November 18th- Assignment

When looking outside of the museum context for examples of events or shows that encourage active engagement and audience participation, I immediately think of the workshops that are held at the Beaver Creek Reserve in the Fall Creek Area. These workshops are designed to educate the participants about the different natural resources that are found throughout the area, as well as helping them to learn about the local plant and animal life. The workshops are part instruction, part hands on learning activities, designed so that the participants can get a glimpse at aspects of nature that they may never have known existed. The activities can range from demonstrations of the capabilities of birds and other animals, to an examination of “owl pellets.” The principles that might be applied to my own exhibit are those of guiding the participants on the path that has been set up for them, and then standing back to let them explore on their own. This is very similar to the concept that is at the foundation of our own exhibit. I feel that if people are left to discover things on their own, after a brief amount of education, then they are able to think of things and make discoveries that the director of the activity may never have thought of. They are also much more likely to retain information that they came up with themselves, as opposed to having everything laid out for them, with instructions on what to do, how to do it, and so on.