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Multiple Perspective Interpretation in a Historical Museum Context. Tara A. Chadwick, Curator of Exhibitions, Fort Lauderdale Historical Society, Florida
As Curator of Exhibitions at the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society in this 201st anniversary of the start of the Seminole Wars, I find myself searching for a fresh look at the accepted pedagogy1 supporting museum interpretation. My assigned task is to integrate temporary museum exhibitions and public programming with the current mission of the Historical Society. This means I am to bring the sto stories ries of our diverse community to life through educational experiences, cultural exhibits, research, and preservation for future generations. The question becomes how to exhibit and interpret historical materials and archaeological artifacts within a museum m context that encourage observation and critical analyses. To support this it is necessary to consider the perspectives from which historical account or objects are being interpreted. This task is not easy due to a myriad of constraints. These include fa factors ctors such as funding, staff time, gallery space, historic building walls1, and limited interesting, culturally diverse materials that are likely to attract visitors while still aligning with the museum’s mission. The Historical Society is located at the cconfluence onfluence of the New River and the Florida East Coast railroad in downtown Fort Lauderdale. It is in a riverbank archaeological zone that spans at least 2,000 years of human experiences in sustenance, trade, commerce and technological enterprises. The heritage itage of the area includes a time when a family could dine out by the river, harvesting as many oysters and fish as desired, filling all protein, vitamin and mineral intake needs. A time when our current economic system, predicated on a model of scarcity, did not exist. Public programming at the Historical Society includes experiences designed to engage and inspire visitors to learn, reflect and apply their knowledge of history to their observations and reflections on life today. We serve a visitor base thatt includes local, regional and international guests of every age, gender and cultural heritage. Our local residents come from families who have lived in South Florida for generations, as well as those who have arrived more recently. How do we engage multiple le learner interest levels with perspectives from opposite sides of the spectrum of lived experiences? The museum audience includes representation as diverse as: grandchildren of Seminole warriors who refused to be removed to Oklahoma in the years during the Trail of Tears, descendants of Confederate soldiers who still feel that slavery was a justifiable economic option that should be available to business owners, and relatives of those who did not have the chance to make it to childbearing age, due to inhumane umane factors that may actually appear on their death certificates. For example, compare three versions of the same historical event, the arrest and subsequent death of Ruben Stacy in 1935. One was originally printed online in 1997, a 2014 in the Westside Gazette, Fort Lauderdale’s longest running African American community newspaper, and one fr from the Sun-Sentinel, Sentinel, the major Fort Lauderdale newspaper, as part of Broward County’s 100th anniversary.