the Association for Living History, Farm and Agricultural Museums
I recently read this article in the Wall Street Journal about New York City cultural institutions giving free one-year memberships to NYCID card holders. I have no opinion on the NYCID issue, but the idea of giving away free memberships on a large scale has me thinking (it's too early in the NYC initiative to judge… Continue reading Gaining By Giving It Away
A wonderful and wise blog post from longtime ALHFAM member Mary Seelhorst. Let’s all honor our colleague and friend Blake Hayes by following Mary’s advice . . .–Deb Arenz I returned home last night from the party held in memory of Blake Hayes in Cherry Valley, New York. This post is a bit unusual in… Continue reading How to Live History
ALHFAM meetings are not just about old buildings, battle sites, “who did what to whom”, townball, plowing contests, and stuffing information into our heads and notebooks. ALHFAM is about understanding one another.
The last couple of posts to grace this little corner of the interwebs have been focused on conferences, both past and future. They've gotten me reminiscing about the many ALHFAM conferences that I've attended over the years and I started thinking about all the things I've learned and friends I've made as a result of… Continue reading Friends made and things learned
"I knew by mid-morning on Friday (in the deluge) that this was going to be the Mid-Atlantic ALHFAM conference that all others will be measured against for the next ten years. Because everyone who attended is going to be talking about it for at least that long - maybe longer. And those who didn’t attend,… Continue reading Caps and Boats and Lead Coffins: The ALHFAM Mid-Atlantic Region Conference in Review (and Photos!)
“How many of us have cringed, if ever so slightly, when we encountered a costumed, overzealous re-enactor performing a historic narrative . . .” –The Anarchist’s Guide to Historic House Museums. Two weeks ago I shared some impressions on the book quoted above. In that blog I said, “Living history, with the exception of a… Continue reading Is there “ . . . awkwardness in the pretense of the pretend . . . ?”
No... I'm not referring to that early morning session on the last day of an ALHFAM conference after a very long night! For those folks that are fans of the hit TV Show The Walking Dead, you may have picked up a connection between the series and ALHFAM. In a recent episode, the survivors of… Continue reading The Walking Dead meets ALHFAM?
Many great opportunities to learn new skills, meet new people, and see new places are available in the next few months thanks to ALHFAM regional and Professional Interest Group gatherings. Take advantage if you can: The Mid-Atlantic region has put together a fabulous program for their meeting being held April 1-2 at Historic St. Mary's… Continue reading Interpreting & Plowing & Bookbinding & More
The "R" word... revisionist history. There, I've said it. While I do believe that there are people who clearly do revise history to serve their own needs - we cannot overlook the fact that as new things are learned - interpretation of "our" history will, by its very nature, change. I couldn't help but think… Continue reading Revising History
I've been doing the museum thing for some time now; just about mid-way through my 3rd decade in the museum world. That being said, it's really nice to get a reminder every now and then of just what got me started in this field well over 20 years ago. Here at the Historical Park, we've… Continue reading Touching the past
ALHFAM 