INSIDE THE HENRY FORD
GREENFIELD VILLAGE
TAKE A TOUR
Online platforms give curators the ability to keep experiences of Greenfield Village top of mind THE MONTH OF APRIL typically marks the public opening of Greenfield Village for the season. That wasn’t the case last year as the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered The Henry Ford campus throughout the spring. While the public couldn’t witness favorite village goings-on like the Merino sheep shearing at Firestone Farm or enjoy the annual visit of Thomas the Tank Engine, that doesn’t mean the stories and experiences of Greenfield Village went dark. Just as curators were chatting on Twitter about Lamy’s Diner and Charles and Ray Eames and their Mathematica: A World of Numbers... and Beyond exhibition in Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation (see story on Page 54), they were also creating buzz around Greenfield Village structures and experiences. Within days of Greenfield Village reopening to the public in July 2020, for example, Senior Curator Donna Braden hosted a virtual visit of some of Greenfield Village’s most beloved
buildings on Twitter. Encouraging visitors to return to Greenfield Village, Braden shared the makeover stories of the Firestone and Daggett farmhouses, Eagle Tavern, the Mattox House and more. That simple Twitter chat later blossomed into a blog post. Soon several other curator Twitter chats were expanded into blog posts, including Curator of Agriculture and the Environment Debra Reid’s “Multiple Takes on Tomatoes” chat and Curator of Decorative Arts Charles Sable’s exploration of the Arts and Crafts Movement. So, as you gear up for the 2021 season at Greenfield Village, take a look at the stories, research and perspectives shared by The Henry Ford’s curators on a variety of online platforms. It will give you a renewed appreciation for the authenticity, richness and historical relevance of Greenfield Village as an educational treasure.
HALLOWE’EN HITS 40 Last fall, The Henry Ford’s Hallowe’en in Greenfield Village celebrated its 40th anniversary — delightfully reimagined to ensure every guest’s visit was safe, responsible and fun. And it was just that, said Jim Johnson, director of Greenfield Village and curator of historic structures and landscapes at The Henry Ford. “The year 2020 and its COVID-19 pandemic will be looked back on as a turning point for not only the Hallowe’en in Greenfield Village program, but for all of The Henry Ford,” said Johnson in a recent blog post. New in 2020: Guests could move through Greenfield Village at their own pace with no prescribed walking path, and they could take ghostly journeys on the all-new Hallowe’en Express train. Storybook experiences from classics like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Peter Pan were also new to the programming. The new features like the Hallowe’en Express were so well received by guests in 2020 that they could become a permanent fixture of Hallowe’en in Greenfield Village. Stay tuned for event details for 2021 at thf.org.
— JENNIFER LAFORCE
PHOTO BY EE BERGER
ONLINE For more information, hours and pricing for Greenfield Village, visit thf.org/villagec
56
JANUARY-MAY 2021
ONLINE To read the Twitter curator-chatsturned-blog-posts on The Henry Ford blog, click herec
DID YOU KNOW? / Last October, the Greenfield Village Pottery Studio hosted a behind-the-scenes demonstration on Facebook Live, giving viewers an inside glimpse at how many of The Henry Ford’s classic Hallowe’en craft collectibles are created. Visit The Henry Ford on Facebook or shop for handcrafted exclusives at giftshop.thehenryford.orgc