No Non-sense
As I reflect back on the first day of the seminar, one impression stands out amongst the rest. Speaking as someone who was a visitor to the Brooklyn Historical Society DUMBO yesterday, an appeal to the senses can be an effective means to engage a visitor. It is exciting to access a sense other than sight or hearing in a learning environment. And visitors may best grasp a concept when it is reinforced through multiple senses.
I’ll use the GLOBAL GOODS interactive at the Brooklyn Historical Society DUMBO as an example. A panel offers information and a map regarding import into Brooklyn. It specifically mentions several commodities that were staples of import into the city. Drawers at the bottom of the panel each are labeled with a different commodity name, and when opened offer an opportunity to touch or smell these products.
The Johns Hopkins course Accessibility in the Museum has left me hyperaware of the museum duty to offer accessible learning spaces. One sense may fill the void of an inaccessible one. And because of this, information may be most effectively conveyed to all audiences.
This attention of the Brooklyn Historical Society DUMBO to the senses is inspiring! It is not very often that I experience such an embrace of multiple senses within a permanent exhibit. But it is clear that receiving such information from more than one sense can offer a tangibility that can be so necessary for learning.
This will be interesting to continue to explore throughout this seminar, that is, how the museums we visit engage the senses.
