Date of Award

5-2025

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Department

History

First Advisor

Sharon Steadman

Abstract

Museums are institutions that can be found outside of a classroom setting, where visitors can educate themselves about a certain topic presented in the exhibits that the museums display. They can do this by creating engaging environments where visitors can become invested into the story and information of the exhibits, making them want to learn more about the information provided. A good exhibit can do this in at least one of three ways: developing critical thinking skills, which can involve visual models or "learning through play," creating memorable experiences or using collective memory to teach about historical events or using emotions to make people invested in what they are learning. During the fall of 2024, I interned at the Homeville Museum in Cortland, NY, where I examined exhibits that contain all these methods, with some having all three in one display. I also wanted to know if I could create exhibits that used at least one of the three methods to educate public visitors. I was able to accomplish this goal through a survey I conducted at the Brooks Museums during the last month of the Fall 2024 semester and the first half of the Spring 2025 semester, where I designed two exhibits and had participants answer questions relating to the exhibits.

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