Franklin Institute Electricity Exhibit

On Thursday our Museum class visited the Franklin Institute. Our visit mainly focused on the Electricity Exhibit. The Electricity exhibit is fairly new at the Franklin. We were able to meet an employee who worked on the exhibit. Kristin was able to give us a lot if interesting information on the exhibit as it stands today. I found it really interesting how she explained to us how different parts of exhibit were tied to the next area. For example there was a area about hoe electricity in the body works which was a introduction into the human body section of the museum. It is a very interesting idea to design your exhibit with other exhibits the museum also holds in mind.

The electricity exhibit had some very cool and different times of interactive tools to engage visitors. There were two particular things that stood out in my mind. the first was the podium where if you touch it you could get a small electric shock. It was intriguing to me although I did not touch it. Many other people did and it seemed like they couldn't get enough they had touch it again. What better way would there be to learn about electricity but to feel it? The other part of the exhibit I really enjoyed was the interactive games, there were a couple that caught my interest. In on of them we were finding different ways to meet the energy demands of our town by using coal, nuclear, wind or solar energy. In addition to meeting the energy demands you had to make the citizens happy and make money too. That activity seemed to hold the attention of many of us.

Although the exhibit had many interesting exhibits. I wonder what knowledge many visitors leave the Franklin with. Its a memorable experience but is it learning. I feel like for many it can be but there are some of us who get caught up in the coolness or the interactive aspects of a exhibit and lose site of the goal. I feel like it comes at a price but its a price museums have to pay to stay relevant. Although I was surprised to find that in our readings many young people do no like interactivity in the museum but I am not so sure because it was very in engaging to our particular group and I would say we are relatively young.

The Electricity exhibit made me feel youthful. I felt like a little kid running to the next exciting activity. I am sure it has that effect on many of the visitors at the Franklin and its probably part of the allure. unlike many other museums its not so stuffy, you feel kind free like more things can go there. I feel like that makes visitors feel more comfortable. At the Franklin you don't see guards everywhere you see a few employees but frankly they aren't that interested in policing you.

I see the Franklin as a museum that engages visitors of all ages, frankly there is something for everybody. It is a very interesting place at least the kind of place everyone should see once. I think the Franklin fulfilled the mission a lot of museums seek to fulfill today to be current, engaging, relevant, and to present knowledge at the same time.

The Academy of Natural Science

Our museum visit this week was to the Academy of Natural Science. The Academy of Natural Science first opened it's doors in 1928. The Museum has many exhibits that teach and help explain the progression of scientific life on earth. This museum provides a contemporary museum experience. The Academy of Natural Science provides visitors with a unique learning experience that is not only engaging but yet interactive with the public.

As we recently learned dioramas were a new phenomenon that helped Victorian museums because more lively and interesting to an audience. The Academy of Natural Sciences uses a large area of dioramas as a way to explore animals in different habitats in a natural setting. These dioramas are used because they are easily accessable to the public. It was a way to engage with all people not just the elite. Dioramas are very life like they provide a realistic close up view of the animals they display. I learned while at the Academy that the dioramas that they use are often made from a mold and later covered with real animal skin and horns in order to give them a authentic appearance. This is important to the feeling a visit will have about a diorama, the more realistic the better because people will be excited and interested in the realistic appearance. When in the hall with all the dioramas it almost felt like being in a zoo. Many people seemed genuinely interested in staring into the animals in the diorama although they were not alive people still found them very intriguing and that is why many museums still choose to use them today.

The Academy of Natural Science does a important job. It provides a interactive space where people can learn about science in a fun way. For example in the dinosaur exhibit area there were areas where you could see someone behind the wall supposedly being hunted by a dinosaur. In addition there was a treadmill you could get on that simulated the walk of a dinosaur. I thought those elements are not only fun but a interesting way to learn about science. I felt the museum had a lot of things for kids, the was a area called the fossil dig where children could learn how to clean and learn and preserve fossils. I also liked that they had a special children's museum located on the top floor. I think that museums have a important job in helping to educate and provide safe spaces for children in the community. This aspect reminded me of the Wagner Free Museum which also had a lot of things they did devoted to the education of children.

Overall I enjoyed my museum visit. I think the Academy of Natural Science has a lot to offer. I would recommend the museum to those not only interested in science but those with children. I feel the museum does a good job of teaching and educating people within the natural science realm in a interesting way.

The Betsy Rose House

Yesterday we visited the Betsey Ross House located on Arch St. The Betsy Ross house serves as a house museum where people can some and visit the home of Betsy Ross, the woman believed to have sown the first American flag.

The museum itself is a house they claim was occupied by Betsey Ross for 12 years. Out of this home Ross was believed to run her and her first husbands fabric shop. In addition you also told by the museum in your guided audio tour that this the home where the American Flag was sown. This paints a very patriotic picture of Betsy Ross and the time period itself.

At best the museums message is questionable. There are many disputes about whether or not Betsy Ross ever lived in this home for any time at all. In addition there is evidence that Betsy Ross was not in fact the person to sow the American Flag. These questions lead to the dis truth of museums. As we learned museums are the number 1 trusted resource for Americans to find knowledge but if the museum is choosing to uphold a legacy that may be untrue, one must question the reliance of that museum along with many others. If museums are supposed to be places people can go in order to find the truth, it just seems weird to have a museum in business almost selling history and recreating it. History is typically communicated in the way that the museum sees fit, it's there interpretation and their interpretation may or may not be the truth.

Overall my museum visit was uneventful. It didn't seem as though the people at the museum were interested in answering any questions, they kind of just wanted you to rely on the pre recorded audio tour, which was the only version they wanted to provide you with, there was really no room for interpretation.I was a perfect little story of Betsy Ross.