Safe Space

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Like many, I have spent the past week thinking about safe spaces and wondering how we as a country have made more safe spaces for hatred and anger and fewer safe spaces for love, difference, understanding, compassion, and humanity. I know that I am coming to this realization so much later than I should - so many people have spent their lives feeling this fear, this pit in the stomach. I can no longer sit silent and watch as people's humanity is destroyed, and I am ashamed that it has taken so long for me to come to this realization. So now I will engage in the hard work of meeting hatred and anger and resisting. I will work to create safe spaces for all marginalized people. And some of that work can be done here. 

I believe in the power of museums to create safe spaces and I believe in the important role that museums play in pushing society to both look at where we've been and where we are going. 

Now, a basic premiss of this blog is that museums come in all shapes and sizes. Some are masquerading as nature centers, county fairs, parks, or zoos, but all of these spaces allow visitors to engage with new ideas or engage with ideas in new ways. A good museum has some sort of unifying story they are trying to tell - whether it be about the formation of the earth or the power and beauty that comes from exploring how things work. Museums, like textbooks and classrooms, have a point-of-view, and understanding that point-of-view is important for visitors because it shapes every aspect of the experience. 

At the museum and science center where I once worked, we would occasionally encounter visitors who had come to our museum to engage with us around our dioramas depicting evolution and the earth's timeline. Families who believed that the earth was merely six thousand years old would actively seek out our floor staff and educators in order to question the scientific material we presented. Like another strong woman that I know, I believe in science, but I also believe in a visitor-directed experience and excellent customer service. So I struggled with how to meet visitors where they were and ensure that the museum was a safe space for them too while still representing the museum in the most appropriate way. Here's where I landed. I had a responsibility to create a safe space for science. In our natural history galleries, telling the story of the earth through our understanding of science was most important. When I or other museum staff engaged with these families, we were clear about our perspective and also clear about our reasoning. We showed them the fossil record, we talked about tectonic plates and geological time. We were respectful of their views but firm in our commitment to standing up for science. Other parts of our museum told the creation story of the Haudenosaunee people and presented the nuances of religion and belief. Both scientific and spiritual understandings of the world have their places. And we must carve out safe spaces for people to engage on these and many other issues.  

I believe that the results of this election are an attack on women (I know a few of those...), gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals (also count many as close friends and family), as well as people of color, muslims, immigrants, and many others. And I am ashamed that I don't know more people who fall into these last groups. That's white privilege right there. In the coming months, I am committed to reaching out into my own community to lend my voice and my friendship to people I didn't know before. This is scary because - what if they don't like me? What if I do it wrong? What if I'm an offensive white lady? But I think I have an idea of where I can go that won't be so scary and will help me in the endeavor. The museum. I know there are museums that are safe spaces that will allow me to more fully engage with the experiences of others. This engagement is clearly inferior to actually getting to know people, but I believe it will help. 

On my short list of museums to visit in the coming months:

African American History and Culture Museum

United States Memorial Holocaust Museum

American Indian Museum

Those are all in DC, but closer to home, I've never visited the Heinz History Center. I believe a deeper understanding of this place I now call home will also help me to see the perspectives of others and work towards safe spaces for all.

Visiting with the Grandparents

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Last week we had a lovely visit with my parents. The kids love having their grandparents in town. Granddad and Grandmommy dropped the Goose off at the bus stop, chatted with Pie first thing in the morning, and joined us for family meals and outings. As often happens when family come to town, we went to a museum - the Carnegie Science Center to be precise. And just like our visits to Phipps, when Pie and I go to the CSC, we follow a fairly set routine.

We start at SportsWorks, so Pie can jump on the Bounce! trampoline and become a human yo-yo on the You-Yo. She tries out the climbing wall and gets some extra energy out by running around. We don't talk too much about the science of sports or physics. This is her time to be physical, but it is also her time to practice talking to other grown-ups. The staff manning the trampoline ask her questions and encourage her to jump higher or try a flip. At the climbing wall, she talks with staff about which route she'd like to try and when she is ready to come down. As a parent, I take a step back and let her practice these important communication skills. This work of learning how to talk to others is important too. 

But on this trip, Pie had her grandparents to keep her company and so she wanted to show them more of the CSC. I took a step back here too, so that she could share with them what she usually shares with me.    

The Bernoulli principle in action. 

The Bernoulli principle in action. 

Playing with water.

Playing with water.

Heading onto the USS Requin - the submarine

Heading onto the USS Requin - the submarine

We had a fun time exploring together. Pie got to show off a place she knows so well - she got to be the expert and the tour guide. And she shared our routine with them. After SportsWorks, we went to the main building and explored the exhibits up and down the ramp. Then, lunchtime! I hadn't packed a lunch this time, so Pie had the added excitement of picking her lunch. Eating at the museum is definitely part of our routine. After lunch we checked out the USS Requin. Going out to the submarine is not always something we do, but Pie wanted to take her grandparents to see it. Of course, her pace through the sub is a little faster than your average visitor's. She charged full-speed ahead through the long corridor, barely stopping to check out the sleeping quarters and the dining hall. Perhaps her grandparents would have liked more time to read some of the signage or talk to the staff on-board, but they are doting grandparents and didn't complain one bit. 

It was a full visit, and, as often happens after such trips, we then went home and Pie took a very long nap. 

Finding Museum Spaces

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Well, I only just began this blog, and then I disappeared. I'm back now, and have so many thoughts and draft posts started in my head. But, finding time for writing is trickier. I begin with the best intentions and then get pulled in so many directions; I just can't find my way to the computer. 

Last weekend we took a quick family trip to remember the life of the girls' great grandmother. She was a remarkable woman, and we were all so lucky to know her. Spending time with family and talking with those who knew her was comforting and fulfilling. 

But to get to the memorial, we had to drive in the car. For a long time. And then the girls felt excited to see family (especially their cousins) and nervous to meet strangers. Schedules were disrupted. We were all a little out of sorts. And so we did what we often do when we travel - we found our way to a museum space.  Together we explored a new museum, let off some steam, ran around, and found ourselves just a little more centered when we left. 

Our destination was the Boothbay Railway Village on a chilly October morning in Maine. 

In addition to the steam train ride, the model railroad, the goats (Coal and Tender), the antique automobiles, and the train cars for playing on, there was also a local craft show with fantastic wood-fired pizza. We lucked out - a museum AND food! 

Whenever we travel, we look for museums. If we are visiting family in Maine or Virginia, we know where the local children's museums are, and we can fill in a rainy day with a few hours there. But when we drive, we also keep tabs on where the museums are in case we hit that point in our drive where we need to eat and stretch our legs and get a little energy out. On our many drives from Pittsburgh to Maine, we have often stopped for a few hours at a museum along our route. 

The Please Touch Museum

The Please Touch Museum

It's good for the kids AND the grownups. We eat, we play (sometimes we wait out the traffic) and then we get back in the car ready to do the next leg of the drive. Now here's the real secret. (See how I hid it all the way at the bottom of this post?) We can get in most of these places for free. FREE.

You see, there's this amazing perk of becoming a member at many museums - RECIPROCITY. Museums tend to belong to one or more of the museum associations: ASTC, AZA, ACM.

So when you become a member at your local museum, chances are good that you are also gaining access to museums all over the country. So stopping for an hour or two at a museum can be virtually free. 

Want to know how you can do this too? Check out the participant lists below:

Association of Science and Technology Centers Travel Passport Program (usually free general admission for your group as long as you are 90 miles away from the museum where you have your membership)

Association of Children's Museums Reciprocal Network Benefits (50% off admission for up to 6 people)

Association of Zoos and Aquariums Reciprocal Admissions Program (between 50% - 100% off general admission)

#isthisthemuseum

Over the weekend a few fun things happened. We went to the Great Frederick Fair; we went to a lecture by Ann M. Martin (she wrote all those Baby-Sitters Club Books of my youth); and I started using Instagram. 

34 years latergram at #thegreatfrederickfair #isthisthemuseum

A photo posted by Laura Myers (@mominthemuseum) on

Meeting author Ann M. Martin #isthisthemuseum

A photo posted by Laura Myers (@mominthemuseum) on

At the Fair we watched horse riding competitions, climbed on large farm equipment, checked out the cows, goats, sheep, chickens, rabbits, ducklings, and pigs, ate fair food, rode some silly rides, and admired beautiful quilts, cakes, and pictures. We explored with family - some who have been going to the Fair for many years, and some for whom it was a first visit. The girls heard stories about when their grandparents went to the Fair as children. We revisited the idea of adding goats to our family (seems a little crazy to me, but maybe we will!). It was a good day. So here's my question: Is the Fair a museum? Is it a place where learning happens outside of school? 

A few of the things we learned:

  • John Deere Combines are huge. I mean really big. Seeing the size (and price tag) of one made us wonder about the size of a field of wheat or corn and had us comparing large-scale farming to our tiny garden beds at home. 
  • Farm animals really are bought and sold at the Fair. We watched the rabbits being weighed before they would be auctioned off. And one young boy was resting on his cow - probably one of his last times with her before she was sold. 
  • A female peacock is actually called a peahen. Makes sense once you think about it....
  • Nigerian Dwarf Goats are indeed adorable, make good pets, and some people believe that drinking goat milk from goats who have eaten poison ivy can reduce your reaction to poison ivy.
  • (The girls also learned that while Mom was willing to consider getting goats, rabbits are NOT in our future.)

And we had an enjoyable experience with our family and friends. Sounds like a museum to me. 

Back in Pittsburgh on Sunday, the Goose and I went to hear author Ann M. Martin talk about her books and her writing. In preparation for the talk, the Goose and I spent the summer reading books by Ann M. Martin as well the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books by Beverly MacDonald since Martin has written an updated take on those books in the form of Missy Piggle-Wiggle. We have been looking forward to her talk all summer, and we invited several of our friends to join us. After the talk, we had our books signed by Martin and had a chance to talk with her for a minute. We were not as excited to see her as the librarian who was waiting just ahead of us in line - she brought her Baby-Sitters Club sleeping bag to show off. 

Highlights:

  • When Ann M. Martin shared that she is really a very shy person.
  • Listening to Martin read from her latest book, Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Whatever Cure, which we had just finished reading ourselves.
  • Having the interviewer read the question that the Goose had written, and finding out that there will in-fact be more Missy Piggle-Wiggle books in the series.

Now, is THIS a museum? Is it a place where learning happens outside of school? Preparing for the talk felt more school-like. We went to the library, requested books by specific authors, and we had a deadline for getting our reading done. As we read, we considered what we would like to ask the author - both about the stories themselves but also about what it is like to be an author. We shared the experience with friends. 

But is it a museum? In this instance, I'm not sure. I am sure that we engaged in learning and we were intrinsically motivated to do so. But I'm not sure if a lecture experience is fundamentally the same as a museum experience. This may be because once you choose to participate, the experience is not self-directed in the same way that museum experiences are. There is something unique in being able to decide how you navigate a space or experience, and being a captive audience member doesn't allow for that. Hum, interesting. 

Going forward, I plan to keep asking #IsThisTheMuseum, and I'll share experiences on Instagram and Twitter with that hashtag. I would love for you to do the same! 

The Home Museum

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Curated collection of sand dollars, sea urchins, shells, and felted wool.

Curated collection of sand dollars, sea urchins, shells, and felted wool.

For our family, going TO the museum is an important part of the experience - getting outside our house to explore our world and learn something new. But, we also do plenty to create museum experiences at home. 

Museum collections are one of the ways we bring museums home. Our family is based in Pittsburgh, but we travel often to Maine to visit our extended family. Each time, we return home with shells and rocks, sand dollars and sea urchins, and sea glass. We have quite the collection! 

Rather than keeping all our treasures piled together in a bag or a box, we've chosen to display them on a table in our dining room. We use various glass container to display the different types of objects we've amassed. There's a jar of sea glass, the shallow bowl of sand dollars, sea urchins and slipper shells, and a taller glass cylinder with larger shells. We curate our collection.

A few of the questions we ask to help decide what goes and what stays:

  • Which items are the best examples of what we've found?
  • Do we group items together by size? by color? by what kind of animal they once held?
  • How will we know when it is time to change up our display?
  • Will we play with our collection, or is it a thing to only be looked at?
  • How does our collection highlight what is important to our family?
  • Can we add an unexpected element to our display? (like the metal sand dollar in the photo above)

Shells, rocks, acorns, leaves, and other found objects make great collections. Of course, so do family photographs, trophies, tea cups and any of a hundred other items that people collect. Taking the time to think carefully about what items we collect and how we display them turns a random pile of stuff into our very own little museum.

First Day

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Tuesday was the first day of Third Grade for the Goose.  Thursday was the first day of Kindergarten for Pie.  Today is the first day of Blogging for Mom.

On Tuesday, Pie and I went to our favorite place: Phipps Conservatory.  We visit regularly and and almost always follow the same routine.  

  1. Arrive early. Phipps opens at 9:30, woot! This works well for young children who aren't interested in sleeping in.
  2. Stop by the membership desk to check in.
  3. In the winter, drop off our coats in the locker area. We pay the quarter so that Pie can turn the key to lock them up. (But since you don't pay for parking at Phipps, that quarter can be your only expense if you have a membership and you skip lunch there.)
  4. Head up the elevator - because elevators are always the most exciting part of any museum. Someone should open a museum full of elevators. It would be a money-maker.
  5. Show our receipt to the person at the entrance.  And, and this is important, get the scavenger hunt/kid paper and one of those little golf pencils.  There’s something magical about golf pencils.
  6. Head into the Conservatory, then immediately stop to try to find the scavenger hunt clue.
  7. Eventually start up again, and follow the path around to all the different areas.
  8. Decide halfway through that it is lunch time, so go back downstairs and order the kid's pizza lunch with milk. Always the same.
  9. Head back upstairs to go find the last of our favorite spots.

Pie loves Phipps because they have scavenger hunts, a play farmer’s market, african impatiens, buttons to push, and pizza.

Mom loves Phipps because they have ferns and moss and banana plants and in the middle of winter a trip there feels like summer and a shot of oxygen (I hear there are oxygen bars but I don’t know how that works, plus I’m not very good at keeping plants alive, so it is nice to see some green in winter).  

I think we both love Phipps because it offers us a nice and predictable morning out together.