The traditional model of living historical education often relies heavily on passive observation – visitors read panels, view artifacts behind glass, or listen to reenactors perform a task. However, a different approach is emerging, transforming these passive experiences into dynamic, hands-on learning opportunities that engage multiple senses and create deeper connections to historical narratives whileContinue reading “The Power of Active Engagement”
Category Archives: Frank Vagnone
Seeing the Caregiver: Museums and Caretaker Anxiety
Recent research demonstrates museums’ positive impact on visitor wellbeing through programs like “Meet Me at MoMA” and the UK’s House of Memories. However, these studies focus almost exclusively on participants with disabilities or conditions, not their caregivers. While sensory mornings and accessibility programs help those receiving care, they can paradoxically increase caregiver stress. Each “specialContinue reading “Seeing the Caregiver: Museums and Caretaker Anxiety”
Beautiful Burdens: A Generational Shift in Collections Care
“Pretty things, so what if I like pretty things” Pretty Things, Rufus Wainwright As a museum professional and public historian with over two decades of experience in collections care and archive organization, I’ve witnessed firsthand how our relationship with cultural heritage materials evolves. My career has focused on creating unified, accessible collections from dispersed materialsContinue reading “Beautiful Burdens: A Generational Shift in Collections Care”
The Afterlife of Buildings
Like undertakers preparing a body for viewing, heritage conservationists often find themselves in the curious position of preserving something that has already died. Yet this preservation is further complicated by a generational paradox: those doing the preserving are typically not those who knew the “body” when it was alive. Instead, each generation becomes the caretakerContinue reading “The Afterlife of Buildings”
Rockets and Doughnuts
The morning unfolded through spaces both intimate and shared. Jaxson raced across the playground, confident and free, before we settled on a park bench to watch the world pass by. Elderly couples ambled past, teenagers laughed in clusters, and families hurried to weekend activities – each group writing their own momentary story across the publicContinue reading “Rockets and Doughnuts”
Fluid Memory
In my work as a public historian, I’ve repeatedly returned to four fundamental frameworks that have shaped my understanding of how landscapes, monuments, and cultural memory intersect: Simon Schama’s insights into landscape meaning, Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown’s architectural theory, John Hejduk’s architectural narratives, and contemporary approaches to monumentality. These intersections reveal new waysContinue reading “Fluid Memory”
Transparent Boundaries
As I clean my windows in our 1777 colonial house in Newport, with the sun streaming through the glass (a rarity lately), I contemplate how keeping clean windows has been a constant thread throughout my life. In 1999, I wrote about my philosophy of old windows but never explored my compulsion to keep them pristine.Continue reading “Transparent Boundaries”
The Private Surveyor
For years, a vintage postcard of Prague has held court on my studio table, a daily touchstone that speaks to something deeper than mere architecture. The Gothic spires and medieval towers rising against that moody sky aren’t just picturesque – they’ve fundamentally shaped how I see the world around me. Through this image, I’ve understoodContinue reading “The Private Surveyor”
The Disposable Monument: Finding Truth in Transient Memory
The act of remembering is never neutral. As I’ve watched different cultures and institutions create monuments to commemorate historical violence and genocide, I’ve found myself increasingly troubled by the underlying dynamics at play. There seems to be an unspoken assumption that memorialization somehow balances the scales of history – as if acknowledging past wrongs throughContinue reading “The Disposable Monument: Finding Truth in Transient Memory”
Performative Authenticity
Recently, while attending a drag brunch, I was struck by an unexpected parallel between the hyper-feminine (or masculine) presentation of drag performance and the carefully curated aesthetics of American historical landmarks. I realized that both practices engage in cultural amplification that transcends mere imitation to create something more theatrical and pointed than their original inspiration.Continue reading “Performative Authenticity”
Twisted Preservation 