Living History - (American Association for State and Local History) by David B Allison (Paperback)

About the Book

Here, David Allison, who has worked at several museums known for effective enactments, provides the fascinating stories of three large living history museums as they adapt to changing audience expectations; a solid overview of the types of interpretation that living history mu...

Book Synopsis

Here, David Allison, who has worked at several museums known for effective enactments, provides the fascinating stories of three large living history museums as they adapt to changing audience expectations; a solid overview of the types of interpretation that living history museums use; best practices (and practices for you to avoid) from the reams of data and studies compiled by evaluators over the past 10 years; an exploration of the intersection of public history, individual agency, and business imperatives at museums and historic sites. Connecting with Guests in Museums: Living History Techniques Then and Now looks at the history of these compelling techniques, provides best practices and strategies for implementing them today, and provides a roadmap for the future of costumed interpretation.

Review Quotes

Whatever you think of living history, this book offers a much-needed fresh look at the interpretive method and cautions that it must adapt to remain effective. Allison's voice of experience guides the reader through recent changes and his mixture of interviews, scholarship and personal anecdotes makes it an easy read.

About the Author

David Allison is Manager of Onsite Programs at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. He helps to create and sustain high-quality shows and facilitated experiences for visitors of all ages. His most recent projects at the museum include writing and developing a new multimodal show on the science of flight. In addition, he works with a team of enactors who portray composite historical characters in the gallery halls and for temporary exhibits at the museum.