Hi Jessica! Thank you for this reflective analysis about the museum guest responses. I like the use of the Rolodex as a way to eliminate hierarchy, and am intrigued by how some people “self moderated” by adding their own cards to it. This format reminds me of the interactive iPad, also in the Imagining Home exhibit, because guest entries are on a virtual scroll and later modified. As a host in that space I notice that the responses to the prompt, “What is home to you?” ellicit almost exclusively positive responses. After watching this interactive process since the opening in October, I see that remarks seem to hit the same notes about warmth, freedom, and comfort. The observation struck me on the day that a little girl truthfully entered chaotic events in her home, like “messy” and “fights with my brother.” Her mom frowned and asked her to change the entry.

The postcards in the Commons Gallery mentioned in your article have a choice of three prompts, which the guests spend some time selecting. Once the activity is explained almost every guest is enthusiastic about the notion that someone else will get their postcard in the mail, and they will in turn get someone elses. I wonder if the reciprocal aspect encourages genuine responses. The postcard I recently recieved in the mail asking, “Where does your home end and the outside world begin?” was answered by a child in an unexpected and rather abstract way. The child refected on personal boundaries-no doubt passing on school discussions about bullying. “Judgment, bullying, verbal abuse, not safe, not supportive.” I love that the answers go outside of the concept of the physical space of home and that the threshold of “home” can mean social inclusiveness versus torment.

Comparing and contrasting the prompts in each exhibit, I see that both sets of questions are open ended yet directive enough to stimulate relevant inquiries. I also wonder if the phrase, “Share your thoughts” in the Baker Award Exhibit stimulates reactions, rather than reflection and response?

Your article definately guided my own attention to the dynamics of the gallery I am a host in. Most of my assessments of guest participation are in body language and apparent enthusiasm. Now I have a sense of how your/The BMA’s assessment of responses shapes future invitations for participation.