Inspiring Conversations: MHC and its Traveling Exhibit Programs

Contributed by Geoff Giglierano, MHC Executive Director

There are a wide variety of ways in which we share information and stories: books and articles, lectures and discussions, living history performances and demonstrations, traditional storytelling, and exhibits, just to name a few.  Not surprisingly, as I have spent over 35 years working in the museum field, I am particularly interested in exhibits as a means for people to communicate with each other.  That, in part, is why I am very pleased that the Missouri Humanities Council has several traveling history exhibit programs that it offers, including the Museums on Main Street presentations that are provided through a partnership with the Smithsonian Institution.

 In fact, we are in the process of adding another element to our traveling exhibit repertoire, through our partnership with the Missouri History Museum.  We are very much looking forward to working with them in taking their exhibit “The Civil War in Missouri” to many different communities around the state over the next four to five years.

 So what are some of the advantages of using exhibits as a means for sharing stories?  To great extent it is that they convey information not just through text, but also through images and in many cases, objects.  This is particularly important with members of a general public audience, for whom the physical historical artifact provides a concrete connection with the past.  The presence of the “real thing” can make history—the story and the people represented in the story–feel more “real” to the audience, than just text and images can. 

 But I think most importantly, when they work well, exhibits can foster and facilitate and inspire conversation and interaction.  Once an exhibit is installed, these interactions can take place between members of the audience, and/or the audience and interpretive staff and volunteers.  Ideally, viewing an exhibition is a collective experience: as we look at the various pieces of an exhibit, we can share our thoughts and reactions—and our own experiences and stories—with those around us.  

 These conversations also take place before an exhibit ever opens.  There must be give and take between designers, scholars and writers in the creation of any exhibit.  And with exhibits like those offered through the Museums on Main Street program or what we offer through the Missouri History Museum exhibit partnership, there is further interaction between scholars and consultants and the various host organizations in developing local components to augment the primary traveling exhibit.

 Our goal with these traveling exhibit programs is to provide historical context — the “big picture,” if  you will — in the form of the exhibition that comes from either the Smithsonian or the Missouri History Museum, and then help the host organizations tell their own local stories, within that larger context. It is an exciting process to witness.  The local components developed by the host organizations are in many ways the most dynamic and intriguing element of these programs.  You will see remarkable images and objects you had no idea existed, and learn about new stories that are intriguing, and often surprising. 

 We certainly appreciate the participation and support of our traveling exhibit partners at the Smithsonian and the Missouri History Museum.  But we also very much appreciate the hard work and creativity that our traveling exhibit host organizations put into what is presented at their sites and in their communities.  The outcomes we are seeing would not be nearly as exciting and interesting without their efforts and contributions to the process.

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