Tag Archives: Patricia West

Interpreting Christmas Debuts to Enthusiastic Response at AASLH Conference

While I was traveling in England over the past few weeks, Interpreting Christmas at Museums and Historic Sites was released in print. The book made its debut at the American Association for State and Local History annual meeting in Alabama, where my co-editor, Ken Turino, was on hand to sign copies. We were thrilled to see the book sell out on the first day of the conference! It’s now listed on Amazon’s Hot New Releases for the “museum industry.” We are incredibly grateful for this positive reception. This project has been years in the making, and Ken and I (and the contributors!) are delighted to finally share this resource with you. A sneak peek at the table of contents and introduction is available.

If you missed out on purchasing a copy at the annual meeting or were unable to attend, you can order it online at Rowman.com or mail this order form. Use code RLFANDF30 at checkout to save 30%. This discount is available through September 2025. The book officially releases on September 20, so it should ship immediately when you order.

For those attending the New England Museum Association annual conference in Newport, Rhode Island, we’ll be presenting a panel discussion on Christmas on Thursday, November 7, from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm. Joining us will be Laurel A. Racine, Supervisory Historian and Program Manager for the National Park Service; Patricia West, recently retired Curator of Martin Van Buren National Historic Site and author of Domesticating History: The Political Origins of America’s House Museums; and David Rau, Curator of Visitor Engagement at the Florence Griswold Museum.

If you’ve had a chance to read Interpreting Christmas, we’d greatly appreciate a review on Amazon.com. Since history museums and historic sites are such a specialized field, your feedback can help others make more informed purchasing decisions.

Amazon’s Hot New Releases for the “museum industry for September 2024.

Challenges and Opportunities Facing Historic Sites and House Museums

This fall I’ll be teaching the historic site and house museum interpretation class in the Museum Studies Program at George Washington University.  Department Chair Kym Rice graciously offered me this opportunity earlier this summer and I couldn’t resist.  I’ve been impressed by the caliber of GW students and I count many of their graduates among my friends and colleagues.  Today is the first class and participating are fifteen graduate students, mostly in museum studies with a handful from history and anthropology.  We will  have some fun discussions!

During the next few months, I’ll share my experiences with you and I thought I’d start by laying out the initial readings for the course, which focus on the opportunities and challenges in interpreting historic sites.  It was hard to pick and choose among Continue reading