designed to bring to life the music of 1940s wartime America as well as share the stories behind the songs and what they reveal about the nation during World War II. Though the singers wore their street clothes that evening, when they perform live they will be fashioned in 40’s-era clothing, complete with fox stoles and pullover sweaters. Between songs, the vocalists will narrate the history behind the music. This new program is the first in a new series of programs on American Popular Song designed to engage our visitors with the sounds of the past—enlivening the museum environment and providing a multisensory means for experiencing American history.

For several years I worked in an office adjacent the former Ella Fitzgerald exhibition, which featured an audio loop of the queen of skat doing her thing. Each day, I saw this performer—who made a notoriously harsh audience at the Apollo clamor for more—touch visitors with her creative vocal improvisations and cheerful “babadebepops.” I didn’t realize how much I had missed experiencing American history through music until my run-in with the “Happy Holidays” rehearsal. For me, the program is a happy reminder of the way live performances can conjure up a bygone era and the power of music to fill up a space with warmth and life.

Dana Allen-Greil is the new media project manager at the National Museum of American History.

History alive!

When the museum reopens on November 21, we will debut new theater programs designed to engage our visitors, bring history to life, and stimulate our audiences to talk about it. One such performance evokes the emotional and controversial aspects of the 1960s civil rights movement and will provide an up–close look at the strategy used and bravery required to move a nation to do the right thing—end segregation! 

One of our landmark objects is the Woolworth lunch counter that was the site of protests in Greensboro, N.C., which led to the desegregation of lunch counters in Woolworth department stores throughout the U.S. Performances at the lunch counter will help visitors immerse themselves in the times and the emotions of the sit-ins.

In order to assess the script and get objective criticism, I traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana, with actor Xavier Carnegie to participate in a 3-day “Theatre in Museums” workshop. While there, we put on a test performance.

My primary objective was to learn more about developing a theatrical production—or living exhibition—from an idea to execution. We also wanted to learn how to increase the impact of this one-man program. What better way to achieve these goals than to share the production with a group of theater professionals?

After witnessing the performance by Xavier, audience members described it as a “powerful [interactive] experience”; “a very effective way of relaying information in a way that immersed the audience”; “a powerful tool for teaching a difficult topic like hatred, racism”; “a great use of music and the audience” that “really had an emotional impact.”

Starting November 21, you can see this theater program every weekend at the museum. It is a great way to discover the symbolism of the lunch counter, one of our museum’s most evocative objects. Museum theater—what a way to fulfill our mission to “create learning opportunities, stimulate imaginations and present challenging ideas about our country’s past”!

James K. Zimmerman is a senior public programs producer at the National Museum of American History.

On the Day of the Dead we celebrate life

While many were planning their Halloween costumes, parties, and trick or treat routes, a few of us at the National Museum of American History were planning another successful Day of the Dead celebration! Because the museum itself is closed for renovation at the moment, we partnered with the National Museum of the American Indian.

The Museum has been presenting this beautiful program for five years and it continues to be my favorite festival. It is called Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) and yet we celebrate life! The belief behind this ancient Mesoamerican tradition is that there is a continuum of life, death, and re-birth. It is a colorful, spiritual, and rich cultural tradition, with music, dance performances, crafts and food demonstrations, paper flower making, sugar skull decorations, candles, and the exquisite floral aroma of cempasuchitl and amaranth.

People celebrate in their homes, creating altars (called ofrendas in Spanish) that display portraits, favorite foods, and special possessions of their loved ones. Altars are also decorated with candles and marigolds—the light of the candle and scent of the flowers are said to attract the souls of the deceased and draw them back for a short time to take part in the pleasures they once enjoyed in life.

Please join is in 2009 for next year’s Day of the Dead celebration.

Magdalena Mieri is director of the museum’s Program in Latino History and Culture.

Celebrate Defender's Day!

If you’re in the Baltimore area this weekend, head to Fort McHenry to check out their amazing Defender’s Day celebration. It’s a commemoration of the anniversary of the Battle of Baltimore, and they have all kinds of special events and family activities going on. If you’ve never been there before, it’s a wonderful place to learn more about the Star-Spangled Banner and the War of 1812 (and take in some gorgeous views of the Patapsco River, to boot!).

To Thinkfinity....and beyond!

When I started my new job at the museum in the spring of 2007, we had just received a grant from the Verizon Foundation and had joined their Thinkfinity Consortium. Thinkfinity.org is an online portal that provides access to tens of thousands of free, standards-based educational materials produced by Thinkfinity’s content partners.

As the museum’s Education Technologist I was tasked with managing the design and production of a new Web site that would allow teachers, parents, and students to quickly find and use the wealth of educational resources the museum has to offer and to have it ready by the fall of 2009. No problem.

OK, small problem. We first had to develop a process to inventory and tag the museum’s hundreds of online resources in a way that’s useful for teachers but that would also be helpful to parents and students. Through the hard work and creativity of our museum educators and a number of dedicated interns we built a process for tagging every online educational resource with a full description, relevant keywords, grade range, and format, as well as the national standards for history. We’re still tagging every day, but should have all our materials inventoried by the end of 2009. Woo hoo!

One of the best things about working on this project has been our Teacher Advisory Group, affectionately referred to as the “TAG.” This group of volunteer teachers from across the country has been with us from Day 1 and has collaborated on every feature and facet of the new site. They even helped us narrow down and select the name for the site, “Smithsonian’s History Explorer.” I think their enthusiasm and creative ideas will shine through when you see the new site.

Speaking of which, the site will launch on September 15th—but here is a special sneak preview for our blog readers. We’d love to hear what you think about the site, how you use it, and your ideas for new tools and functions. We’re already working on plans for new tools and educational materials for 2009. Feel free to contact us at thinkfinity@si.edu.