Post on 27-May-2015
Letting Go:Historical Authority in a User-Generated World
Why Let Go?
AU
TH
OR
ITY
TR
US
T
Traditional Museum Authority
Positives • Respected, trusted
institution
• Provides well-documented, factual information
• Widely shared among experts
Negatives • Patronizing and/or
paternalistic
• Presumes a singularly correct interpretation
• Assumes a public in need of edification
New Museum Authority
• Democratic, inviting
• Community contributes
– what histories are told
– how artworks and artifacts are interpreted
• Inclusive
– People contribute opinions shaped by diverse life experiences
Museum Learning Models
Didactic• Visitors: Empty Vessel• Museum: Authoritative lecturer
Constructivist• Visitors: participants in construction of new knowledge• Museums: Pose questions, encourage “make meaning”
Transformative• Similar to constructivism in method, differs in purpose• Museums and visitors, together, through dialog:
– understand knowledge as unevenly distributed cultural capital– Redress social consequences of imbalances
transformation through dialog
Conventional Authority
COLLECTIONS,STORYTELLING,
GAMES, MULTIMEDIA
Social Authority
SPECTATE
JOIN
COLLECT
CRITIQUE
CREATE
The Questions
• What works?
• What doesn’t?
• How can organizations share authority and still maintain control of their public image?
• How does sharing authority change the way we perform public history & cultural heritage interpretation?
• How can organizations share authority cost effectively and sustainably?
• Who owns the content? Does it matter?