As a museum educator in a small museum with a limited budget I am constantly trying to find  low-tech ways to create hands-on learning experiences for visitors. Not every hands on display needs to be a fancy hi-tech “all bells and whistles” computer program, nor is it always wanted by the visitor. Having a few simple hands-on stations that still requires the visitor’s own imagination can be just as effective, if not more meaningful.

Just remembering back to my museum-going experiences as a youngster, I always veered away from the computer games and consoles finding them cumbersome to figure out and broken half the time any way. I always gravitated to the stations that would allow me to “experience” what I was learning about. And that concept is what I hoped to have achieved with my “Aviation Station.”

The challenge has always been “how do you make the science of aviation tangible for visitors.”  When I teach about the basics of aviation, mainly what keeps a plane in the air, I talk about three fundamental principles of physics: Bernoulli’s Principle, Propulsion (Thrust), and Aerodynamics.  I decided to take this lesson and create stations that would exemplify each principle. I had a problem though, I needed wall space for the stations and there was no free space to be found. Then, during a Spring cleaning session, I found the solution to my problem; an old slat wall gift shop display that was slated for the trash. It was not much to look at, but I knew it had potential.

First things first, my intern and I scrubbed and cleaned it up. Sure it had a few blemishes, but nothing strategically mounted text couldn’t hide. It also had an open top with cruddy edges and I just knew kids were going to toss things into the center not to be found until years later. So, I drafted a few sketches to find solutions to my design issues and create an attack plan to make this piece of trash into something special. What I came up with is now on display in our Joan L. Hrubec Aviation Education Center and the changes I made are as follows:

Cosmetic

To improve the overall appearance of the display I took some fabric, cut a square, and nailed it to the top to create a cover over the open space to prevent any objects being thrown into it. I also took alcohol and an adhesive remover to remove and left over sticky bits and stains.

Content

Theories & Principles in Practice: Bernoulli’s Principle – This side of the slat wall faces the door and therefore is the natural starting point for visitors. At this station visitors learn about Bernoulli’s Principle, who Bernoulli was, why the principle works, and how it is applies in the field of aviation. Visitors also conduct experiments to see Bernoulli’s Principle in action. The first experiment involves a ping pong ball and a straw. The visitor is challenged to levitate the ball by blowing air through the straw (it really works and gets a lot of giggles from the kids, especially if they challenge each other). The second experiment involves blowing air through a stationary pinwheel to see how a propeller catches air to rotate the blade.

Learning Station: Though this has no hands-on components it contains visuals and simple text illustrating the forces of flight; lift, drag, weight, thrust.

Experimentation Station: Referencing the Learning Station visitors learn how lift, drag, weight, and thrust combine to keep a plane in the air. Using a simple foam glider which visitors assemble themselves, they can see these principles in motion…literally. After assembling the foam glider visitors are encouraged to launch them across the room to see the forces demonstrated.

Remembering the Past: Because we are a history museum, specifically a women’s history museum, I always feel it is important to add a bit of remembrance in with my “sciencey” bits. I do this for two reasons; 1.it helps to see where you came from to have an idea of why things are the way they are today and possibly where things are headed in the future, and 2.  it is important for visitors, especially children, to see that since the beginning women have always been involved in aviation. In order to make this timeline a little more interesting and interactive it is set up like a matching game with the visual clues helping them figure the appropriate time for each event.

Materials Used

All of the materials, except for the lamination, I was able to find enough left over pieces around the museum. The below is an estimated cost if I had to buy those materials to create the “Aviation Station.”

2″ x 2″ dark blue fabric $0; left over fabric from home

3″ x 2″ (roughly)white foam core for text panels; $12 at Pat Catans (look for sales)

14 laminated pieces from Staples $36 approximately, it’s roughly $8 per foot

light handle-less basket $0, left over from fundraiser

Hook and Loop Fasteners (i.e. Velcro) $10; varies by brand, also available at Pat Catans

Double Sided Foam Tape $5 (approx.); available at Home Depot

Left over/scrap plastic containers $0; discarded by gift shop

Total Cost to create: $63

The visitor response to the “Aviation Station” was better than I had hoped. Kids immediately gravitated to the stand alone display in the middle of the room and almost intuitively knew what they were expected to do.  From a piece of trash I was able to create a low-tech hands-on station that illustrates scientific concepts in a kid-friendly way.

When we acquired a room for the Joan L. Hrubec Aviation Education Center I was faced with a problem; what to do with this “walk-in closet” sized room that seemed too small to do anything with? The proposed room itself was already on the small side and if we converted this small room-inside-a-room into a mere storage space we would have lost valuable square footage. We talked about tearing down the walls, but that would have eaten up most of our budget. So, what to do?

What to Do?

In the meantime, while I was brainstorming for ideas, we were temporarily storing our Wright Flyer Flight Simulator in it. The simulator fit perfectly in the tiny room. Then it hit me! Why not use this room specifically for the Wright Flyer? I then set to work turning this tiny little room into a “time machine” that transports the visitor to Kitty Hawk in 1903 where Orville and Wilbur Wright made their first successful powered flight.

Putting it Together

I painted the walls to look like sand dunes and even hung artificial birds from the ceiling. On one of the walls I installed an interactive time line of flight, starting with kite flying in 5th Century B.C.E. China. Each entry on the time line is accompanied by a little door with different flying machine inventions painted on them. When the door is opened you can read about the contributions women have made with each of these aircraft. To further make this an interactive time line, the kite door is rigged to a pulley to give the feel the the visitor is flying the kite and reeling it in. On the opposite wall I mounted the biography of Katharine Wright, the Wright Brother’s sister, along with a binder of the Wright Brother’s sketches. No play area is complete without dress up clothes, so I mounted a clothing hook and hung period style costumes. To finish the room off, we hung a painting from our collection depicting Katharine Wright and her brothers at Kitty Hawk.

A Few Extra Details

Because I know kids like to be silly I like to add a few silly items wherever I can. In some of the pictures you may notice a stuffed penguin. Because I don’t want the kids to play with the Wright Flyer Flight Simulator without direct supervision I attached a notice onto the penguins foot to take the penguin to the room attendant to run the simulator. I also fashioned a cover for the flight simulator to look like a sand dune. On the outside of the door I created a dial the kids can switch between 1903 and present day.

The Result

The Kitty Hawk Time Machine is now one of our most utilized hands-on exhibits in the Joan L. Hrubec Aviation Education Center.

Controversy: An Exhibition

This past September I had the opportunity to take a day trip down to the Ohio Historical Society for the specific purpose of seeing the temporary exhibit “Controversy.” The exhibit was showcasing pieces from OHS’s permanent collection that have either never been on display or were once on display. The exhibit, though small, was compelling and encouraged discussion amongst exhibit visitors. I should also note that as we turned into the driveway in the pouring rain there was an old-timey baseball game being played out on the lawn, proof that we were going to have a wonderful visit.

Every museum, including historical societies, that I have had the pleasure of going behind the scenes of always possess “white elephant” objects; objects that are interesting, or maybe aren’t even interesting, but the institution cannot display them for some reason. This could be either because the object does not fit in well with the rest of the exhibit narrative and mission or the object could be so controversial the organization does not want to risk displaying it. The former is compounded by the fact that these objects cannot merely be deaccessioned and sold because the acquisition of the object  usually predates the organization’s development of a collections policy and donor contract. The later of these two, of course, is the preferred type of object. The fact that objects from our shared past are still viewed as controversial is interesting in and of itself and is useful information to note for future scholarship.

SO, the Ohio Historical Society compiled some of their controversial objects and took the risk of displaying them. The exhibit was more artistic in design, but not quite as interpretive and bold as the Maryland Historical Society’s Mining the Museum (1992-93) Exhibit designed by artist Fred Wilson.  The OHS employed many exhibit techniques to achieve the desired reaction from the audience.  The exhibit space was relatively dark with each object back-lit (to my frustration, because I wasn’t permitted to use a flash and the pictures came out terribly blurry) and created a somewhat ominous mood. Comprised of only five objects, each piece was missing the usually dictating label.  Seeing as this was an exhibit created to learn more about our current perceptions about these objects instead of the actual objects themselves (though informative binders were provided at the end of the exhibit for those curious about particular objects), a narrative text would have defeated this purpose. The end of the exhibit, in my opinion, was probably the most creative part of the exhibit design. Visitors were met with five projection screens with an outline drawing of each object projected onto the wall. Dry erase pens were provided and visitors were encouraged to write comments on the images to depict how each object made them feel; a very low tech solution to encourage discussion in a public space.

As a museum enthusiast I know objects are only as important as the meaning we prescribe to them, so the controversy of the exhibit was lost on me, though the concept I can appreciate. And, as a museum professional I most definitely can appreciate the clever exhibit design. I only wish the exhibit was longer and contained more objects.All in all, well worth the 2 1/2 hour drive to see it.

This exhibit closed November 21st, 2011 but you can find out more information about the exhibit and the objects at the below sources:

To learn more about OHS’s Controversy Exhibit visit the below:

http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/enews/0311b.shtml

http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/controversy/

To learn more about MHS’s Mining the Museum visit the below:

http://www.artsusa.org/animatingdemocracy/labs/lab_055.asp

http://classracegender.wordpress.com/2011/03/16/what-race-is-your-stroller/

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/30/arts/art-review-pumping-air-into-the-museum-so-it-s-as-big-as-the-world-outside.html?src=pm

Earth Abides

Eventually Stewart introduces the character of “Em,” Ish’s anticipated “Mother of Nations.” This part in the book is where I appreciate the boldness of Stewart’s writing when we discover that Em is a light complexioned African American. When he finds out about her racial background he says to her, “Oh, darling, everything is smashed and New York lies empty from Spuyten Duyvil to the Battery, and there’s no government in Washington. The senators and the judges and the governors are all dead and rotten, and the Jew-baiters and the Negro-baiters along with them. We’re just two poor people, pricking at the leavings of civilization for our lives, not knowing whether it’s to be the ants or the rats or something else will get us. Maybe a thousand years from now people can afford the luxury of wondering and worrying about that kind of thing again. But I doubt it. And there are just the two of us here, or maybe three, now.” Seeing as the book was published in 1949 makes this statement by Ish all the more compelling and daring. Of course, it also leaves one to surmise about the nature of the statement and Stewart’s intention in putting it to paper. My preferred supposition is that Stewart is making an argument against all the racial discrimination of the time by pointing out its triviality; we are all human in the end. To the contrary of this assumption, there is also  the possibility that Stewart was pessimistically stating that racial equality will never be realized until a catastrophic event happens making survival the top priority. Either way, Ish’s relationship with Em and his aforementioned statement was sure to raise a few eyebrows.

The remainder of the novel chronicles the trials and obstacles faced by Ish’s little tribe. The false foreshadowing becomes even more apparent in the remainder of the book when Stewart lures you into becoming attached to certain characters only to crush your hopes in the end by killing them off. In case you want to read the book I will not spoil it for you by providing too many details.  The book is full of good intentions by Ish and the other adults as they try to raise their children amidst the decaying remains of a once great civilization. In the end I wasn’t sure if I should be extremely disappointed and angry with Ish for allowing things to devolve to the point they had with the ensuing generations or, if I should be contented with the mere fact that civilization had come full circle in spite of the groups efforts to retain some of the old ways. Along with this pondering of the natural life cycle of civilization, Stewart also introduces some other scenarios where the group has to act in sometimes not so ethical ways. One particular incident comes to mind when a new member to the group is punished for a “crime” (and I have this in “” because without civilization there really aren’t any laws) even before it was committed rationalized by the simple fact that the small group couldn’t afford the risk of allowing the possible infraction. Ish constantly worries if he is doing the right thing and, thanks to Stewart’s writing style, the reader can join him in that struggle of right and wrong and the question of ethics. Many times these struggles are quickly disrupted or forgotten due to the lax-a-dasical temperament of the group.

Having grown up loving the zombie apocalypse genre, I kept expecting something unwordly would creep out of the barren wasteland to create a catalyst in the story, but it never happened. I would like to say the suspense of having that in the back of my mind was worth it, but it wasn’t. All in all the book, albeit dry at times, was an interesting read and offered a very realistic theory of how man would survive in a post apocalyptic environment.

Want to read a review of the novel by someone more interesting than myself click here.

Photograph by Katie Epps

Part of the fun in visiting Worden’s Ledges is trying to see how many sculptures you can find. According to a 1979 inventory report conducted by the Ohio Historic Preservation Office there is purportedly11 sculptures; which are listed here: The Crucifixion, an Erie Indian, and Romulus and Remus suckled by the Wolf of Rome, a sphinx with an inviting grin, George Washington, Marquis de Lafayette, Ty Cobb, H. M. Worden, a schooner, a cross and an open Bible. Arguably these are not the best sculptures ever to be etched into stone, but the pure mystical ambiance of this natural gallery make the trek through the muddy trails worth the experience.