Please Touch

The worst part of museums for most children is the inability to run around screaming and touching everything in sight.  Thankfully, there’s the Please Touch Museum!

 The Please Touch Museum (PTM) is set inside Memorial Hall, a building that was originally built for the Art Gallery of the 1876 Centennial Exhibition.  PTM incorporates pieces of the original exhibition into their collections and highlights many architectural details that make the building unique.  The exhibitions are fully interactive for children and encourage learning through play. Many of the exhibitions contain artifacts- some from the Centennial and some from no specific time period but relating to the exhibition (The Alice in Wonderland exhibition, for example, contains a Mad Hatter cookie jar produced from 1995 to 2001). 

For this blog, I have chosen one of the largest objects in the museum.  The Woodside Park Dentzel Carousel.

The carousel debuted in Woodside Park in 1924 and contains hand carved wooden animals dating to 1908.  The outside stationary animals and chariots were carved by prominent carousel carver, Daniel Muller.  The inner moving animals were carved by Salvatore Cernigliaro, the head carver of the Dentzel Carousel Company.  Originally, this carousel was used as a sales model.  William Dentzel would take potential clients to view this carousel, his favorite. When Woodside Park closed in 1955, the carousel spent many years in storage in various locations until it was loaned to PTM.

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 Carousels are important to a wide range of people. The first, most obvious group, is children. Children enjoy riding carousels. Carousels are also important to adults and the elderly. To the elderly, carousels serve as a time machine to their own childhood when a trip to the carousel was like a trip to an amusement park. Adults find carousels as an important place to take their own children.  (Adults without children may find carousels important for their propensity to be an adorable date spot!)

This carousel is on display here as a unique children’s object from Philadelphia’s history.  PTM had considered installing a carousel featuring popular children’s characters such as Dora the Explorer but was able to, instead, acquire this carousel in 2008 from the Philadelphia Historical and Museum Commission that was in danger of being destroyed. A new wing was added to Memorial Hall and designed to match the building perfectly. Six pointed stars adorn the ceiling and are an architectural reference to the façade of the original building. When restoration was complete, the carousel was moved into this room. In 2011, the Philadelphia Historical and Museum Commission official gifted the carousel to the Please Touch Museum.

 

The carousel is surrounded by information panels. There are tables and chairs where parents can sit with their family and watch the carousel, similar to how they would have when the carousel was in a park. There are pictures of the original Woodside Park location and many panels with information about the carousel itself. As one enters the room, a panel gives a brief history of the carousel and then explains the restoration process. To the left is a description of the history of carousels. Another panel, though partially blocked by a bench, details the history of Woodside Park. The final panel tells the history of the Dentzel Carousel Company and carver Daniel Muller.

The numerous panels are lengthy and appeal to those wishing to have a thorough understanding of the significance and history of this carousel. Each panel highlights the importance and unique nature of this carousel. Readers are guided to appreciate this carousel for its historic value and efforts to restore it.

While carousels are appealing to a very wide audience, they may not be as appealing to groups like teenagers that are trying to abandon their childhood in an effort to grow up quickly. Those with motion sickness may also not like riding or watching the spinning carousel. People hoping for a thrill ride experience may be disappointed by the tame carousel.

Another way for visitors to engage with the carousel would be to identify the unique features of every horse or animal on the carousel. This way visitors would learn the specific artistic details of each animal and would create a deeper connection between the visitors and the carousel. Small children can also be offered coloring pages of their favorite animals. Visitors may also engage with this Dentzel Carousel Company carousel by knowing where to find other Dentzel or other historic carousels in the region or across the nation.

The American Swedish Historical Museum

So, apparently there's a really large lake in the middle of South Philadelphia.  It's amazing the things you can find when you actually venture outside of the house!  Or west of Broad Street...that's a place I've deemed a "Red Zone" and therefore stay out of...(to be fair, the lake isn't in a red zone, but Point Breeze has pretty much jaded my entire view of everything west of Broad....)

Anyway, next to the huge lake full of ducks, geese, and a couple swans is the American Swedish Historical museum - a great museum about a group of people that is widely overlooked in the historical documentation of Philadelphia and in American history.

For this blog, I have chosen a piece from the new Swedish American Line exhibition.

This exhibition is a collection of items and artifacts from the ships that became the main route and from the United States by many Swedish citizens.  In particular, I have chosen the wall display of three large crowns.

This exhibit is entitled "Three Crowns" and is made of painted metal and gold gilt.  These particular crowns adorned the smoke stack of the MS Gripsholm, one of the ships in the Swedish American fleet, in the 1950s.  The crown was a symbol of the fleet and can be seen on all souvenirs and dinnerware used on the ships.

These crowns were originally a very important detail on the ship.  They were visible from miles away and identified the ships as part of the Swedish American fleet.  Now, these large crowns fill a wall of the exhibition space.  Their shiny gold coating, a detail that may not have been appreciated while hung atop massive smoke stacks, reinforces the idea opulence and wealth that was found throughout the ships.  They are of particular importance to those who remember traveling on the Swedish American Lines or had family that used the lines.

These three crowns are on display at the beginning of the display as a welcome into the exhibition, just like they would have been one of the first things visible as the ship approached port.

The crowns were acquired as part of the collection from Torsten Torstensson.  Torstensson has the most extensive collection of Swedish American Line artifacts and loaned the entire collection to the American Swedish Historical Museum with the stipulation that all artifacts be on display.


Initially, the crowns were intended to be displayed on an eight foot wall as visitors entered the exhibition space.  When the collection arrived, however, it was discovered that the crowns were much larger than previously thought.  They were instead hung on the first main wall as visitors enter and turn to the right into the room.  They are arranged in the same way they were arranged on the smokestacks of the ships.

There is a small label placed next to the crowns.






The label offers a brief description of crowns and why they are significant to the ship.  The text on this panel describes the crowns as "beautiful" and is phrased to remind viewers that the ships were extravagant and admired by many.

Other nearby objects are dinnerware and souvenirs from suites on the ships.  All of these artifacts are decorated with these crowns.  They reinforce the importance of the crowns as symbols of the Swedish American Line.

A knowledge of Swedish culture in America would help with the understanding of the three crowns as well as the entire collection.  Additionally, the crowns may be of interest to those with an interest in the history of ships and cruise lines. An understanding of immigration routes would also make this exhibit more interesting.

The Three Crowns may not be interesting to those who are more focused on the artifacts and objects that were accessible and actually used by passengers.  Things like the complimentary ash trays and spoons might be more interesting.  Visitors looking for a personal narrative from passengers on the ship may not be able to connect with the crowns. 


The crowns are a sign of wealth and extravagance which the museum portrays as a positive experience.  A differing viewpoint could be that the unnecessary usage of gilded crowns on smoke stacks is a wasteful display of wealth.  Additionally, these crowns were aboard the Gripsholm which launched a year after Stockholm, another Swedish American Line ship, collided with Andrea, an Italian ship, resulting in the death of about 51 people. (http://www.salship.se/dawe/dawe_collision_1.asp)  This extravagance could have been perceived as insensitive to those lost in the disaster.


It would be helpful for viewers to be able to see how the crowns were displayed on the ships smokestacks.  Images of the smokestacks could be usesful for this.  These crowns could also be used as a sense of scale for the entire ship.  This could be done by painting a life size smokestack behind the crowns on the wall with a scale model of the ship or ships placed below.  Additionally, comparing the crowns across the Swedish American Line would provide viewers with more information.

ZOMG THE ZOO!!!!!!

We went to the zoo!!!! The Philadelphia Zoo!!!!

Best. Day. Ever.

I love zoos. So much.  Animals are just about the coolest thing ever invented.  Going to the zoo, I was happier than this llama

and more excited than this little dude is about these flowers

Especially when I found out the Philadelphia Zoo has one of the greatest animals ever created...the Okapi!!!!

The okapi is this awesome animal.  Describing an okapi much like that song from Pete's Dragon..."He has the head of a camel, the neck of a crocodile...It sounds rather strange..."  (It's So Easy).  Though it is most closely related to the giraffe, the okapi has the stripes of a zebra, the body of a horse, and the head of a giraffe.  Due to its awesome nature, I have chosen it as my object for this week. 

You talkin' bout me?!

Once again, this is the Okapi.  A fabulous animal from the forests of Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa.  It is the giraffe's only living relative and lives a solitary life in the rain forest.

I may be biased, but the Okapi should be important to everyone in the entire world.  It may be of particular interest to those interested in giraffes as these are close relatives.  The okapi is also important to those wishing to learn about and to teach about conservation efforts in the Congo where they are threatened by habitat destruction and poaching.  (Of course, those with an interest in weird looking animals might also find the okapi to be important and interesting!)



The Philadelphia Zoo houses their okapi to teach the public about the importance of conservation.  Without protection, species like the okapi could become extinct.  For visitors of the zoo, being able to see animals that are threatened will form a connection that may inspire them to become active in conservation efforts.  Additionally, okapi live in dense rain forests and studying them in the wild is often difficult.  Being able to study okapi in captivity can be very helpful for the survival of the species.

At the Philadelphia Zoo, the okapi can be found next to the Red River Hog in a quiet section of the grounds.  It lives by itself, just as okapi are solitary in the wild.  Its enclosure includes grass without much other vegetation.  It is also far from most other African mammals and, aside from the hog in the next enclosure over, is actually quite far from any other animals.

There are two display panels that give information regarding this fabulous creature.  One gives basic information about the okapi (see above picture).  The other offers information regarding the lifestyle of the okapi.

Unfortunately, these signs do not offer much in depth information about the okapi.  The basic information is very short and does not give many details regarding the status of the species and how conservation efforts may be helping the okapi survive.

As stated before, the okapi is next to the Red River Hog.  The only similarity between the okapi and the hog are that they both live in Africa (the Red River Hog is found in most parts of Africa).  The hogs gather in large numbers and are nocturnal while the okapi are mostly solitary and are diurnal.  The Red River Hog is also of Least Concern in terms of conservation efforts while okapi are Threatened.  The Red River hog therefore does not offer much in terms of helping to understand the okapi.  Nor does the giant channel 6 news balloon or the empty field and stage.  I believe the okapi could benefit from some added surroundings that relate to animals in the African congo or species facing the same threats as the okapi.

A background in biology or in animals would greatly help one's understanding of the okapi.  The okapi has many unique features such as the long blue colored tongue like the giraffe and a velvety yet oily coat.  Knowing these facts would help any viewer appreciate the uniqueness of the okapi.  

I can't imagine anyone not being interested in this awesome animal but, if I had to choose a group, it would be people that have not heard of such a creature.  While glancing at a map, visitors may be more inclined to head towards the animals with which they are more familiar, such as lions or zebra.  The okapi also doesn't have the cute face that a leopard has or the quirky personality of a lemur or orangutan, which may lead to some visitors being less interested in the okapi. (Those visitors, however, would be very sad people!)


While used to promote conservation in this setting, the okapi could also be used to display advances in information and research.  Much of the information known about okapi has been only recently gathered.  They have been notoriously difficult to trace in the wild since they live in such a remote and dense environment.  Therefore, any information learned could be seen as an advancement in the field of research and science.



Other experiences could be created to help visitors understand more about the okapi.  One idea could involve flip panels that highlight the unique physical characteristics of the animal and how those adaptations help the okapi survive in its environment.  Additionally, a description of the other animals found in the rain forest with the okapi that are also threatened could be beneficial to the understanding of okapi.

I encourage you to learn all you can about the extraordinary animal.  I mean, come on, look how cool it is!!!

A newborn from the Denver Zoo http://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/okapi/

Learn more about the okapi from the Philadelphia Zoo here! (You can even adopt the zoo's okapi!)

The Rosenbach

 

The Rosenbach Museum has a large collection of rare books, manuscripts, drawings, and other artifacts.  Choosing an object to write about for this blog, however, was very difficult.  Most of the objects at the Rosenbach are not available for immediate viewing and examination as the books and manuscripts require a very careful handling.  My choice for this blog is based on a quote from our tour of the Rosenbach – “Books are a very democratic object.”  This was meant to explain that the influence a book or story has is left in the hands of the public and not necessarily the author.  The best example of this is with the James Joyce’s original manuscript of Ulysses.

Title: Ulysses
Year: 1917
Material:  Ink and paper               
Creator: James Joyce
Collection:  Literature

James Joyce’s Ulysses is often referred to as one of the greatest novels in history.  The Rosenbach has the original hand written manuscript of this novel.  Currently on view is the “Circe” episode which Joyce began writing in 1920.  He claimed to have written this episode at least five times before finalizing this draft in December of 1920.

Image from www.rosenbach.org

 This manuscript is important to all Joyce fans and those with an interest in English literature and 20^th century literature.  

Portions of the manuscript are always on display at the Rosenbach.  The episodes which are on display are in a constant rotation for preservation purposes.

Dr. Rosenbach originally owned a first edition copy of Ulysses, which, at the time, was banned due to obscenities.  He later purchased the manuscript in 1924 from a lawyer who had defended Joyce and his publishers from the obscenity charges under Comstock laws.  

Image from: http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/03/31/travel/escapes/31trip.html

Due to the delicate nature of paper and its sensitivity to light, only portions of the manuscript may be on display at a time.  These pages are under a glass case in a room that is only accessible with a museum guide.  The case is covered from light when visitors are not viewing the pages.  Additionally, a portion of the manuscript is on display adjacent to the manuscript of Stephen Colbert’s book I am a Pole, and So Can You!  There are a few small plaques near the manuscript that offer some descriptions of the significance of the particular pages on display.

The label for the manuscript points viewers to the differences between the manuscript and the final printed copy.  The labels do not seek to give the viewer a particular point of view or opinion of the manuscript, but just to offer information.

Other objects in the exhibition space include the original notes from Dracula and other books.  These manuscripts add to the appreciation of the hand written copy of the texts.  There are also thousands of books on shelves surrounding the manuscript.  These books serve as a visual representation of other works that have been influenced by Ulysses.

Knowledge of the book and its impact on literature in the 20^th century, or even Joyce’s other works would assist with the understanding of this manuscript.  An appreciation for English or 20^th century literature would enhance the appreciation of this manuscript.

This manuscript may not be interesting to visitors who have no knowledge of English literature.  Young children and those to whom reading is a chore may not enjoy or appreciate viewing the manuscript.  Additionally, the way the manuscript is presented may not be interesting to some viewers.  There is no way for viewers to interact with the manuscript.  If they do not know the story of Ulysses, the only way for the viewer to gain context is to read the writing on the manuscript, which is often not legible.  These factors may make the manuscript not as interesting as it could or should be.

Aside from the importance to the story, the manuscript provides a narrative for how books can be democratic objects.  In the final version of the book, the “word known to all men” is not included.  It is, however, present in the manuscript.  This manuscript version of the story was not seen by the public and therefore the public was allowed to decide what Joyce intended the answer to be. 

Similar to this representation of books as democratic objects is the nearby collection of Romeo and Juliet stories.  The original story by Shakespeare was given to the public who then interpreted the story in a number of different ways, including versions in which both characters live happily ever after.

A side to side comparison of the final printed copy and the manuscript would create a different experience for the viewer.  Viewers would then not have to rely on their own knowledge of the book to connect with the information.  Similarly, an audio/visual interactive could allow visitors to connect with the manuscript different way than just viewing the pages from behind glass. 

The National Constitution Center

The National Constitution Center is located directly across from Independence Hall.  From inside the very modern looking Indiana limestone and glass building, visitors look across Independence mall at the brick building where the document that inspired the NCC was actually signed.  NCC has decided to approach their site in a way that is different from most museums.  They focus more on the concept of the Constitution rather than on the actual paper document.  Exhibitions are related to the concepts found in the Constitution of the United States including an emphasis on voting rights and a soon-to-open exhibit about Prohibition.  Because of this departure from an object-centered approach, the artifact collection of NCC is limited. For this blog, I have chosen to write about one of the many interactive found in the main exhibition are.

 “Discover Your Presidential Candidate Match” was installed as a way to promote active citizenship.  Visitors enter a mock voting booth, complete with curtains to shield the visitors’ responses, and answer questions regarding social issues that they find most important on a touch screen.  Their answers to these questions match them with the candidate that holds similar views.  The installation was created to coincide with the 2012 presidential election.

  

This object is important to a variety of people.   Each topic chosen offers a variety of possible viewpoints.  For example, if a visitor selects “Immigration” as an important issue, one questioned asked will be to tell if they Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, or Strongly Disagree with the statement “Illegal or undocumented immigrants may not claim any financial benefits from the government.”  At the bottom of the screen are descriptions of what an opposing or agreeing viewpoint might be.  Young people and visitors that are uninformed about political issues may find this exhibit interesting.  They can learn about the candidates and the differing viewpoints of important issues.  Young people that are too young to vote may also find this exhibit interesting.  They get a real voting experience and learn about issues effecting the presidential election. 

This display exists to educate visitors about the candidates in this year’s presidential election.  Additionally, the museum is promoting active citizenship and promoting visitors to exercise their right to vote.  It was placed here to coincide with the current presidential election.

This display is in the inner middle ring of the NCC’s main exhibition hall.   This inner ring is meant to promote active citizenship and community involvement. It is near other exhibits that also pertain to voting.  Also nearby is a podium where visitors can pretend to be sworn is as the president of the United States.

The labeling surrounding the “Discovering Your Presidential Candidate Match” is politically very neutral.   The text encourages visitors to use the exhibit to learn about the candidates and issues that are important to them.

Near this exhibit is a timeline of constitutional amendments. Included in this is an interactive informing visitors if they would have been able to vote in different time periods.  The realization that many visitors did not gain the right to vote until many years after the constitution was originally drafted could lead to a better understanding and appreciation for the “Discovering…” exhibit as well as voting in general. 

And interest in politics and political issues might further one’s interest in this particular display.  Those that are not knowledgeable in political issues may also find this exhibit interesting because they will be able to learn from it.

This may not be interesting to those that are well informed in politics.  Additionally, it may not be interesting to those that have very little interest in political issues.

International visitors from countries that do not have the same voting rights as American citizens may have a different viewpoint of this object.   They may not understand completely the ability to choose a candidate based on their personal viewpoints of political issues.

Other experiences to engage visitors could include videos of debates from politicians about important issues.   An interactive that asks visitors to deeply explore political issues in a mock-debate with other visitors or computer generated arguments from politicians may also help create an experience for visitors.

Overall, I had a great time at the National Constitution Center.  I cannot wait to return and see the Prohibition exhibit!  And, after signing the Constitution in a hall surrounded by statues of the men that created the Constitution, and receiving my own copy of the Constitution that now resides in my wallet, I feel like an expert  on the U.S. Constitution!