20 June, 2011
30 July, 2010
Fingers Crossed
So Monday I had a conversation with Plimoth Plantation about their internship. It sounds like it will be absolutely perfectly amazing, and that they really want me to work with them. Today I mailed in the application, and now my fingers are crossed. Plimoth is the Mecca of first-person interpretation, with them and Williamsburg standing as the cornerstones of the style. I will let you know when I hear anything more!
17 July, 2010
Follow-up
Also, the dog was handed over this morning to the City of Stonington Animal Control folks. We are planning on calling tomorrow to see if his owners found him. Fingers crossed!
Apparently stray dogs are like gremlins. Don't feed them after midnight. No, he didn't spawn other basset hounds and try to ruin Christmas, but he did cry all night long. All. Night. Long.
Apparently stray dogs are like gremlins. Don't feed them after midnight. No, he didn't spawn other basset hounds and try to ruin Christmas, but he did cry all night long. All. Night. Long.
Run run run
So part of the whole being in Connecticut interning deal means being half a country away from my boyfriend. The poor guy is used to me not being nearby at this point, in the year and a half we've actually been together we've only been in the same city for about three months. He's been good about staying in Minnesota, whereas my family is in Iowa, I did a May Term in Paris, my grad program is in Cooperstown, New York, and my current internship is in Mystic, Connecticut. We're constantly trying to find ways to stay connected, whether its eating dinner "together" via webcam or watching tv shows at the same time.
We have, however, stumbled across something new that I wanted to share. He's pretty good about exercising, and this morning decided he was going to "run" from his place in Minnesota to mine in Iowa, as by the time he makes it I'll probably be back there for a bit. According to Mapquest its just over 218 miles between the two.
First off, I am super excited for him to give it a try, and I know that running makes him feel good. Secondly, I am HIGHLY competitive, so of course I just let the gauntlet go un-thrown. I will also participate in the challenge, though I have to modify it a bit. Running is out for me, so instead I will be doing yoga or lifting weights. I figure if I were to run, I could do a mile pretty comfortably in about 9 minutes. So, every nine minutes I spend doing yoga or weights will count as one mile. I also have to actually walk to the Y in order to do the weightlifting, so I figure every 9 minutes of that is about half of a mile if I'm going comfortably. All in all, it will be a lot of fun to see who makes it first!
We have, however, stumbled across something new that I wanted to share. He's pretty good about exercising, and this morning decided he was going to "run" from his place in Minnesota to mine in Iowa, as by the time he makes it I'll probably be back there for a bit. According to Mapquest its just over 218 miles between the two.
First off, I am super excited for him to give it a try, and I know that running makes him feel good. Secondly, I am HIGHLY competitive, so of course I just let the gauntlet go un-thrown. I will also participate in the challenge, though I have to modify it a bit. Running is out for me, so instead I will be doing yoga or lifting weights. I figure if I were to run, I could do a mile pretty comfortably in about 9 minutes. So, every nine minutes I spend doing yoga or weights will count as one mile. I also have to actually walk to the Y in order to do the weightlifting, so I figure every 9 minutes of that is about half of a mile if I'm going comfortably. All in all, it will be a lot of fun to see who makes it first!
16 July, 2010
FOUND DOG
03 July, 2010
New Bedford
This week's intern field trip took us to New Bedford, Massachusetts. We had the chance to visit both the New Bedford Whaling Museum and the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park. It was a really great day, though long and busy. The whaling museum was absolutely fantastic. They have three whale skeletons (technically four, but one was still a fetus when its mother died) hanging from their ceiling. If not properly treated, whale bones secrete the oil that made the animals so popular in the first place. The floor underneath the whales is covered with little drips where the oil has fallen. They have actually begun to collect the oil dripping off of the skull of the largest whale in order to be able to answer more questions for visitors (i.e. how much drips every day).
The museum itself is undergoing a shift in their focus. It was originally started as the New Bedford Historical Society. While they want to stay true to their roots, they also want to be able to show visitors the larger story of whaling. I hope to be able to visit them again in the future and see how this shift has been executed. It looks like they are doing a wonderful job so far. I really enjoyed their new exhibit, The Hunt for Knowledge. I thought it was very well done, and did a great job of balancing the science of whales as an animal with their uses to humans and the efforts to preserve them.
The museum itself is undergoing a shift in their focus. It was originally started as the New Bedford Historical Society. While they want to stay true to their roots, they also want to be able to show visitors the larger story of whaling. I hope to be able to visit them again in the future and see how this shift has been executed. It looks like they are doing a wonderful job so far. I really enjoyed their new exhibit, The Hunt for Knowledge. I thought it was very well done, and did a great job of balancing the science of whales as an animal with their uses to humans and the efforts to preserve them.
The biggest surprise for the day was completely out of the blue. Nicholas Cage was wrong in stating that there were only two Resolute desks in existence. Obama currently sits at one. The second is in Buckingham Palace. The New Bedford Whaling Museum has the third. Here is intern Dayne trying to see if there are any surprises on the underside of the desk! We couldn't tell. All in all, the trip was excellent. We got the chance to speak with one of the museum's educators, and she answered every single one of my too many questions. But, hey, they are doing some cool things in the museum, and I wanted to know more about it! According to my mother, I've been asking too many questions since I was four, but I don't think it always has to be a bad thing!
The second half of the day was spent at the National Park Service site. I bought a "passport" that can get stamped at every site. I wish I would have gotten one much sooner! I've been to countless sites throughout my lifetime. Now I guess I just have to go back and visit them all over again! We didn't spend a lot of time in their visitor center itself, other than watching their video. It was alright, but especially noteworthy was that some of the scenes were shot here at Mystic! Following the video, we took a brief walking tour of historic New Bedford. I have been on some fabulous walking tours (Boston's African American Heritage Trail) and some that were just okay. This was just okay, but the volunteer was obviously staying well within her comfort zone. I think we probably just caught her on a bad day, and most visitors to the site will not have as much pre-knowledge of whaling as we did.
After the tour, we got to talk with one of the site's rangers about working within the National Park system. They are definitely one of the big ones of my list of "Where to Look For a Job After Cooperstown". I grew up visiting NPS sites, and have a purple sparkely caboodle in my closet full of junior ranger patches and pins. One of my big "sticky" memories took place at Mesa Verde. I was fourteen, a little older than seven, but it was I believe a defining moment in my path to becoming a museum professional. A ranger pointed to me and told the group that girls my age in that society would have been well on their way to having children and running their households. It was shocking to me, and made me put myself in the shoes of a girl far in the past. It was a striking moment for me, and in large part because that ranger took a moment and made it personal. I want the chance to do that. I want to be able to look at a visitor and show them a piece of themselves in the past. It is a challenge, and you can't do it with everyone, but I think we in the museum field, especially in education or interpretation, live for that "wow" moment, or the one that creates that sticky memory. I hope that, whether my future involves the NPS or another organization (please please please let me find a job!) I will be able to find a way to make those moments happen.
27 June, 2010
Here We Go
Today I start interpreting at the chandlery. Here at Mystic, interpreters are in their site alone. Without help. I am curious to see how it goes. On one hand, I am a good interpreter. I know this, I have been told this, I've had visitors bring me sarsaparilla and ice cream after a good interpretation. Interpreting was the first thing in my life that I knew I rocked at, and boy was that a great feeling.
However; I know very, precious little about maritime history. And the reason I've been in a constant state of near panic for the last week is that interpreting often requires a base of knowledge to fall back on. As far as maritime things go, I don't have that. Despite doing little besides reading the site manual and about anything I could get my hands on,
There is, however, a beacon of hope. This weekend is the Wooden Boat Show, the absolute biggest draw of the museum all season. On one hand that means there will be a large amount of visitors (though it is cloudy, so perhaps fewer today). On the other hand, those visitors already know a lot about maritime everything. And as they are hobbyists, enthusiasts and professional boatbuilders, I have a hunch I can get them to talk about their craft.
So. Plan of attack for today:
1. Engage visitors so THEY tell me what THEY know.
2. Talk about the people behind the shop, rather than the thousands of little maritime objects scattered about.
3. If necessary, steer conversation into non-maritime waters. Pun intended.
4. If all else fails, fall back on the, I'm an intern from Iowa, most boats I've been on are pontoons.
Ready, go!
However; I know very, precious little about maritime history. And the reason I've been in a constant state of near panic for the last week is that interpreting often requires a base of knowledge to fall back on. As far as maritime things go, I don't have that. Despite doing little besides reading the site manual and about anything I could get my hands on,
There is, however, a beacon of hope. This weekend is the Wooden Boat Show, the absolute biggest draw of the museum all season. On one hand that means there will be a large amount of visitors (though it is cloudy, so perhaps fewer today). On the other hand, those visitors already know a lot about maritime everything. And as they are hobbyists, enthusiasts and professional boatbuilders, I have a hunch I can get them to talk about their craft.
So. Plan of attack for today:
1. Engage visitors so THEY tell me what THEY know.
2. Talk about the people behind the shop, rather than the thousands of little maritime objects scattered about.
3. If necessary, steer conversation into non-maritime waters. Pun intended.
4. If all else fails, fall back on the, I'm an intern from Iowa, most boats I've been on are pontoons.
Ready, go!
19 June, 2010
One Week Down
Nine to go! I have officially completed my first week as an intern here at Mystic Seaport. It was an intense week, and I am using that as my excuse for having not written in a couple of days. Tuesday through Thursday we joined up with the new interpretive staff for their training, as we are considered new interpreters as well.
One of the biggest highlights of the week for me was getting to speak with the head "roleplayer" here. My experience with interpreting has always been in 3rd person, though in period clothing. Here, most interpreters are also in 3rd person, but in polo shirts and khaki. There are, however, a select number of 1st person interpreters who portray a number of characters from 1876. I can't wait to see them in action. I was very curious as to why they had chosen 1876 as the year to portray. I knew that it was the nation's centennial, and the telephone was invented, but I didn't realize what is probably the best reason. The whaling industry was in its decline by that point, which allows the roleplayers to explain the full breadth of the topic, rather than only specific pieces. I am also very interested to see how visitors react to the roleplayers. It doesn't sound like there is a "mandatory" introduction at the visitors center, and they wander through the grounds. It does seem like they do a really good job of working to make visitors comfortable though.
Yesterday I met with my project manager for our first meeting about my summer project. I get to do an evaluation of their new Tugs! exhibit, as previously mentioned. It is not something I have experience with, but I am really excited to learn. I think this is something that will be very helpful for me as a museum professional, and hopefully for them as they continue to refine the exhibit. If you're in the area at all, I highly recommend it.
The big job for this weekend is to study up on my sites. The Chandlery will be very difficult but at the same time not. The style of interpretation looks to be very similar to what I did in LHF's General Store, except about all things needed for a sailing voyage. That is where it gets tricky. I have no background or knowledge, really, of sailing, so I have a lot of objects to study up on. The big goal with the exhibit will be making it more than just a point and answer about the objects, and showing visitors the stories behind the shop or the things. I am looking forward to the challenge :)
One of the biggest highlights of the week for me was getting to speak with the head "roleplayer" here. My experience with interpreting has always been in 3rd person, though in period clothing. Here, most interpreters are also in 3rd person, but in polo shirts and khaki. There are, however, a select number of 1st person interpreters who portray a number of characters from 1876. I can't wait to see them in action. I was very curious as to why they had chosen 1876 as the year to portray. I knew that it was the nation's centennial, and the telephone was invented, but I didn't realize what is probably the best reason. The whaling industry was in its decline by that point, which allows the roleplayers to explain the full breadth of the topic, rather than only specific pieces. I am also very interested to see how visitors react to the roleplayers. It doesn't sound like there is a "mandatory" introduction at the visitors center, and they wander through the grounds. It does seem like they do a really good job of working to make visitors comfortable though.
Yesterday I met with my project manager for our first meeting about my summer project. I get to do an evaluation of their new Tugs! exhibit, as previously mentioned. It is not something I have experience with, but I am really excited to learn. I think this is something that will be very helpful for me as a museum professional, and hopefully for them as they continue to refine the exhibit. If you're in the area at all, I highly recommend it.
The big job for this weekend is to study up on my sites. The Chandlery will be very difficult but at the same time not. The style of interpretation looks to be very similar to what I did in LHF's General Store, except about all things needed for a sailing voyage. That is where it gets tricky. I have no background or knowledge, really, of sailing, so I have a lot of objects to study up on. The big goal with the exhibit will be making it more than just a point and answer about the objects, and showing visitors the stories behind the shop or the things. I am looking forward to the challenge :)
14 June, 2010
1st Day
Well, today was my first, official day as a Mystic Seaport Internship. I have to say, I am really really really excited about this summer. There are eight other interns, two of whom are going into their senior years of college, the rest working for their masters or doctorate. We started off the day introducing ourselves, getting to know each other a little bit, then Elysa, who is running the program, introduced the topic of material cultures. As she said, there are four things we look at when we examine objects. Its production, its distribution, its use and its meaning. We all went around the room and pulled something from our bags or off of our persons to show and explain. I used my grandmother's cameo ring that I wear. It was a good, quick way to get to know something about each other.
After the brief intro's we were shown around the grounds by Glen Gordinier, who is head of the Munson Institute. The Munson Institute works with the academic side of Mystic Seaport, which offers graduate level classes to students and professors throughout the summer. His tour was amazing, and it was fun to hear some of the Seaport's history from someone who is obviously so passionate about it. Following our tour, we had lunch with Professor Gordinier, as well as a number of senior staff members. We were all asked to introduce ourselves by telling a formative museum memory. I had a really hard time picking, but ended up going with the 6th grade girl who was a part of the summer camp at Living History Farms two years ago. I was interpreting in the broom shop, and she actually stayed with me past the scheduled time to keep asking really deep, insightful questions about life at the times. She even managed to stump me a few times. It just showed me that, one, kids get a lot more out of those experiences than we often give them credit for and two, we can have a huge impact on someone else's life, even if it is just for a few minutes. I have a number of strong memories from my own times as a LHF camper that echoed pretty strong when I met her.
The day finished up with our readings for the next few days being distributed, and with each of us getting a chance to walk around the museum to become more familiar. I teamed up with a couple of other interns and had a good time going through the museum and discussing things we saw. Afterwards, another two interns and I went to a local Mexican place for supper. All in all, it was a really great day. Tomorrow, we start interpreter training with the general staff. I am really interested to see how different of a perspective it is from Living History Farms and the Farmers' Museum. I'll let you know how it goes!
After the brief intro's we were shown around the grounds by Glen Gordinier, who is head of the Munson Institute. The Munson Institute works with the academic side of Mystic Seaport, which offers graduate level classes to students and professors throughout the summer. His tour was amazing, and it was fun to hear some of the Seaport's history from someone who is obviously so passionate about it. Following our tour, we had lunch with Professor Gordinier, as well as a number of senior staff members. We were all asked to introduce ourselves by telling a formative museum memory. I had a really hard time picking, but ended up going with the 6th grade girl who was a part of the summer camp at Living History Farms two years ago. I was interpreting in the broom shop, and she actually stayed with me past the scheduled time to keep asking really deep, insightful questions about life at the times. She even managed to stump me a few times. It just showed me that, one, kids get a lot more out of those experiences than we often give them credit for and two, we can have a huge impact on someone else's life, even if it is just for a few minutes. I have a number of strong memories from my own times as a LHF camper that echoed pretty strong when I met her.
The day finished up with our readings for the next few days being distributed, and with each of us getting a chance to walk around the museum to become more familiar. I teamed up with a couple of other interns and had a good time going through the museum and discussing things we saw. Afterwards, another two interns and I went to a local Mexican place for supper. All in all, it was a really great day. Tomorrow, we start interpreter training with the general staff. I am really interested to see how different of a perspective it is from Living History Farms and the Farmers' Museum. I'll let you know how it goes!
13 June, 2010
Whaling
So tomorrow I start my internship, and I can't wait. Today I caught up on sleep, unpacked, and made a trip to the grocery store. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on your perspective, its a two mile walk to the store. I've never bought groceries based on weight before, but I made it back in one piece. On my way I passed some fun things, like a voting hall, a late 1600's burial ground, and this interesting ice cream/seafood shop. Maybe this is the little Midwest girl in me, but I don't see ice cream and clams as complementary.
This afternoon I had the chance to get into the museum and walk around for a bit. I decided to stick with their 19th century village, and really had a great time. I only really stopped in a couple of buildings, but had really great conversations with the staff. It sounds like they are all really excited for the interns to arrive. While I was there, a demonstration was taking place about whaling boats. It was really fascinating to see, especially after having just read about the Essex and how her crew lived in boats that size after it was wrecked. Hard to imagine. The demonstration itself was extremely well done and I enjoyed it a great deal. I also got a hold of some brooms (groan, I know) and turns out some of them are from the Farmer's Museum! Small world.
It all starts for real tomorrow morning with an introduction, a tour of the museum, lunch with the senior staff and getting all of our reading materials. I can't wait!
This afternoon I had the chance to get into the museum and walk around for a bit. I decided to stick with their 19th century village, and really had a great time. I only really stopped in a couple of buildings, but had really great conversations with the staff. It sounds like they are all really excited for the interns to arrive. While I was there, a demonstration was taking place about whaling boats. It was really fascinating to see, especially after having just read about the Essex and how her crew lived in boats that size after it was wrecked. Hard to imagine. The demonstration itself was extremely well done and I enjoyed it a great deal. I also got a hold of some brooms (groan, I know) and turns out some of them are from the Farmer's Museum! Small world.
It all starts for real tomorrow morning with an introduction, a tour of the museum, lunch with the senior staff and getting all of our reading materials. I can't wait!
Internship
Hello friends. Long time no write! Sorry to just jump right back into it, but I figure that's better than nothing. Tomorrow, I start my internship at Mystic Seaport in Mystic, Connecticut. I took the train in last night, and can't wait to get started. My big project for the summer will be to examine the museum's newly opened Tugs! exhibit. I will be evaluating the exhibit, observing visitors, and helping determine if and where changes need to be made to help improve the visitors' experiences. It is a different direction than my interpretation past, but I am really excited to do something new. Two days a week I will be working with the public, one of which I'll be in the Tugs! exhibit and the second we're not sure about yet. Two other days will be spent in seminars with the other interns and the final day will be field trips. Our first trip will be to Boston!
I took the train out, which was definitely an experience. My first train was running three hours behind, but I was still able to make my next train with about ten minutes to spare. I met some interesting people, including a girl from Scotland who I had a really good discussion about artifact repatriation with. Other than that, it was a good chance to read, and I managed to start and finish In the Heart of the Sea by Nathan Philbrick. It is about the whaling ship Essex, which was attacked by a sperm whale. The story was Herman Melville's inspiration for Moby Dick. It was a really interesting read, and I learned some interesting things about whaling and ships in general.
I got into Mystic last night at around 10:00pm. One of the museum staff members, Lisa, came and picked me up at the station and drove me to my house, which is right next to the museum. Unfortunately, a frequent museum goer who suffers from epilepsy had a seizure, so she had leave quickly after dropping me off, but I was glad for the ride! I can't wait until Monday to get started! The picture below is of the tugboat at the entrance of the museum. My house is the brown building there behind it. Yay for proximity!
I took the train out, which was definitely an experience. My first train was running three hours behind, but I was still able to make my next train with about ten minutes to spare. I met some interesting people, including a girl from Scotland who I had a really good discussion about artifact repatriation with. Other than that, it was a good chance to read, and I managed to start and finish In the Heart of the Sea by Nathan Philbrick. It is about the whaling ship Essex, which was attacked by a sperm whale. The story was Herman Melville's inspiration for Moby Dick. It was a really interesting read, and I learned some interesting things about whaling and ships in general.
I got into Mystic last night at around 10:00pm. One of the museum staff members, Lisa, came and picked me up at the station and drove me to my house, which is right next to the museum. Unfortunately, a frequent museum goer who suffers from epilepsy had a seizure, so she had leave quickly after dropping me off, but I was glad for the ride! I can't wait until Monday to get started! The picture below is of the tugboat at the entrance of the museum. My house is the brown building there behind it. Yay for proximity!
01 April, 2010
Reprimand
So after being very subtly reprimanded by a reader/friend/blogger in her own blog for not posting, I would like to defend myself by saying A) It takes me about six times as long to do anything due to meds or trying to concentrate on not concentrating on pain, and then I'm still never sure if its done well, B) I haven't really done much of late that has been blog worthy, C) I'm not currently in Cooperstown or enrolled as a graduate student due to my leave of absence, and D) I've started writing in another blog about museum things in general, so I feel less guilty about posting non-Cooperstown things. Hopefully I can be better about posting on it!
30 December, 2009
End of the Term
First off, I must apologize. It was my intention to maintain this blog and to post about the experience that is the graduate program at Cooperstown. One of the good and bad things about it is how busy it keeps you, which I will use as an excuse in this instance.
My classmates and I recently celebrated the conclusion of our first semester. Unfortunately for me, this also comes with some tough decisions. A few posts ago, I explained a bit about the shoulder issues I have been facing for almost two years ago. This summer I was seeing a physical therapist in Iowa and was actually improving. The light seemed to have appeared at the end of the tunnel, and I was so excited to go out to graduate school and do my best. Upon moving out to school, it took over a month before I was able to see a physical therapist in the area, and when I did get in to see her she was unfamiliar with my condition. Although she is very nice, she and her colleagues are not properly equipped to help me at this point. As a result, my shoulder continued to decline over the course of the semester, and began interfering with my school performance more and more often.
Then, shortly before Thanksgiving, I caught the buckle of my shoe on my computer cord and fell onto my arm again. The remainder of the semester was one of the most difficult things I have faced. I am very fortunate that the professors are compassionate and understanding, though I know that their patience has to have been tried. I know without a doubt that my classmates are frustrated, especially due to my inability to contribute to the project to which I had been elected as the head. I was unable to participate in opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom that I was looking forward to, and as the semester grew to a close my frustration peaked. The unfortunate Catch-22 is that, the more frustrated I got, the more pain I was in, and the more pain I was in, the higher my frustration.
The week that classes ended, my boyfriend and I sat down (via webcam) and talked about the possibility of me trying to take some time off. He, more than anyone, has seen the true nature of my shoulder and understands better than anyone else. I know it is often difficult for others to understand, especially because looking at me, you can't tell that anything is wrong. I look fine. But, by the end of the semester, I was averaging 2-3 hours of sleep a night, most of it in the early hours of the morning. I would fluctuate between days of pushing too hard and days of being unable to get out of bed. As someone who was extremely active in what seems like an entirely different life, this is worse than Sartre's No Exit.
The last day of classes the program director called me into her office. She and her colleagues have gone out of their way to show their support and to encourage me, for which I am eternally grateful. She, most of all, seemed to know what I was dealing with. She and I discussed the past semester, as well as the possibility of taking a semester off. She assured me that it was my own decision to make, and that whatever I chose they would help me. They have had students in the past who have taken time off for medical reasons, including one who took off time because of breast cancer. There is still a part of me that feels...I'm not sure what the word is, but I feel like my problems are nothing compared to breast cancer and they aren't. My issue is merely an inconvenience, not a threat to my life. But I also know that without some sort of major change, I will be to get through another semester like the one I just went through.
At this point, I have not made a decision one way or the other. I am seeing my regular Iowa pt as often as I can, and have an appointment back at Mayo to see what options we have as far as pain management. I haven't seen them since my last diagnosis, so hopefully they will have some new information for me. The absolute last thing that I want is to miss a semester. I absolutely love the program, the professors, and the museum network that it has already allowed me to begin to form. Taking medical leave would mean still paying rent on the house where I'm living, figuring out student loans and financing, getting behind in classwork and becoming more distant from my classmates. It would also push back Nate and my plan to actually live in the same place, as unfortunately the Cooperstown area doesn't offer a whole lot of job opportunities. So at this point, the hope is that I can get significantly better between now and when I fly back out, and have Mayo help me find a better way to manage the situation.
I'm sorry, as I meant to keep this blog more impersonal. My vision was to in a way review books and articles we'd read, talk about trips we took and use this as a sounding board for ideas about class discussions. Perhaps I'll get back to that, so in the meantime, please excuse the excess of personal humdrum.
Here's to a happy, healthy 2010!
My classmates and I recently celebrated the conclusion of our first semester. Unfortunately for me, this also comes with some tough decisions. A few posts ago, I explained a bit about the shoulder issues I have been facing for almost two years ago. This summer I was seeing a physical therapist in Iowa and was actually improving. The light seemed to have appeared at the end of the tunnel, and I was so excited to go out to graduate school and do my best. Upon moving out to school, it took over a month before I was able to see a physical therapist in the area, and when I did get in to see her she was unfamiliar with my condition. Although she is very nice, she and her colleagues are not properly equipped to help me at this point. As a result, my shoulder continued to decline over the course of the semester, and began interfering with my school performance more and more often.
Then, shortly before Thanksgiving, I caught the buckle of my shoe on my computer cord and fell onto my arm again. The remainder of the semester was one of the most difficult things I have faced. I am very fortunate that the professors are compassionate and understanding, though I know that their patience has to have been tried. I know without a doubt that my classmates are frustrated, especially due to my inability to contribute to the project to which I had been elected as the head. I was unable to participate in opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom that I was looking forward to, and as the semester grew to a close my frustration peaked. The unfortunate Catch-22 is that, the more frustrated I got, the more pain I was in, and the more pain I was in, the higher my frustration.
The week that classes ended, my boyfriend and I sat down (via webcam) and talked about the possibility of me trying to take some time off. He, more than anyone, has seen the true nature of my shoulder and understands better than anyone else. I know it is often difficult for others to understand, especially because looking at me, you can't tell that anything is wrong. I look fine. But, by the end of the semester, I was averaging 2-3 hours of sleep a night, most of it in the early hours of the morning. I would fluctuate between days of pushing too hard and days of being unable to get out of bed. As someone who was extremely active in what seems like an entirely different life, this is worse than Sartre's No Exit.
The last day of classes the program director called me into her office. She and her colleagues have gone out of their way to show their support and to encourage me, for which I am eternally grateful. She, most of all, seemed to know what I was dealing with. She and I discussed the past semester, as well as the possibility of taking a semester off. She assured me that it was my own decision to make, and that whatever I chose they would help me. They have had students in the past who have taken time off for medical reasons, including one who took off time because of breast cancer. There is still a part of me that feels...I'm not sure what the word is, but I feel like my problems are nothing compared to breast cancer and they aren't. My issue is merely an inconvenience, not a threat to my life. But I also know that without some sort of major change, I will be to get through another semester like the one I just went through.
At this point, I have not made a decision one way or the other. I am seeing my regular Iowa pt as often as I can, and have an appointment back at Mayo to see what options we have as far as pain management. I haven't seen them since my last diagnosis, so hopefully they will have some new information for me. The absolute last thing that I want is to miss a semester. I absolutely love the program, the professors, and the museum network that it has already allowed me to begin to form. Taking medical leave would mean still paying rent on the house where I'm living, figuring out student loans and financing, getting behind in classwork and becoming more distant from my classmates. It would also push back Nate and my plan to actually live in the same place, as unfortunately the Cooperstown area doesn't offer a whole lot of job opportunities. So at this point, the hope is that I can get significantly better between now and when I fly back out, and have Mayo help me find a better way to manage the situation.
I'm sorry, as I meant to keep this blog more impersonal. My vision was to in a way review books and articles we'd read, talk about trips we took and use this as a sounding board for ideas about class discussions. Perhaps I'll get back to that, so in the meantime, please excuse the excess of personal humdrum.
Here's to a happy, healthy 2010!
13 November, 2009
Boston
My classmates and I, along with our professors Cindy (Material Culture) and Doreen (Exhbition Design) spent the last week of October touring around Boston and New England. It was my first time to Massachusetts, and the only north-eastern state I've been to now besides New York. Here's a brief summary of the trip and what I thought about it.
Monday we woke up quite early and drove from Cooperstown to the Wallace Center, which would be our home base in Boston for the week. After a quick sack lunch, we hopped on the T. I reminisced about my French Metro and Tram experiences, and before too long we were off the train and walking across Boston Commons. Our destination was the Robert Gould Shaw memorial, where we met with Ryan McNabb, a ranger and head of the NPS African American National Historic Site. He then led us, as well as a few general visitors, along the Black Heritage Trail, which primarily focuses on the abolition movement in Boston. It was absolutely fascinating, and one of the highlights of the trip for me. We walked all over Beacon Hill, as he told stories, passed around copies of documents, and helped us understand what it would have been like to have lived in Boston. I learned that Boston was, for a long time, an end point of the Underground Railroad. Our tour ended at the front door of the Museum of African American History. Their current exhibit, Let Your Motto Be Resistance, is a collection of photographs of famous African Americans, from athletes to musicians to politicians on loan from the Smithsonian. There are some absolutely gorgeous photographs, and some very moving ones. I was especially struck by the photograph of the funeral of Martin Luther King Jr., which shows his children looking over the open casket for the first time.
Tuesday we started the morning by speaking with Katherine Armstrong, the PR Director of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. She told us about some of the very interesting programs they are enacting, which are all really trying to help people see beyond the art museum. It was really neat hearing about how hard they are trying to separate themselves from the "mausoleum." Unfortunately, when you actually walk through the museum, that is exactly what it is. Isabella Gardner took her checkbook to Europe, and bought whatever caught her fancy. There is the entire interior of a French chapel, which is bad enough, but the worst part were the illuminated illustrations cut from books. Those always make me sad. The museum itself is not to blame, it is simply this woman and her own idiosyncrasies.
From the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, we went to the Museum of Fine Art. We got to talk with two of their textile curators, which made my textile-loving roommate very very happy. They showed us a number of samplers, talked about an upcoming exhibit they're using the samplers for. It was very interesting, especially because of our sewing project, where we get to make our own samplers within a quilt square. After we spoke with the textile folks, we had the chance to speak with their educator. It was really neat hearing about some of the programming they are doing. On Wednesdays, they host drawing sessions in their galleries where general visitors are allowed to come in and draw what they see, while professional artists give tips. After speaking with her, we got the chance to wander through the museum. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they had three of my favorite Monet paintings. I sat and drooled over those for awhile, and enjoyed watching how other visitors observed them. From there, I moved to their Egyptian exhibit. The neat thing was that all of the pieces of their exhibition have been together since they were entombed. It sounded like it was actually something that was the fault of the economy, originally the collection was supposed to include loaned pieces but the economy made the museum reconsider their decision and simply pull from their own collection.
Thursday was probably the best day of the trip. We started out at the Boston Children's Museum. It was great fun. They turned us loose on the museum an hour before they opened, and the group of twenty-somethings that we are all reverted to a bunch of five-year olds. There was climbing, playing with bubbles, jumping, singing and lots and lots of laughter. One of the things that intrigued me the most was that a large part of their exhibits are in both English and Spanish. It was fun for me, my Spanish is awful (only a semester) but lots of French, so I can read some. It was a challenge trying to read it. We played until moms and their kids started showing up, but then I felt kind of awkward staring at them. I did have some interesting observations. It was mostly moms standing back and talking to each other, watching their kids playing. I would have loved to have seen more of the moms (sorry, there weren't dads) engaged. We got to talk to a number of the educators and an exhibit designers. It was neat getting their perspective on working with kids, and trying to engage parents. We also asked about their policy on lone adults that come in. They have a really interesting system in place to keep the kids there safe.
From the Children's Museum, we trekked over to the Science Museum. It was HUGE. A number of my classmates had purchased tickets to see their blockbuster Harry Potter exhibit. Sadly, as fanatical as I can be about Harry Potter, I'm also poor, so I just went through the rest of the museum. It was a TON to take in. I was very, very frustrated with their listening devices. On a number of stations they had "ear trumpets", for lack of a better word, that I was extremly uncomfortable having to use. Then, to add insult to injury, they only repeated the instructions for the exhibit, not the audio presented. They also had a whole exhibit on music and patterns, but the headphones were hearing aid incompatible. It frustrates me, a lot. For the most part, I can still hear most of a normal oral presentation. But a lot of the latter exhibit only put out sound through its headphones, which I couldn't use. All in all the rest of the museum was neat. I was especially impressed with a tiny, tucked away exhibit about mammograms. Its something I think all women hear about and fear a little bit, but it was really neat getting to actually learn about what is involved. They even had gel packs to feel to see if you could find the lumps. We then talked with a really neat guy who played a pretty cool magic trick, trying to show us how hard it is, but how hard they work, to take boring, dry science facts and turn them into something interesting and engaging. He's involved with some really great things, and it was neat to see how the science museum has grown over the years.
Friday we got out of dodge (or Boston) and spent a day with the Historic New England. They own a number of house museums all over New England and New York. We visited two; the Gropius House and the Codman Estate. They were two diametrically different places. The Gropious house is a Modernist 1930's house, it was the home of one of the fathers of the modernist movement. The curators are really struggling with balancing the museum habit of preserving the old versus the modernist philosophy of replacing anything that begins to wear down. Things are helped yet complicated by the fact that Mr. Gropius's daughter is still alive, and has very strong opinions about how the house should be. They do, however, have a wonderful opportunity to learn things from her.
The Codman Estate was...interesting. It is a mish-mash of artifacts from a variety of time-periods, and is full to the brim with stuff. They have changed their interpretation four different times, and still have had very little success bringing people into the house. They do, however, have a number of people who use their grounds or who rent out the carriage house. It is a challenge, to see how they can bring people inside. I personally wonder if focusing more on the interior designer son that grew up in the house would help them, but it will be interesting to see what happens over the next few years. After we toured the house, the staff of Historic New England hosted us for a really fun lunch and talked to us about their stewardship program. It focuses on helping the public that lives in historic homes to preserve them. It was absolutely fascinating, and something I knew nothing about. Especially since Nate and I have a daydream about someday living in a historic home, it was fun to hear about what they've done with the properties they hold and those they've deaccesioned.
Alright, I apologize for having taken so long to have posted this, but better late then never, right?
Monday we woke up quite early and drove from Cooperstown to the Wallace Center, which would be our home base in Boston for the week. After a quick sack lunch, we hopped on the T. I reminisced about my French Metro and Tram experiences, and before too long we were off the train and walking across Boston Commons. Our destination was the Robert Gould Shaw memorial, where we met with Ryan McNabb, a ranger and head of the NPS African American National Historic Site. He then led us, as well as a few general visitors, along the Black Heritage Trail, which primarily focuses on the abolition movement in Boston. It was absolutely fascinating, and one of the highlights of the trip for me. We walked all over Beacon Hill, as he told stories, passed around copies of documents, and helped us understand what it would have been like to have lived in Boston. I learned that Boston was, for a long time, an end point of the Underground Railroad. Our tour ended at the front door of the Museum of African American History. Their current exhibit, Let Your Motto Be Resistance, is a collection of photographs of famous African Americans, from athletes to musicians to politicians on loan from the Smithsonian. There are some absolutely gorgeous photographs, and some very moving ones. I was especially struck by the photograph of the funeral of Martin Luther King Jr., which shows his children looking over the open casket for the first time.
Tuesday we started the morning by speaking with Katherine Armstrong, the PR Director of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. She told us about some of the very interesting programs they are enacting, which are all really trying to help people see beyond the art museum. It was really neat hearing about how hard they are trying to separate themselves from the "mausoleum." Unfortunately, when you actually walk through the museum, that is exactly what it is. Isabella Gardner took her checkbook to Europe, and bought whatever caught her fancy. There is the entire interior of a French chapel, which is bad enough, but the worst part were the illuminated illustrations cut from books. Those always make me sad. The museum itself is not to blame, it is simply this woman and her own idiosyncrasies.
From the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, we went to the Museum of Fine Art. We got to talk with two of their textile curators, which made my textile-loving roommate very very happy. They showed us a number of samplers, talked about an upcoming exhibit they're using the samplers for. It was very interesting, especially because of our sewing project, where we get to make our own samplers within a quilt square. After we spoke with the textile folks, we had the chance to speak with their educator. It was really neat hearing about some of the programming they are doing. On Wednesdays, they host drawing sessions in their galleries where general visitors are allowed to come in and draw what they see, while professional artists give tips. After speaking with her, we got the chance to wander through the museum. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they had three of my favorite Monet paintings. I sat and drooled over those for awhile, and enjoyed watching how other visitors observed them. From there, I moved to their Egyptian exhibit. The neat thing was that all of the pieces of their exhibition have been together since they were entombed. It sounded like it was actually something that was the fault of the economy, originally the collection was supposed to include loaned pieces but the economy made the museum reconsider their decision and simply pull from their own collection.
Thursday was probably the best day of the trip. We started out at the Boston Children's Museum. It was great fun. They turned us loose on the museum an hour before they opened, and the group of twenty-somethings that we are all reverted to a bunch of five-year olds. There was climbing, playing with bubbles, jumping, singing and lots and lots of laughter. One of the things that intrigued me the most was that a large part of their exhibits are in both English and Spanish. It was fun for me, my Spanish is awful (only a semester) but lots of French, so I can read some. It was a challenge trying to read it. We played until moms and their kids started showing up, but then I felt kind of awkward staring at them. I did have some interesting observations. It was mostly moms standing back and talking to each other, watching their kids playing. I would have loved to have seen more of the moms (sorry, there weren't dads) engaged. We got to talk to a number of the educators and an exhibit designers. It was neat getting their perspective on working with kids, and trying to engage parents. We also asked about their policy on lone adults that come in. They have a really interesting system in place to keep the kids there safe.
From the Children's Museum, we trekked over to the Science Museum. It was HUGE. A number of my classmates had purchased tickets to see their blockbuster Harry Potter exhibit. Sadly, as fanatical as I can be about Harry Potter, I'm also poor, so I just went through the rest of the museum. It was a TON to take in. I was very, very frustrated with their listening devices. On a number of stations they had "ear trumpets", for lack of a better word, that I was extremly uncomfortable having to use. Then, to add insult to injury, they only repeated the instructions for the exhibit, not the audio presented. They also had a whole exhibit on music and patterns, but the headphones were hearing aid incompatible. It frustrates me, a lot. For the most part, I can still hear most of a normal oral presentation. But a lot of the latter exhibit only put out sound through its headphones, which I couldn't use. All in all the rest of the museum was neat. I was especially impressed with a tiny, tucked away exhibit about mammograms. Its something I think all women hear about and fear a little bit, but it was really neat getting to actually learn about what is involved. They even had gel packs to feel to see if you could find the lumps. We then talked with a really neat guy who played a pretty cool magic trick, trying to show us how hard it is, but how hard they work, to take boring, dry science facts and turn them into something interesting and engaging. He's involved with some really great things, and it was neat to see how the science museum has grown over the years.
Friday we got out of dodge (or Boston) and spent a day with the Historic New England. They own a number of house museums all over New England and New York. We visited two; the Gropius House and the Codman Estate. They were two diametrically different places. The Gropious house is a Modernist 1930's house, it was the home of one of the fathers of the modernist movement. The curators are really struggling with balancing the museum habit of preserving the old versus the modernist philosophy of replacing anything that begins to wear down. Things are helped yet complicated by the fact that Mr. Gropius's daughter is still alive, and has very strong opinions about how the house should be. They do, however, have a wonderful opportunity to learn things from her.
The Codman Estate was...interesting. It is a mish-mash of artifacts from a variety of time-periods, and is full to the brim with stuff. They have changed their interpretation four different times, and still have had very little success bringing people into the house. They do, however, have a number of people who use their grounds or who rent out the carriage house. It is a challenge, to see how they can bring people inside. I personally wonder if focusing more on the interior designer son that grew up in the house would help them, but it will be interesting to see what happens over the next few years. After we toured the house, the staff of Historic New England hosted us for a really fun lunch and talked to us about their stewardship program. It focuses on helping the public that lives in historic homes to preserve them. It was absolutely fascinating, and something I knew nothing about. Especially since Nate and I have a daydream about someday living in a historic home, it was fun to hear about what they've done with the properties they hold and those they've deaccesioned.
Alright, I apologize for having taken so long to have posted this, but better late then never, right?
12 November, 2009
Sometimes Life Gets In The Way
Sometimes life just gets in the way. . I know I promised a blog about our field trip to Boston. I promise I will get to it at some point. Unfortunately I've had some life issues interfere with not only my blogging abilities but school as well, to the point where I a man leaving Cooperstown early for Thanksgiving break. On Monday, as I was walking around my room I caught my shoe on the cord of my computer. I fell forward into the push-up position cursing all the way down. Shortly after impact, which was mostly on my palms, I blacked out from the pain in my shoulder. Now, to ER tips, three visits to my PT, and two trigger point injections into my shoulder later, I am still in a pretty decent amount of pain. I'm using my wonderful voice recognition software to type, but it's difficult to do really much of anything when you're on Valium. at this point, the main goal is to get means stable enough that I can stay conscious for a car ride to Albany airport, and the flight back to Des Moines. Hopefully, now that I'm on the proper cocktail of medications, on top of those injections, I should be able to manage it on Tuesday, when my flight has been booked. In the meantime, my life is really dependent on my wonderful and amazing roommates, we've gone far beyond the call of duty to take care of me. For the most part, I'm just staying in bed trying to keep up with my reading and not aggravate anything any further. I've spoken with Gretchen, our program director, whose assured me that will do everything possible to make sure I can finish the semester on time. I won't vent my frustrations here, but I'm sure you can imagine what they are. thank you for the support I've gotten from everyone over the last few days, it really means a lot and has helped me keep pushing through.
04 November, 2009
MAAM - Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums
A few weeks ago, nearly the entire Cooperstown Graduate program loaded up onto a charter bus and drove to Saratoga Springs for the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums conference. It was a really fascinating to speak with professionals already out in the field, and to get some very different perspectives on how museums do and should run. Here are some brief explinations of the sessions I attended and what I took from them:
1. Connect, Create, Collaborate: Program Development Responsive To The New Technology And The Culture of Youth
2. Climbing The Mountain, And Getting To The Other Side: Lessons Learned While Planning For The "New"
3. Fifth Annual Stephen E. Weil Memorial Lecture
4. Museum School Partnerships: Building Holistic Relationships For Growth And Learning
5. CGP Reception
1. Translating A New Building Project Into An Opportunity For Community Engagement
2. Invigorating Museums Through Creative Dramatics And Video Productions
3. Connecting With Community: Best Practices Outside The Museum Field
The entire conference was an amazing experience. It was wonderful getting the chance to speak with a number of people actually out in the industry. The memorial lecture was wonderful, and really stressed the importance of looking to non-traditional sources for inspiration within our museums. As a side note, the flash-mob theory discussed there was mentioned on the most recent episode of the tv show Greek, which my roommates and I had fun discussing. I also really had fun hearing about the creative dramatics and video productions. Having interpreted in two different third person open air/living history museums, it was a great chance to hear about some similar but very unique variations in other museums. I'm particularly looking forward to seeing the sketches at the Baseball Hall of Fame, and am very excited to now get a chance to try my own, as some of my classmates and I will be portraying characters from paintings at the Fenimore Arts Museum this weekend.
Looking back at the list of what I attended, I realized a lot of it focused on programs within museums or specifically with kids. It has really led me to wonder about the possibility of a future in museum education or museum programming. My biggest worry right now is that, unlike some of my classmates, I have no background in the theories or ideas behind education. But I know that I can make that moment happen, when someone puts two pieces of knowledge together and finally sees something in a new light. I love trying to find new ways to engage people, and I am excited about the possibility of museums serving a function beyond simply the preservation of artifacts. Having this potential direction is scary but exciting. We will see what happens!
1. Connect, Create, Collaborate: Program Development Responsive To The New Technology And The Culture of Youth
2. Climbing The Mountain, And Getting To The Other Side: Lessons Learned While Planning For The "New"
3. Fifth Annual Stephen E. Weil Memorial Lecture
4. Museum School Partnerships: Building Holistic Relationships For Growth And Learning
5. CGP Reception
1. Translating A New Building Project Into An Opportunity For Community Engagement
2. Invigorating Museums Through Creative Dramatics And Video Productions
3. Connecting With Community: Best Practices Outside The Museum Field
The entire conference was an amazing experience. It was wonderful getting the chance to speak with a number of people actually out in the industry. The memorial lecture was wonderful, and really stressed the importance of looking to non-traditional sources for inspiration within our museums. As a side note, the flash-mob theory discussed there was mentioned on the most recent episode of the tv show Greek, which my roommates and I had fun discussing. I also really had fun hearing about the creative dramatics and video productions. Having interpreted in two different third person open air/living history museums, it was a great chance to hear about some similar but very unique variations in other museums. I'm particularly looking forward to seeing the sketches at the Baseball Hall of Fame, and am very excited to now get a chance to try my own, as some of my classmates and I will be portraying characters from paintings at the Fenimore Arts Museum this weekend.
Looking back at the list of what I attended, I realized a lot of it focused on programs within museums or specifically with kids. It has really led me to wonder about the possibility of a future in museum education or museum programming. My biggest worry right now is that, unlike some of my classmates, I have no background in the theories or ideas behind education. But I know that I can make that moment happen, when someone puts two pieces of knowledge together and finally sees something in a new light. I love trying to find new ways to engage people, and I am excited about the possibility of museums serving a function beyond simply the preservation of artifacts. Having this potential direction is scary but exciting. We will see what happens!
28 September, 2009
Wordle = Amazing
If you have not yet tried out Wordle, it is a great way to kill some time. Here is the Wordle I created for my blog. It is neat to see some of the words I use the most, they are the biggest!
26 September, 2009
Living it up, 1845 style
Today began my adventure as a historic interpreter at The Farmer's Museum. It was absolutely wonderful to be back "in the field", working at a museum and getting the chance to speak with visitors again. To top everything off, this 1845 New York museum makes their brooms very, very differently than my old 1875 Iowa museum does. I'm not sure if its a time period thing, a regional thing or if it is just that the first particular broommakers at each museum did things a little differently. I am absolutely fascinated as to why these differences have occured, and if there is a reason behind them. Never fear though, I am in the process of conducting research on the side in an attempt to find out any logic behind this.
Also, this week I was elected as the leader for our semester class project. We will be providing the Oneonta World of Learning with a feasibility study, as they are hoping to open a bricks and mortar museum. I think this will be a great chance to step away from the public side of museums to see what it actually takes to put one together, and I am very excited to help all of the voices of my classmates channel their ideas into one coherant message. Updates will follow!
Also, this week I was elected as the leader for our semester class project. We will be providing the Oneonta World of Learning with a feasibility study, as they are hoping to open a bricks and mortar museum. I think this will be a great chance to step away from the public side of museums to see what it actually takes to put one together, and I am very excited to help all of the voices of my classmates channel their ideas into one coherant message. Updates will follow!
22 September, 2009
Adelphi Custom and Historic Wallpaper Hangings
Today for our Material Cultures class, we visited Adelphi, a reproduction block-printing wallpaper company. It was really interesting seeing how they can take scraps of wallpaper found from the inside of some old walls and turn it into a fully reproduced, vibrantly colored pattern. It is actually quite a small, labor intensive process but it was fascinating to see. We also got the chance to talk to The Anonymous Bookbinder, a man whose office is up one floor from Adelphi who restores the bindings on books. It wasn't a process I had every really thought about, and was absolutely fascinating. I'm really interested to continue my journal for Material Cultures, in which we're examining different printed materials. Tomorrow I'm going to the storage facility to examine some wallpaper remnants. Its really wonderful, and is very interesting to compare to the wallpapers at the Farmer's Museum and back at Living History Farms.
In other news, I have been hired as an Interpreter at the Broom Shop for The Farmer's Museum. Ginny, one of my roommates, and I went in to talk to them about volunteering. Ginny is very interested in textiles, and wants to learn how to spin and weave. They set her up as a volunteer, but they were really in need of a broommaker so they hired me. I spent Monday going through the paperwork and research left from their old broommaker, which was pretty messy. While I was in office, they received unfortunate news that one of their textile interpreters will be unable to come back for the rest of the season due to an injury. While that is horrible news for the poor woman, it is good news for Ginny, who will now join me as a staff member at the Farmer's Museum.
The biggest challenge for me is going to be learning how to make this particular style of brooms. Both museums form the interior of their brooms differently, and the Farmer's Museum brings the top of the broomcorn down to the handle, whereas Living History Farms cuts the top of the broomcorn flat across. I'm really interested to do more research and find out why it is these differences exist. The Farmers Museum is 1840-1860 New York, LHF is 1875 Iowa. Is it time period, is it region? I've got a giant stack of research I'm only a little way through, but maybe the answer is there somewhere!
In other news, I have been hired as an Interpreter at the Broom Shop for The Farmer's Museum. Ginny, one of my roommates, and I went in to talk to them about volunteering. Ginny is very interested in textiles, and wants to learn how to spin and weave. They set her up as a volunteer, but they were really in need of a broommaker so they hired me. I spent Monday going through the paperwork and research left from their old broommaker, which was pretty messy. While I was in office, they received unfortunate news that one of their textile interpreters will be unable to come back for the rest of the season due to an injury. While that is horrible news for the poor woman, it is good news for Ginny, who will now join me as a staff member at the Farmer's Museum.
The biggest challenge for me is going to be learning how to make this particular style of brooms. Both museums form the interior of their brooms differently, and the Farmer's Museum brings the top of the broomcorn down to the handle, whereas Living History Farms cuts the top of the broomcorn flat across. I'm really interested to do more research and find out why it is these differences exist. The Farmers Museum is 1840-1860 New York, LHF is 1875 Iowa. Is it time period, is it region? I've got a giant stack of research I'm only a little way through, but maybe the answer is there somewhere!
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