Stories from the Stoop: A Family History
Open Access DepositedThis paper outlines the theory, strategy, content, and design behind a proposed concept for an exhibition designed for elementary age children and their families at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. The exhibition intends to encourage conversations about race and identity between children and their families through the method of storytelling by presenting the stories of seven generations of African American children. Research from the fields of child psychology, education, literature, and exhibition design argues that museum exhibitions can and should present controversial concepts, such as slavery and racism, to children in responsible ways. The exhibition's interpretive strategies for presenting difficult historical topics draw upon precedents from children's Holocaust literature and exhibitions, while the exhibition's interpretive narrative is inspired by African American children's literature. This narrative uses representative artifacts and immersive environments to tell the overarching story of an African American child exploring her family through the stories of seven children signifying seven generations. These fictional stories are based upon many historical accounts from various time periods and regions. Visitors enter each exhibition narrative through a front porch facade that faces a center gathering and storytelling space where families are encouraged to engage in storytelling and explore these stories in their own order and at their own pace. This thesis begins with a statement of the author's interest in this audience and topic, followed by an analysis of the challenges these topics pose for children as well as precedents that informed solutions to these challenges. Then the exhibition's content is discussed, starting with key teaching points. The next section fully analyzes the exhibit's audience and provides an interpretive plan for that audience. The paper concludes with a description of the exhibition's site, design strategies, and design narrative. Appendices include a matrix of the exhibition's objects, research on projecting interpretive text via gobos, and finally a full design concept package complete with exhibition layout diagrams, detailed elevations, and final renderings.
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Horton_corcoran_0501M_10264.pdf | 2025-04-09 | Open Access |
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