| MoMS | New Harmonies (2009) | Charettes | Program List |
Application Word DOC | PDF | Description | Participants | Articles
Charettes are workshops that help humanities organizations upgrade their thinking and practices to dramatically improve visitor satisfaction and increase public participation. If "business as usual" is not very successful, a charette is for you. If you need a more interesting way of operating, a charette is for you. Even if you're good, a charette can help you reach for greatness. A charette opened the door for a giant step forward for one of the best county historical societies in Missouri.
The Charette model is borrowed from the field of architecture. In that field, it is a brainstorming exercise by architects who come together for a brief period of time to think about a community problem. In our field, a charette is a gathering of a few consultants to spend one or more sessions with the leadership core of a local institution...a historic house, a Main Street Association, a museum. The objective is to involve people in "thinking outside the box" so that they can tap new creative energy and adopt practices that spell success.
MHC Director Michael Bouman tailors each charette to the needs of the institution. He will assemble a small consultant group after an initial consultation. Organizations may apply for this service year-round. There is no application deadline and there is no charge.
Application Word DOC | PDF | Description | Participants | Articles
Some Charette Participants
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• Cass County Historical Society
Evaluate several competing directions for the organization, discussion of managing the acquisition of historic structures, of developing living history programs and of mission.
• Champ Clark House - Honey Shuck Restoration, Bowling Green
Improve focus of interpretive and activities planning.
• Current River Heritage Museum, Doniphan
Create more meaningful story lines and exhibitions for a community museum.
• The Friends of Arrow Rock
Restudy their guided history tour, develop and implement a new plan.
• Friends of Historic Boonville
Find a new vision of how the Friends can involve the population in the interpretation of Boone, the man, and stories of humanity that are Boonville past and present
• Friends of Rocheport
Address space needs in the museum and a desire to create more family programming
• Nodaway County Historical Society
Make better use of the creativity and teaching experience of the retired teachers on the board of directors. Develop ideas for a year of community history projects.
• John William Boone Heritage Foundation, Columbia
Complete an interpretive plan that expresses the cultural tourism potential of Blind Boone and American Popular Culture, 1880-1927; also interpretive planning for expressing African American history in Columbia.
• Laura Ingalls Wilder Home, Mansfield
Develop ideas to take a world heritage attraction into 21st century practices of visitor-centered thinking.
• Louisiana Area Historical Museum
Help supporters renew mission, look for focus, and address concerns about archival stewardship.
• Mark Twain Home Foundation
Address the geographic problem of how to hold visitors' interest in a "campus" of buildings in downtown Hannibal when one of those buildings was newer. The Foundation had taken a giant step in developing a state-of-the-art museum in a location about two blocks away from the older historic structures that once were its entire operation.
• Missouri Verterinary Museum
Mission of the veterinary museum, the relationship of the museum to the statewide membership, and things the museum can do to improve its interpretation of veterinary medicine in Missouri. Help in evaluating exhibit practices and matching program services with the strategic needs of the Veterinary Association. The outcome of the charette was a humanities planning grant to enable the museum to develop a historical context and "story outline" for the total revision of its permanent exhibit.
• Museum Conference on NAGPRA Law, UM-Columbia, Point Lookout, Branson
Workshop for museum volunteers and professionals on the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). Case studies of Andrew Cty Museum, St. Joseph Museum, UM Museum. Native American perspectives The leadership of up to 25 Missouri museums who attended a workshop about forming relationships with American Indian tribes. The workshop is an annual affair sponsored jointly with the MO Museum Association.
• Newton County Historical Society
Studied ways to increase membership and develop cooperation with organizations outside of the county seat of Neosho.
• Osage County Historical Society
Assess multiple OCHS presentation sites and assets, consider OCHS mission with respect to orienting visitors and travelers, and recommend ways to improve interpretation and cooperation among county institutions in several distinctive towns including Linn (the headquarters), Chamois, Bonnets Mill, and Westphalia. State Representative Merrill Townley participated in the entire program. The charette generated more than 23 suggestions for improving one of the strongest county historical societies, and the organization began to implement the top priority suggestions before a week had passed.
• Randolph County Historical Society
Assess multiple properties in Moberly and comment on the potential for improved historical interpretation.
• Sedalia Area Chamber of Commerce
Identify attractive, appealing uses fo the historic Katy Depot enhancing visitor appreciation of the unique heritage of a "railroad town."
• Sedalia Area Chamber of Commerce (Katy Depot Museum)
With Sedalia Heritage Foundation, umbrella sponsor for all heritage organizations in Sedalia, to work on a community-wide interpretive plan.
• Salem Area Community Betterment Association
Assess the collections at the county museum and the potential for adaptive reuse of a specific property in town. Explore ways of developing better synergy among a number of cultural organizations in town, including a recently-created arts council.
• Springfield Urban Development Association
Organizing cultural tourism experiences focused on Route 66 heritage 1926-1966.
• Tri County Historical Society, King City
Hands-on training for museum volunteers in methods of conservation, interpretation, and education
• Waverly Arts Council
Develop ideas for activities that will engage broad community interest in history and heritage for Cultural Tourism outcomes.
Application Word DOC | PDF | Description |Participants | Articles
Charettes - What Good Are They? An Invitation to Participate
Charettes: Opportunity to enrich local museums and cultural institutions
Little House in Mansfield
Charette for the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home, Mansfield, Missouri
Charette Program Lives
updated 9/14/07
