The first part of Practicum in Public History includes understanding the connection between history, museums, and communities. There is ambiguity coming into a class that is unknown to the student on the first day of class. Specific reactions differ from class to class. This is a chance to explore and earn practical experience in Public History. Despite not knowing much about Public History, the course material provided a different way of thinking because several museums implement different ideas.
The first site visit is Rancho Camulos located in Ventura County. The mission statement indicates, “Rancho Camulos is a National Historic Landmark situated within a working ranch.” Everything surrounding the ranch is appealing. There is an atmospheric feeling to the museum. The docent can take advantage of this feeling by elaborating the daily life of the residents and their ranchers. There is a sense of being there during that period. This type of museum is unique because the physical location connects to the Del Valle and Rubel family. The tour stated at the chapel leading toward several rooms through the adobe. All the docents ended the tour at the schoolhouse, showing the film Ramona. Dorthea Phelan, one of many docents, is adamant about storytelling throughout the tour. Storytelling positively influences the visitor to make a connection with the presented history and their experience. Incorporating objects into storytelling provide enhances the experience for the visitor. There is clothing of several women from the Del Valle could use further elaboration. The tour contains a mixture of the Del Valle and Rubel family. At times, there is confusion about the distinction between who the Del Valle and Rubel family are. The docent notes...
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...he tour. These are overall ideas that connect within the reading and improvements for Rancho Camulos.
There are different ways to think about Public History and how these museums implement these ideas. This evolving process contains learning, understanding, and research. Rancho Camulos has a fantastic atmosphere for their museum. There are ways to improve their exhibit and tours. Gaining insight from Dr. Karen Wilson, the visitor experience is not exclusive to African American or Jewish American people. There are prevalent themes for each museum as explained by Fath Davis Ruffins. This includes all culturally specific museums. The Chinatown History Museum provides several ways to communicate with their community and provide specific programming. Overall, the experience so far is compelling. I am able to make connections within the course material and the objective.
It depicts a very interesting story about the California heritage. The place still looks as an old Mexican “pueblo”. Many old houses were turned in cafes and restaurants where people can go and enjoy the beautiful environment. Many of the cafes are inside of the house with a very unique way to spend the afternoon. The pueblo has a lot of stores were the story of the mission and the legend of the swallows are sold. There are many old people living there, and usually they are the owners of the souvenir stores. Raquel Curtin owner of a souvenir store states that the story of the Mission San Juan Capistrano is one of her favorites. “It’s a very interesting story that everyone that lives in California should know,” Curtin says. She has been attending her store for more than 10 years. Curtin believes that the story of the Mission will never be forgotten. According to Curtin “the Mission is what we are now, and we should never forget
The mission of LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes is a non-profit organization/museum founded to celebrate and cultivate an appreciation for the enduring and evolving influence of Mexican and Mexican-American culture, with a specific focus upon the unique Mexican-American experience in Los Angeles and Southern California. The museum itself is near where Los Angeles was founded in 1871 and includes a 2.2 anchor campus that includes two historic and renovated buildings (Vickrey Brunswig Building and Plaza House). All surrounded by beautiful public gardens. La Plaza is also located near the heart of Los Angeles surrounded by other ethnic sites like Little Tokyo. (However after visiting one can 't help to realize the homeless problem in the Los Angeles area, and realizing some are even Chicano.)
Chavez Ravine was a self-sufficient and tight-knit community, a rare example of small town life within a large urban metropolis, but no matter how much the inhabitants loved thei...
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...n for different cultural events. You will have a full day by yourselves. Walk around the plaza, get yourself absorbed into the adobe structures, and find some native food to eat.
The Tampa Museum of Art was not always the same museum that we see today. It went through multiple stages throughout the years. The works vary, creating a large spectrum from the old to the new. The social angles change with the exhibits in the museum, combining to create the diversity we see today. Visiting this museum in person helped me to appreciate it even more than I would have thought possible. Observing and analyzing the other visitors helped me to understand the museum’s impact on the community more than I would have been able to just by reading about it. This museum is much different from others than I have visited.
Charles F. Bryan, Jr., “State Historical Agencies, Museums, and Societies: A Constant State of Change,” in James B. Gardner & Peter S. LaPaglia, Public History: Essays from the Field (Malabar, Florida, 2006), 295-306
One of these sites is “El Cerro de Monserrate.” It is a church located on the peak of a mountain where every person who visits Bogotá goes to. The sights from up there in the peak are beautiful. You can see the whole city that has a population of six million people. You can climb up the mountain by foot, gondola, or cable car. Up there, there are all kinds of things. These include a cafeteria, a mini “San Andresito,” which is a mini market of souvenirs for everyone who goes there and there is even a wall of the dead were people’s plackets are put up when they die. Many people go up there ev...
The article states the three theories about the Chaco Canyon houses, and provides three reasons of support. However, the professor explains that these theories were not convincing, and refutes each of the author’s reasons.
In Stephen Weil’s essay, he argues “the museum’s role has transformed from one of mastery to one of service” (Weil, 196). According to him, museums have changed their mission from one that cultures the public to one that serves
This critical analysis will evaluate the DHM and WM programs and displays with respect to their intent as well as their ability to present facts and materials in understandable manner to a first time visitor. It will also touch a bit on topics discussed in assignment sheet -the overall effect of museum promoting the real knowledge of Underground Railroad. Recommendations to museum to improve public’s understanding of the topic and also Blights question “keeping the long view. However this research is focused more on the experience of the first time visitor with little or no prior knowledge. The following pages will analyse more on the critical issue of learning and knowledge of Underground Railroad through the historical facts and display of each museum and its effect on general public.
A museum gives us insight on the culture from an out standing point of view, and the things we are shown are supposed to be looked at from the outside. The people who decided what things to exhibit did not belong to that community saw it, and decided what they considered is different to what we are used to, and what we would be interested in learning from that. The display of things in a Museum are things that we look at as something that is outside from normal. In contrast to the movie or movies, where scenes substantially show how the person felt and dealt with situations and tools from their own perspective, with their own knowledge and experience and through different means such as real images, sounds, language and others produces a different knowledge on the racial discourse. When looking at exhibitions in museums the other culture is unknown, and almost uncomfortable to us, but in movies we can be standing in their
History is a story told over time. It is a way of recreating the past so it can be studied in the present and re-interpreted for future generations. Since humans are the sole beneficiaries of history, it is important for us to know what the purpose of history is and how historians include their own perspective concerning historical events. The purpose and perspective of history is vital in order for individuals to realise how it would be almost impossible for us to live out our lives effectively if we had no knowledge of the past. Also, in order to gain a sound knowledge of the past, we have to understand the political, social and cultural aspects of the times we are studying.
The issues that are raised in this source by Marc Trachtenberg are is whether or not objectivity is still a relevant idea, and if it is not then is history in fact dying. Keith Jenkins' "What is History?," Carl Becker's "What are Historical Facts?" and Richard Evans' "In Defence of History" will be used to discuss and examine these issues.
The inside of the museum was intense because you walk into see two huge dinosaur structures in the front. There were also many entrances to different exhibits on top the entrances were enormous murals depicting various things. The murals showed all of the cultures around the world. All of the cultures are able to mix in with each other. For instance, the mural on top of the Asian Peoples exhibit was showing the many different Asian cultures such as Japanese, Korean, and Chinese mixing into one huge mural. There was the mural on top of the African Peoples exhibit that included prominent animals such as, lions and elephants. And lastly for the South American Peoples exhibit that included Theodore Roosevelt in the mural signifying the creation of the Panama Canal. I like how the murals all had the same color schemes. These murals showed the impact of various historical events having an im...