Jill Johnson Thesis Project

First day of MUSE 490 and this is where my abstract now stands.

Abstract:

Objects without a narrative are simply things. By contrast, an object with a story can be used as a vehicle for a museum to open dialogues with visitors about the people of that time period, how they lived their lives, and what social aspects influenced them. The story of an object, what makes it different from hundreds of others just like it, can change it from ordinary to extraordinary and be used as a powerful learning tool by helping the audience to create connections and make meaning of what they are seeing and experiencing. This thesis will explore the relationships between objects and their un-visible or hidden stories in order to show the importance of narrative and meaning making in museums, particularly living history museums. By examining, researching, and exploring ten objects from the collection of the Genesee Country Village & Museum (GCV&M), a 19th century living history village in Western New York, this thesis will demonstrate the importance in using narrative in interpretation. The key research methods include examination of primary and secondary literature and the creation of new primary sources. Previous and newly-created interviews with long-time interpreters of the historic houses at GCV&M will provide insight into the kinds of questions visitors ask about the objects filling the sixty-eight historic structures on the campus. In addition, literature written by museum professionals will support the research by uncovering current practices and approaches around objects and storytelling, meaning making in museums, and the importance of those in a historic house, site, or living history village. These two avenues of research will become the basis for storytelling about the ten items selected from GCV&M in order to show the extent to which narratives in a museum or historic setting are key to successful visitor education and can be used as a way to help tie them to the past while making meaning in their present and guiding their future. Shifting from research to application, this thesis will culminate in an online exhibit for GCV&M to see how the narratives created as part of this project can, in fact, turn ordinary things into extraordinary objects that reveal hidden histories and bridge the gap between past and present and guide the audience into making meaningful connections.