"We can do better, we have to do better": Reevaluating and Remounting a Traveling Exhibit

Summary

When approaching the evolving horizons of interpretation and presentation, it is important to reevaluate our own efforts. In 2013, archaeologists from the University of Maryland mounted an exhibit based on their research at the Wye House Plantation. The exhibit ran at a museum in a nearby town. It was a culmination of years of excavation and cultivating relationships with descendants. Despite the archaeologists' efforts, the exhibit fell short of their goals. This prompted reflection and community discussions. In 2016, they took the critiques of the experience and remounted a renovated exhibit in a new venue. The authors of this paper, one who worked on the original exhibit and one who worked on the "remix," each contribute a part of an evaluation. Our intention is to cast a critical eye on our work as we prepare to remount the exhibit a third time, always building on lessons learned.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Interpretation and Presentation of Archaeological and Cultural Heritage Sites: Evolving Horizons   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2018

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 843