The Official Anne Frank House Website
www.annefrank.org
Designed and constructed by The Anne Frank Stichting
Reviewed Nov. 23, 2009
To young scholars across the world, Anne Frank is the face and the voice of the Holocaust. The personal confidences in her diary touch people in all corners of the globe and give the history of antisemitism a personal relevance for millions of people. The Anne Frank House recognizes her valuable contribution not only to history but to social consciousness. Because of the compelling nature of her story, the Anne Frank House designed a website that provides a moving experience, secondary only to visiting the museum itself.
The content of the website is primarily instructional. These features are primarily directed to the curious and casual visitor. In addition to discovering the basic facts about the museum, a visitor also has access to brief biographies of Anne Frank, her family, their benefactors, and the others in hiding. These biographies are enhanced with images that portray the people mentioned in Anne’s diary, their secret attic, and their surrounding community in Amsterdam. The creators of the website have recently developed the Anne Frank channel on YouTube, which provides access to interviews with witnesses of the events surrounding Anne’s life, including Otto Frank. The channel also features the only known video footage of Anne herself, in which she gazes out of a balcony, only a few weeks before going into hiding. Through the biographies, images, and videos, the website creates a unique personal connection between the visitor and Anne Frank.
The website’s most useful features cater directly to teachers and their students. The “Anne Frank Guide” is a useful tool for middle and high school teachers to use The Diary of Anne Frank as a means to teach students about the Holocaust. This page provides condensed historical information about Anne Frank and World War II in conjunction with suggested activities and lesson plans. Furthermore, the site provides unique guides for eighteen different countries, each in their own language and containing specific facts about how that particular nation was impacted by the war. The guide also takes the events of Anne’s diary out of their context and demonstrates how they can be related to present-day acts of genocide and, with equal importance, acts of humanity.
Students benefit from the interactive aspects of the website. A section on homework help allows accessible information about Anne Frank and World War II and provides a quiz. A graphic novel on the Holocaust dilutes the horrific event to an acceptable context for very young visitors. But, more importantly, the website encourages young people to relate Anne’s experience to their own life. The site has a forum for responses and discussion of the diary and its history. Additionally, the Anne Frank Tree allows guests to “leave a leaf” on Anne’s interactive monument. On a virtual leaf, a visitor chooses a theme that characterizes Anne’s legacy, such as humanity or courage, and then leaves his or her name along with a brief message or picture. These are then added to the tree, which visitors are free to peruse for inspiration.
The Official Anne Frank House website provides an educational and meaningful look into the life of an extraordinary young woman and the history that shaped her. Through its ease of use and caliber of content, it achieves a quality of experience that is rare on the internet. This website is a valuable resource for all audiences.
Showing posts with label museums. Show all posts
Showing posts with label museums. Show all posts
Monday, November 23, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
How We Gonna Pay?
Eric O'Keefe's New York Times article, "Auctioning the Old West to Help a City in the East" reports a unique effort to raise money for Harrisburg, PA. The city's mayor worked to develop an impressive collection of Old West artifacts to open a new museum. However, due to budgetary dilemmas, he helped create an auction to sell the artifacts and fundraise for Harrisburg. It seems ironic to me that while museums have extraordinary difficulties finding financial resources, the value of their exhibits can assist a state capitol.
In "The End of History Museums, Part B," Cary Carson addresses some of the financial difficulties of museums and how various sites have addressed these problems. Carson notes that attendance at history museums has dropped drastically in recent years, depriving these museums of a primary source of income. In order to combat this, many museums have taken a proactive stance by expanding educational programs, creating visitor centers, and renting their facilities for private affairs.
Carson is extremely critical of the latter effort. He believes that the focus of history museums should be the history, not a staged event. I disagree with this perspective for two main reasons: First, the continued operation of a museum must be the primary concern of its administration and, if an event can help the museum without hurting its mission, the benefits outweigh the costs. Second, even if the historical aspect of a museum is relegated to a "sideshow" for a non-historical event, the ultimate message of bringing history to the public is still accomplished. Even in a museum's purest state, it is unrealistic to attempt to control all of the circumstances involved in a guest's experience. Ultimately, the efforts for a museum to be an event site as well as a historical site provides at least a short-term resolution to pressing financial concerns.
Even as we look at how museums need assistance from their communities, it is equally important to historically examine the communities in which they exist. Nancy Raquel Mirabal writes in "Geographies of Displacement: Latina/o's, Oral History, and The Gentrification of San Fransisco's Mission District" that economic progress in San Fransisco has rubbed out the historic and cultural roots of certain parts of the city. She hails the attempts of historians to recapture the story of the mission district by interviewing its former inhabitants and tracing the changes that have occurred in the space that they once called home. This is an extraordinary endeavor that deserves acknowledgment and imitation in similarly evolving urban areas. It demonstrates that financial success can be as damaging as financial distress.
From fundraisers and developments to ticket prices and paying the rent, it looks like even the most idealistic of public historians will never be free of the money woes.
In "The End of History Museums, Part B," Cary Carson addresses some of the financial difficulties of museums and how various sites have addressed these problems. Carson notes that attendance at history museums has dropped drastically in recent years, depriving these museums of a primary source of income. In order to combat this, many museums have taken a proactive stance by expanding educational programs, creating visitor centers, and renting their facilities for private affairs.
Carson is extremely critical of the latter effort. He believes that the focus of history museums should be the history, not a staged event. I disagree with this perspective for two main reasons: First, the continued operation of a museum must be the primary concern of its administration and, if an event can help the museum without hurting its mission, the benefits outweigh the costs. Second, even if the historical aspect of a museum is relegated to a "sideshow" for a non-historical event, the ultimate message of bringing history to the public is still accomplished. Even in a museum's purest state, it is unrealistic to attempt to control all of the circumstances involved in a guest's experience. Ultimately, the efforts for a museum to be an event site as well as a historical site provides at least a short-term resolution to pressing financial concerns.
Even as we look at how museums need assistance from their communities, it is equally important to historically examine the communities in which they exist. Nancy Raquel Mirabal writes in "Geographies of Displacement: Latina/o's, Oral History, and The Gentrification of San Fransisco's Mission District" that economic progress in San Fransisco has rubbed out the historic and cultural roots of certain parts of the city. She hails the attempts of historians to recapture the story of the mission district by interviewing its former inhabitants and tracing the changes that have occurred in the space that they once called home. This is an extraordinary endeavor that deserves acknowledgment and imitation in similarly evolving urban areas. It demonstrates that financial success can be as damaging as financial distress.
From fundraisers and developments to ticket prices and paying the rent, it looks like even the most idealistic of public historians will never be free of the money woes.
Monday, October 19, 2009
The Tough Stuff
It seems as though there are two types of people: those who are shocked by nothing and those who are shocked by everything. Americans, as a society, are enjoying a time when controversies of all kinds are deconstructed, repackaged, and presented in the most appealing and appalling way possible. The public is left to either embrace or reject the information, per their preconceived notions of correctness.
The subject of slavery is no exception. From recent debates on reparations to Tracy Morgan's portrayal of Thomas Jefferson, slavery has been packaged as a harrowing but defining part of American history and present day race relations. However, as slavery becomes increasingly easier to address through a modern lens, historians face a dilemma regarding their responsibilities and abilities to present slavery, simply, as it was.
James Oliver Horton and Lois E. Horton collected a set of essays on this significant problem in public history. Their book, Slavery and Public History: The Tough Stuff of American Memory provides a comprehensive overview of how historians and educators regularly grapple with the issue of slavery. They begin with essays that examine the broad question of how slavery has fundamentally affected modern American society. A series of essayists then examine specific instances in which slavery has been handled at sites of public history.
The authors of the essays present a number of problems, including the comfort of public history consumers (similar to the previously blogged-about Amy Tyson article), the appropriateness of museum policies, and the constant pursuit of truth. Each essay advocates the use of education to dispel the stigma surrounding discussions of slavery and encourage open and honest discourse. However, none of the contributors offer practical solutions to the specific cases that they study.
Roger Launius isolates the main dilemma of uncomfortable public history exhibits in his essay, "American Memory, Culture Wars, and the Challenge of Presenting Science and Technology in a National Museum," (published in The Public History of Science in Winter, 2007). He asks, "How might we, seeking to be useful to the society we serve, respond to this situation? How might we best survive whatever scorn arises in this process without compromising our commitment to serving society?" (30).
This question is where I hop on the mental treadmill and run over the same span of thought repeatedly. How do historians present the uncensored and uncomfortable truth without challenging the public to the point where they resent public history? Is it the responsibility of historians to be comfort counselors as well as educators?
Monday, October 5, 2009
Since we were just talking about museums...
Standing behind Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, the National Constitution Center in bills itself as the third stop on the walking tour of Philadelphia’s role in the formation of the United States of America. This ideal location allows the surrounding, well-known historic landmarks to evoke sensations of patriotism and pride in visitors and, when guests arrive at the National Constitution Center, the museum provides opportunities to act on these sensations. The National Constitution Center picks up where the Liberty Bell leaves off and educates visitors about how distinct post-Revolutionary American values shaped the Constitution and how the Constitution shapes Americans’ daily lives.
The National Constitution Center provides a truly sensuous experience to visitors. The architecture, designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, reflects the museum’s theme of continuity. The large circular room which hosts the museum’s permanent exhibit, “The American Experience” takes guests on a journey through the history of the Constitution through a series of interactive and engaging displays. The walls curve almost imperceptibly around the guests as the follow the exhibit from the signers of the Constitution to the election of Barack Obama and suddenly find themselves back at the beginning, demonstrating the incomparable, lasting significance of the Constitution.
The entrance to the exhibit is called the “Signer’s Hall,” a plain but stately space, filled with life-sized bronze statues of the signers of the Constitution, as though they were frozen in time. In the center of the room is a large copy of the constitution with an invitation for visitors to sign their own name. This reenactment of a historically significant moment effectively launches the visitor experience to the larger exhibit of the Constitution.
The exhibit itself is accessible to a wide audience. The informative and slightly controversial nature of the displays appeal to a range of adults (particularly American adults) and the fun, interactive displays successfully entertain children while providing subtle education. The exhibit moves chronologically, focusing on times in American history when the Constitution played a significant role in changing and developing law and society. The displays on the museum’s outer walls are colorful, filled with bold images and artifacts, intermingled with language from the Constitution. These are accompanied by text which provides relevant background information about the subject. Several portions of the exhibit also have a video display that can be listened to through headsets. Some videos contain historical television footage of key events, such as the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Others show commentary by modern political leaders or mock debates about past controversies.
The inner area of the museum boasts several more interactive stations that focus mainly on allowing the audience to become active participants in the history of the Constitution. A simulated voting booth allows guests to vote for their favorite presidents (unfortunately, they are compelled to choose from a short list). A display about the Supreme Court features the opportunity to try on a judicial robe and sit behind a judge’s bench. Perhaps most engagingly, throughout the museum, there are walls with large questions such as, “Should same-sex marriage be legal?” Next to these walls are stacks of Post-It notes and pencils, inviting participants to jot down their opinions, post them on the wall and, in a small way, become part of a topical national conversation.
The final segment of the museum’s permanent exhibit is a 4-D performance called “Freedom Rising.” The theater is in the center of the museum. As audiences wait to be seated, they are invited to circle the theater and view small artifacts from 18th century America, including children’s toys, clothing, and household goods. A mural depicting a Philadelphia street surrounds them and hidden speakers play snippets of staged conversations and sounds from the street scene on the painting. Inside the theater, audience seats are on a raised platform on the outer edges of a cylindrical room. A screen extends around the top half of the room. As the lights dim, a single performer enters the room and delivers a dramatic monologue about the Constitution, its creation, and its enormous impact on the evolution of the United States. Her performance is accompanied by a stunning visual production projected on the screen surrounding the room, as well as on a cylindrical screen that drops from the ceiling minutes into the show. Sound clips, some staged and some historical, complete the experience. The content of the show is a heavy dose of American pie but, based on observed reactions, this unique portion of the exhibit communicated successfully with its audience.
It is unsurprising that the National Constitution Center takes on an overwhelmingly patriotic tone and glosses over any serious Constitutional criticisms. The museum was founded as part of the Constitution Heritage Act of 1988 and two former presidents sit on the Board of Trustees. The building of the museum was initially state funded and was also given a substantial endowment. (Admission costs, a store museum, parking fees, facility rentals, and a cafe contribute to the operating costs of the Center.) However, despite the obvious financial ties to the state, the National Constitution Center maintains that it is an independent and non-partisan organization with a purely educational mission.
The National Constitution Center strives to provide a number of venues for education, from school tours to teacher resources. This mission is furthered by the museum’s continual efforts to offer free lectures and events for the public. Each month, they invite new speakers to deliver addresses on a variety of topics. These open lectures draw huge crowds and the museum hopes that their presence will lead to an increased awareness of the Constitution. Additionally, the National Constitution Center hosts a variety of traveling exhibits, most recently a tribute to Princess Diana, entitled, “Diana: a celebration.” New, rotating exhibits allow for constantly renewed interest in the museum and encourage repeat visitors. Furthermore, the National Constitution Center’s website (www.constitutioncenter.org) boasts extensive information about the Constitution for adults and several games and interactive pages for children. The Center’s dedication to education is shown through the variety of means in which its collection is accessible to the public.
The National Constitution Center exceeds expectations in terms of fulfilling its purpose of bringing awareness to the Constitution and constitutional issues in the United States. Its sensational multimedia approach, combined with elements of living history and traditional displays, successfully engages the public with some of the most notable constitutional debates over the last two-hundred years. The interactive nature of the exhibit, particularly the museum’s continual requests for guest involvement, provides visitors with a uniquely personal connection to the Constitution and a memorable experience. The National Constitution Center takes the traditional Philadelphia walking tour out of its purely historical context and creates an exciting, relevant experience for any audience.
The National Constitution Center provides a truly sensuous experience to visitors. The architecture, designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, reflects the museum’s theme of continuity. The large circular room which hosts the museum’s permanent exhibit, “The American Experience” takes guests on a journey through the history of the Constitution through a series of interactive and engaging displays. The walls curve almost imperceptibly around the guests as the follow the exhibit from the signers of the Constitution to the election of Barack Obama and suddenly find themselves back at the beginning, demonstrating the incomparable, lasting significance of the Constitution.
The entrance to the exhibit is called the “Signer’s Hall,” a plain but stately space, filled with life-sized bronze statues of the signers of the Constitution, as though they were frozen in time. In the center of the room is a large copy of the constitution with an invitation for visitors to sign their own name. This reenactment of a historically significant moment effectively launches the visitor experience to the larger exhibit of the Constitution.
The exhibit itself is accessible to a wide audience. The informative and slightly controversial nature of the displays appeal to a range of adults (particularly American adults) and the fun, interactive displays successfully entertain children while providing subtle education. The exhibit moves chronologically, focusing on times in American history when the Constitution played a significant role in changing and developing law and society. The displays on the museum’s outer walls are colorful, filled with bold images and artifacts, intermingled with language from the Constitution. These are accompanied by text which provides relevant background information about the subject. Several portions of the exhibit also have a video display that can be listened to through headsets. Some videos contain historical television footage of key events, such as the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Others show commentary by modern political leaders or mock debates about past controversies.
The inner area of the museum boasts several more interactive stations that focus mainly on allowing the audience to become active participants in the history of the Constitution. A simulated voting booth allows guests to vote for their favorite presidents (unfortunately, they are compelled to choose from a short list). A display about the Supreme Court features the opportunity to try on a judicial robe and sit behind a judge’s bench. Perhaps most engagingly, throughout the museum, there are walls with large questions such as, “Should same-sex marriage be legal?” Next to these walls are stacks of Post-It notes and pencils, inviting participants to jot down their opinions, post them on the wall and, in a small way, become part of a topical national conversation.
The final segment of the museum’s permanent exhibit is a 4-D performance called “Freedom Rising.” The theater is in the center of the museum. As audiences wait to be seated, they are invited to circle the theater and view small artifacts from 18th century America, including children’s toys, clothing, and household goods. A mural depicting a Philadelphia street surrounds them and hidden speakers play snippets of staged conversations and sounds from the street scene on the painting. Inside the theater, audience seats are on a raised platform on the outer edges of a cylindrical room. A screen extends around the top half of the room. As the lights dim, a single performer enters the room and delivers a dramatic monologue about the Constitution, its creation, and its enormous impact on the evolution of the United States. Her performance is accompanied by a stunning visual production projected on the screen surrounding the room, as well as on a cylindrical screen that drops from the ceiling minutes into the show. Sound clips, some staged and some historical, complete the experience. The content of the show is a heavy dose of American pie but, based on observed reactions, this unique portion of the exhibit communicated successfully with its audience.
It is unsurprising that the National Constitution Center takes on an overwhelmingly patriotic tone and glosses over any serious Constitutional criticisms. The museum was founded as part of the Constitution Heritage Act of 1988 and two former presidents sit on the Board of Trustees. The building of the museum was initially state funded and was also given a substantial endowment. (Admission costs, a store museum, parking fees, facility rentals, and a cafe contribute to the operating costs of the Center.) However, despite the obvious financial ties to the state, the National Constitution Center maintains that it is an independent and non-partisan organization with a purely educational mission.
The National Constitution Center strives to provide a number of venues for education, from school tours to teacher resources. This mission is furthered by the museum’s continual efforts to offer free lectures and events for the public. Each month, they invite new speakers to deliver addresses on a variety of topics. These open lectures draw huge crowds and the museum hopes that their presence will lead to an increased awareness of the Constitution. Additionally, the National Constitution Center hosts a variety of traveling exhibits, most recently a tribute to Princess Diana, entitled, “Diana: a celebration.” New, rotating exhibits allow for constantly renewed interest in the museum and encourage repeat visitors. Furthermore, the National Constitution Center’s website (www.constitutioncenter.org) boasts extensive information about the Constitution for adults and several games and interactive pages for children. The Center’s dedication to education is shown through the variety of means in which its collection is accessible to the public.
The National Constitution Center exceeds expectations in terms of fulfilling its purpose of bringing awareness to the Constitution and constitutional issues in the United States. Its sensational multimedia approach, combined with elements of living history and traditional displays, successfully engages the public with some of the most notable constitutional debates over the last two-hundred years. The interactive nature of the exhibit, particularly the museum’s continual requests for guest involvement, provides visitors with a uniquely personal connection to the Constitution and a memorable experience. The National Constitution Center takes the traditional Philadelphia walking tour out of its purely historical context and creates an exciting, relevant experience for any audience.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Museums: Who, What, How, and Why?
We're on a museum kick this week in my public history course. Actually, the major course project is about a museum, but that's sort of a hush-hush, no-blogging-about-it, kind of project, so consider this a mysterious, veiled reference. The image of Scarlett O'Hara peeking coyly over her fan comes to mind.
Which brings me to slavery.
In her article, "Crafting Emotional Comfort," published in Museum and Society, Amy Tyson writes about two separate museums and how they address the history of slavery. Conner Prairie, in Fishers, Indiana, hosts an after-hours role-playing session entitled, "Follow the North Star." As part of this museum experience, guests are led on a 90 minute simulation of the Underground Railroad in 1836. The primarily white visitors morph into runaway slaves and endure dehumanizing treatment from the museum staff. For the psychologically delicate among the participants, everyone is given a safety sash that can be waved, should anyone need to escape the escape.
Tyson also examines Fort Snelling in St. Paul, Minnesota, where the topic of slavery is, at best, removed from sight. She notes that no re-enactors portray the black slaves who worked for Colonel and Mrs. Snelling. Moreover, when the subject of domestic labor is mentioned during tours, the guides refer to bonded women as "servants," taking no notice of their race or lack of freedom.
These two polar approaches to addressing slavery show a common thread in the museums' methods of customer service: comfort. Tyson underscores the fact that both museums take extraordinary precautions to ensure that their visitors feel emotionally at ease throughout their museum experiences. At the conclusion of the article, Tyson determines that the necessity of customer care in living history museums suggests a unique dilemma and suggests that historians of all kinds, "consider the extent to which the expectation of and preoccupation with emotional comfort has entered our own terrains" (258).
Stephen Weil addresses this question and many others in his book, Making Museums Matter. He provides a comprehensive study of the history, purposes, methods, and success of museums. His analyses enlightens the reader to the infinite decisions involved in creating and maintaining a museum that benefits its community. Like Tyson, Weil looks at museums with a critical eye and aims to provide a series of objective criterion which evaluate the quality of any given museum. He suggests that, one day, museums as a whole might have to defend their worth and he wants to be prepared.
The American Association of Museums 2008 Annual Report falls in line with Weil's concern. The report indicates new plans to bring agenda of museums to Capitol Hill and ensure the success of legislative efforts that benefit museums. Additionally, the AMA aims to raise itself to well-recognized "expert" status, to improve visibility. Perhaps these endeavors will succeed in accomplishing what Weil suggests: proving that museums have both aesthetic and commodified worth.
All of this weeks' readings cast into sharp light the difficulties facing museums and those who operate them. However, the attitude toward these problems is unabashedly hopeful. The authors recognize that museums must change to meet the evolving needs of their communities and, through their careful studies, present reasonable means to enact and evaluate these changes.
Which brings me to slavery.
In her article, "Crafting Emotional Comfort," published in Museum and Society, Amy Tyson writes about two separate museums and how they address the history of slavery. Conner Prairie, in Fishers, Indiana, hosts an after-hours role-playing session entitled, "Follow the North Star." As part of this museum experience, guests are led on a 90 minute simulation of the Underground Railroad in 1836. The primarily white visitors morph into runaway slaves and endure dehumanizing treatment from the museum staff. For the psychologically delicate among the participants, everyone is given a safety sash that can be waved, should anyone need to escape the escape.
Tyson also examines Fort Snelling in St. Paul, Minnesota, where the topic of slavery is, at best, removed from sight. She notes that no re-enactors portray the black slaves who worked for Colonel and Mrs. Snelling. Moreover, when the subject of domestic labor is mentioned during tours, the guides refer to bonded women as "servants," taking no notice of their race or lack of freedom.
These two polar approaches to addressing slavery show a common thread in the museums' methods of customer service: comfort. Tyson underscores the fact that both museums take extraordinary precautions to ensure that their visitors feel emotionally at ease throughout their museum experiences. At the conclusion of the article, Tyson determines that the necessity of customer care in living history museums suggests a unique dilemma and suggests that historians of all kinds, "consider the extent to which the expectation of and preoccupation with emotional comfort has entered our own terrains" (258).
Stephen Weil addresses this question and many others in his book, Making Museums Matter. He provides a comprehensive study of the history, purposes, methods, and success of museums. His analyses enlightens the reader to the infinite decisions involved in creating and maintaining a museum that benefits its community. Like Tyson, Weil looks at museums with a critical eye and aims to provide a series of objective criterion which evaluate the quality of any given museum. He suggests that, one day, museums as a whole might have to defend their worth and he wants to be prepared.
The American Association of Museums 2008 Annual Report falls in line with Weil's concern. The report indicates new plans to bring agenda of museums to Capitol Hill and ensure the success of legislative efforts that benefit museums. Additionally, the AMA aims to raise itself to well-recognized "expert" status, to improve visibility. Perhaps these endeavors will succeed in accomplishing what Weil suggests: proving that museums have both aesthetic and commodified worth.
All of this weeks' readings cast into sharp light the difficulties facing museums and those who operate them. However, the attitude toward these problems is unabashedly hopeful. The authors recognize that museums must change to meet the evolving needs of their communities and, through their careful studies, present reasonable means to enact and evaluate these changes.
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