When it comes to developing tours, exhibitions, events, school programs, or publications, the most important concept is to start with the goal in mind or to “design backwards.” Goals are usually defined as products, services, or deliverables, but museums are educational institutions, so our goals should shift from being about the museum or historic site produces or creates to being about what the visitor learns. In other words, what do you want visitors to know, feel, or do as a result of your tour, exhibition, or program?
“Appreciate” and “understand” are often typical outcomes, but they’re hopelessly vague and amorphous. It’s too easy for us to have different definitions of what it means to “appreciate history” or “understand the Constitution.” Thankfully, educators, psychologists, and neuroscientists have been working on the science and practice of learning for decades, providing us with frameworks and methodologies to craft more precise and actionable learning goals.
The Popular but Incomplete Bloom’s Taxonomy (skip to next section if too nerdy)
Let’s start with a brief history of the development of educational taxonomies, which systematically classify learning goals and objectives. Bloom’s Taxonomy is perhaps the most well-known framework in this area. However, users often overlook that it was originally published in 1956 as part of a broader work titled Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: The Classification of Educational Goals. This foundational text was actually the first of three planned volumes.
The first volume, authored by Benjamin Bloom and colleagues, focused on the cognitive domain (knowledge). The second volume, which addressed the affective domain (emotion), was published in 1964 by David Krathwohl. Unfortunately, the third volume, intended to cover the psychomotor domain (action), was never completed, leaving Bloom’s Taxonomy somewhat incomplete despite its significant influence on educational theory and practice.
In an earlier post, I shared a sneak peek of our book, Interpreting Christmas at Museums and Historic Sites. Next week, Ken and I will provide a comprehensive overview during the upcoming AASLH webinar, “Jingle All the Way: Maximizing Your Museum’s Holiday Potential.” This webinar draws from the book but is not an hour-long sales pitch. Instead, we’ll share key advice and ideas on leveraging holiday celebrations, researching the local history of Christmas, planning and hosting holiday events, expanding traditional programs, and enhancing cultural sensitivity and inclusivity. With so much to cover, we’ll be hitting the highlights. If you’re seeking inspiration for Christmas during these hot summer days, join us on July 23, 2024 at 3:00 pm Eastern. For more details and to register, visit here. Plus, you’ll receive a 30% discount code for the book upon registration.
With proofs in hand, the book is moving closer to reality with a publishing date in fall, but more likely later than earlier. It has 21 chapters, 40 images, and an extensive bibliography of nearly 175 books and articles packed into 270 pages, which is about 25% longer than my Interpreting African American History and Culture at Museums and Historic Sites that Rowman & Littlefield published ten years ago (btw, Rowman was recently acquired by Bloomsbury Publishing). It’s now available for pre-order at Rowman.com for $50 for paperback and a jaw-dropping $125 for hardcover (I don’t set the prices but a 30% discount code is available for webinar attendees).
Behind the Scenes of Indexing
Ken Turino, Sara Bhatia, and I spent nearly two months creating he index, despite the publisher allocating just two weeks. The delay was partly due to other commitments (I was closing out the semester and attending the Newport Summer School), but also because the scope of the book made it significantly more complex. As anticipated, there’s an abundance of content on gifts, trees, lights, ornaments, decorating, and a variety of Santas. Rather than list two dozen pages that mention “lights,” we added subheadings for candles and electric lights, as well as safety considerations, and included “see also” references to help readers find specific information more quickly. But geez, that was slow going.
My chapter, “I’m Dreaming of a Warm Christmas: Researching California (and Other Local Places)” was initially indexed by GPT-3.5, then corrected manually as seen in this example. GPT-4o is more accurate when trained for indexing, but every entry still needs to be confirmed.
We experimented with GPT to produce the index, and the results were mixed. While GPT can generate an initial index with proper nouns and some concepts correctly formatted with page numbers, about half of the entries are usually either missing or incorrect (see example above). Thus, manual review of the proofs is still necessary, but at least GPT provides a head start. If you are interested in learning more in using GPT for indexing, I’m happy to share what I learned.
The index eventually grew to 22 pages, which is longer than most chapters! Indexing required a meticulous review of every page, during which we discovered errors that had slipped past four proofreaders. Ugh. Should we consider these flaws a characteristic of an artisanal, handcrafted gift to the field?
The Gilded Age mansions in Newport, Rhode Island, attract over a million visitors annually. Guiding, engaging, and assisting this vast number of people often falls to signs—our silent servants. At such iconic properties as The Breakers, The Elms, and Chateau-sur-Mer (owned and operated by the Preservation Society of Newport County), I discovered many signs that were beautifully designed or cleverly worded that could inspire historic sites and house museums. These signs have been tested extensively by gazillions of visitors, providing valuable insights that could be adapted to enhance your own site.
We’re now at the midpoint of the Newport Summer School and by the end of each day, we all share sore feet and stiff backs—except for Richard Guy Wilson, the director of the program. He may be in his 80s, but he has a bottomless reserve of energy.
Participating in the course are a wide range of interests. We have a couple people who lead historic preservation organizations and a couple more who are in graduate school and getting ready to enter the field. We have a handful who work with historic sites, including Edith Wharton’s The Mount, National Park Service, and Lisbon Cathedral. A couple of interior designers and a few who don’t work in the field but love the art and architecture of the 19th century. Ages stretch from early 20s to late 60s.
The diversity of interests and experiences makes for fun conversations and as several noted, can feel comfortable “nerding out” about a preservation issue or an architectural feature. But I’ve also discovered the value of the program—and it varies. Everyone wants to learn about 19th century architecture in Newport, which has an extraordinary collection by some of America’s best architects and interior designers. The combination of illustrated lectures and field sessions allows us to see a lot in a very short time. For graduate students, it creates a foundation of knowledge that will inform their studies and careers. For mid-career professionals, it provides comparisons for our projects and communities, broadening our perspectives. Perhaps more importantly, it also “feeds our soul,” providing a much needed break from the demands of the office while refreshing our passions.
Today we head north to Providence, starting earlier and returning later than usual, so I expect another exhausting day. But it will be worth it.
I’m in Newport, Rhode Island for the Newport Summer School. The Victorian Society in America (an offshoot of the one in London) has been hosting this week-long program for 42 years. Directed by Dr. Richard Guy Wilson, a well-recognized expert in the field of architectural history, it is a mix of lectures and guided tours of significant houses, churches, and civic buildings that are both open to the public and private. In a week, you gain a deep understanding of the history of Newport through architecture—and a network of new colleagues.
Our first day was devoted to the 18th century, considered Newport’s first Golden Age because it brought new wealth to the town and a higher level of architectural design. That wealth came from trade, including enslaved people, a topic that is increasingly being addressed in the interpretation at historic sites and museums.
Indeed, the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society, Newport Historical Society, and the Preservation Society of Newport County are collaborating on exhibitions on the history and contributions of African Americans in the region. Before we officially began the course, Soni Stokes, curator of the exhibition, generously gave me and a small group of colleagues a tour of “Gilded Age Newport in Color” at Rosecliff, one of the mansions owned by the Preservation Society. It discusses the lives of dozens of people and families of African heritage through geography, biography, and topics such as business, entrepreneurship, religion, recreation, and politics. What most impressed me was the variety of documents and objects in the exhibition, most on loan from a private collection, giving me a much more holistic view into the lives of African Americans in New England.
Soni Stokes discussing the role of women. Section on recreation and spot.African heritage neighborhoods in Newport.Introductory label to the exhibition.Equal Rights party ticket, 1888.
ChatGPT-4o created this image in less than a minute.
The highly anticipated release of ChatGPT-4o has once again thrust artificial intelligence (AI) into the spotlight. So how can historic sites and house museums harness the power of ChatGPT to craft thought-provoking mission statements, an essential element of effective management?
The American Alliance of Museums states that excellence requires that, “all aspects of the museum’s operations are integrated and focused on meeting its mission.” And yet, crafting mission statements is among the most difficult tasks for an organization. Writing and revising as a board or staff committee can result in circular arguments, the infinite parsing of words, or resignation to a milk-toast statement that offends no one. So how can you take a mission statement that’s weak or mild and turn it into something stronger and more meaningful?
My typical response is that a small committee of diverse leaders within the organization discuss the purpose and role of the museum in the community, and then appoint one person to draft a mission statement for approval. Although that’s much more effective than writing-by-committee, it can also result in a tremendous commitment of time and frustrations during the review as members defend their ideas. Instead, I’ve found ChatGPT to be much more efficient and less frustrating. You can revise frequently and quickly, try out variants and new ideas easily, and even better, criticize the “robot” and it won’t care.
The mission of The Gamble House is to inspire the public’s appreciation and understanding of architecture as a fine art through the example of The Gamble House, the most complete and best-preserved work of American Arts and Crafts architects Charles and Henry Greene.
Using a simple prompt, “Create a mission statement for the Gamble House in Pasadena, California,” ChatGPT-3’s version was:
Our mission at the Gamble House is to preserve and celebrate the legacy of this iconic American Arts and Crafts masterpiece. As a cultural destination and community resource, we aim to inspire and educate visitors about the significance of the Gamble House’s architecture and design, and its enduring influence on American culture.
The first sentence is the usual celebratory mission statement but notice that the next sentence goes further to explain why it matters today (“its enduring influence on American culture”). That’s a significant improvement that can improve the mission statement’s ability to guide decisions and establish priorities—which is the core function of a mission statement.
Going further, you can use ChatGPT to create mission statements inspired by the ideas of influential thinkers. English designer and writer William Morris inspired the Arts and Crafts Movement, so he’s an ideal choice for the Gamble House. By changing the prompt to, “Create a mission statement for the Gamble House in Pasadena, California in style of William Morris,” the result is:
“Our mission at the Gamble House is to preserve the beauty and integrity of this magnificent home, which is a masterpiece of American craftsmanship and design. Through our efforts to maintain the house and its surroundings in a state of harmony and balance, we seek to embody the principles of the Arts and Crafts movement, which holds that art and beauty should be an integral part of everyday life. By promoting the values of craftsmanship, simplicity, and authenticity, we aim to create a more just and equitable society, one in which the arts and culture are accessible to all, and the beauty of the natural world is cherished and protected.”
Far too long to be a modern mission statement for a museum, it does offer some intriguing ideas, particularly in the last sentence. By mentioning “craftsmanship,” “equitable society,” and “accessible to all,” it addresses values that could be meaningful to modern visitors and supporters of the Gamble House and inspire innovative programming.
In the year that followed, I’ve continued to explore how ChatGPT can help historic sites and house museum improve their mission statements, as well as create a vision and values. Lest anyone think that ChatGPT is a simple mindless hack to the usual hard work of crafting a mission statement, the use of AI requires a thoughtful human hand on the computer keyboard. ChatGPT can be biased, inaccurate, and hallucinate, so you need to know the organization and theories of management strategy. A weak or poor mission statement can harm a nonprofit organization, whether created by humans or AI.
ChatGPT-4o created this image of the Gamble House, demonstrating the need for the human expert—there’s very little that is correct in this image.
Getting Started
If you’re interested in the best explanation and practices of AI and ChatCPT, read Ethan Mollick’s Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI (2024) or listen to an interview with him on the HBR IdeaCast, “Tech at Work: What GenAI Means for Companies Right Now.” If you’re interested in practical applications with lots of examples, read AI and the Future of Education (2023) by Priten Shah. AI is being incorporated into an increasing number of applications, including Microsoft Word, Evernote, Notion, and WordPress, but if you want to explore ChatGPT, it is available free with registration at OpenAI.
If you want to use ChatGPT to craft a mission statement, be aware that it relies on the information that is available to it. If your organization has a very small presence on the Internet or in publications (unlike the Gamble House), a simple prompt will be ineffective. You’ll need to take an additional step to provide it with information, such as the museum’s goals, primary audiences, collection strengths, historical background, and what makes it unique or distinctive. If you’re unsure how to do this in ChatGPT, start with the prompt, “I need help writing a mission statement for [your museum name]. Here are the details: [insert information].” You can follow up with additional instructions, such as “”Give me three different mission statement options,” “Can you make this mission statement more engaging for a younger audience?”, or “I like the direction of this mission statement, but can you make it shorter?”
If ChatGPT has helped your organization improve or rethink its mission statement, please share your experiences in the comments.
Ken Turino, Sara Bhatia, and I are currently compiling the index for our book Interpreting Christmas at Museums and Historic Sites, while the other authors are meticulously reviewing the proofs for any final corrections. But we are much more excited to announce that we have a colorful cover featuring images from Old World Wisconsin and Strawbery Banke, and that Rowman and Littlefield have made the 270-page book available for pre-orders at this link.
To get a start on the holidays, join us in July when we’ll be hosting a live AASLH webinar, “Jingle All the Way: Maximizing Your Museum’s Holiday Potential.” Drawing from some of the insights in the book, we’ll discuss how your historic house or history museum can leverage December’s holiday season to enhance community engagement. Mark your calendar for July 23 at 3 p.m. Eastern and secure your spot by registering here for $45 ($25 for AASLH members).
For a preliminary glimpse inside Interpreting Christmas, I’m sharing the proofs for the table of contents and introduction. Just remember, they’re publisher’s proofs so they are subject to change!
The Newport Summer School visiting one of the many historic houses in Newport, Rhode Island. Source: Victorian Society of America.
George Washington University recently awarded me a semester-long sabbatical for fall 2024, which will give me a break from teaching in the museum studies program and allow me to more actively pursue my interests in:
the early history of house museums to better understand their formation and evolution of interpretive practices;
the interpretation of house museums; and
the management of historic sites, especially in strategy and leadership to move performance up to the next level or respond to an ever-changing environment.
For a deep dive into these topics, I’m delighted that I’ve been selected for two prestigious programs:
In June, I will be in Newport, Rhode Island attending the Victorian Society’s Summer School. Over ten days, our class will explore four centuries of American architecture, art, culture, and landscape guided by renowned architectural historian Dr. Richard Guy Wilson. The program will delve into Newport’s rich history, often referred to as the “Queen” of American resorts, and includes exclusive tours of private homes, behind-the-scenes access to America’s grandest mansions, and insightful presentations by leading scholars.
In September, I will be in England for Royal Collection Studies, organized by The Attingham Trust for the Study of Historic Houses and Collections. This ten-day residential course in Windsor provides extraordinary access to one of the world’s leading collections of fine and decorative art, all housed within the grand architecture of the royal palaces. The course combines lectures and tutorials, visits to both occupied and unoccupied palaces in and around London, and close-up object study, aiming to give heritage sector professionals a deeper understanding of this remarkable collection.
If you’re working in a house museum or historic site, these specialized residential mid-career courses are both incredibly educational and refreshing. Participating in the Attingham Summer School in 2008 significantly enriched my scholarship, and fifteen years later I continue to draw upon the principles and practices learned during our site visits and insightful discussions. You’ll find a professional development experience for nearly any interest or length of time, and many offer scholarships. For example, if you’re seeking a course more focused on management, consider the History Leadership Seminar or the SEMC Leadership Institute (it appears that the [Getty] Museum Leadership Institute is no longer operating).
And alas, this schedule also means that my plans for attending the AASLH Annual Meeting in September will be postponed to 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. And if I don’t see you there, I hope it’s because you’ll be participating in an incredible professional development opportunity (remember to apply 6-8 months in advance!).
The Bethesda Historical Society, established in 2020 in Maryland, has made a commendable stride by crafting a collections management policy ahead of their growing collection of 400 artifacts and documents. Thanks to a local foundation grant, the Historical Society enlisted Mary van Balgooy from Engaging Places to develop a policy that aligns with professional standards and is manageable by a small organization using PastPerfect.
We’re thrilled to share this policy as a benchmark for small museums and historical societies. It succinctly addresses mission; roles of board, staff, and volunteers; ethical and legal aspects; collection scope, definitions, acquisitions, loans, documentation, appraisals, intellectual property, and policy reviews—all within a concise 15 pages!
Ken Turino and I started on Interpreting Christmas at Museums and Historic Sites three years ago and I’m delighted that it is now in production at Rowman and Littlefield. Our goal is to have the book available for the AASLH annual conference in September 2024, but that’s a very tight deadline, so no promises.
As part of the publication process, two colleagues reviewed the manuscript anonymously (thank you, whoever you are!) and provided lots of helpful suggestions along with the overall evaluation that, “With a superstar group of contributors, the editors have assembled a handy and engaging collection that offers abundant practical advice and interpretive guidance for public historians who are developing and running holiday programs. Museum educators, curators, interpreters, and managers will be thrilled to have such a helpful collection as a reference and guide.”
With the hope for publication in fall 2024, Ken is proposing a session for the NEMA annual meeting in Newport, Rhode Island, and for an AASLH webinar. If the book is out in time for the AASLH annual conference in September, the publisher will host a book signing. We also have a standing invitation for an interview on the NPS blog. If you have other suggestions for regional conferences or other presentations, please let Ken or me know. We are happy to consider any potential sessions or presentations about the book as a whole or a focused topic around research, diverse traditions, planning, and public programming.
Engaging Places 