We just returned from several days with the Buffalo Bill Historical Center Board of Trustees and administrative staff members in Washington, D.C. We provided some training on interpretive experience design. The whole group toured several museums to look at interpretive experiences on the ground. We looked at interpretive site experiences to see if they are really “on a mission.”
One of the museums we visited had no mission evident in the experience. You could guess at it from all the “stuff” we saw, but it was not clear. There was lots of stuff to see. Many in the group did not stay long. Most later commented that it was not a great interpretive experience. If you had a pre-existing interest in the subject matter, it was interesting. Without that it was boring and we left with no message or theme. The mission wasn’t clear at all.
This museum was a for profit museum, not governmentally owned or nonprofit. We thought perhaps making a profit was the only motivation. Their website stated a clear broader mission and showed a fair amount of background on that motivation. Their mission simply did not survive the planning process. If it really matters to them, they are missing the boat. Moreover, they have a membership, offsite tours and enrichment experiences listed on the website. None of those were evident in the museum experiences. These would deepen relationships with the organization and its mission but the “ask” did not happen. Later we found a small amount of information on membership printed on the ticket, but that was not enough. Most had thrown away the ticket pretty quickly at the end of the visit.
Lisa Brochu and I wrote a chapter for a book, Free Choice Learning and the Environment, edited by John Falk, Joe E. Heimlich and Susan Foutz, entitled “From Mission to Practice.” It explains how the mission can be carried into practice better. The mission of the organization should pervade every aspect of an interpretive experience. Facility design, landscape design, food services, sales shops and even the handling of waste are part of the mission and thematic delivery.
If your mission is about conservation of resources, people see the conflict when you waste resources in your food service or do not recycle. They know you are not committed when they see a conflict in delivery of the mission. So how do you keep the mission in mind while crafting a theme, designing media and developing programs? The interpretive planner should be involved in planning at the beginning of any new project, not in the middle. If the building and grounds are already designed, the opportunity to make them part of the mission delivery and theme are less likely.
Training is an important part of delivery of the mission as well. Staff and volunteers must know the mission and understand their role in delivery of the mission. The NAI Host course really helps all staff understand that role.
You should keep the interpretive planner involved throughout the design and fabrication of new buildings, exhibits or programs. There is a tendency in refinement of facilities and media for “mission drift” to occur. You may have started with great ideas about making the mission evident in the interpretive experience. They may get lost in the compromises of putting ideas on the ground.
Lisa Brochu and I teach interpretive planning courses about four or five times a year. Aligning the plan with the mission of the organization is a major focus of the course. These courses serve as a great way for consultants and contractors to add interpretive planning to their skills. These also help managers and program supervisors to understand the planning process and learn to hire the write consultants and contractors. The next course is March 8-12, 2010, in Humacao, Puerto Rico, and a few seats are still available. You can learn more about the course and location here.
Lisa Brochu writes a weekly blog for NAI on interpretive planning and has written many blog articles on “mission.” You might enjoy reading through some of those. If you have questions about interpretive planning, do not hesitate to call her at 1-888-900-8283. We hope you’re ON A MISSION.
-Tim Merriman
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