Letter of Intent (LOI) For Moving the Philadelphia History Museum to Temple University

Who We Are

As part of the #explore1918 crypto-experiment, my classmates and I have spent the semester blogging in order to raise Steem for donation to an historical institution in Philadelphia. We estimate that we will be able to donate $10,000 in Steem. Our hope is that providing the donation in Steem instead of US dollars will encourage the recipient to become more in touch with the digital world, something that most historical institutions need to do. While there are many worthy causes to which we could contribute, I believe that we should donate our money to the Philadelphia History Museum specifically to help facilitate its move from its current location in the Atwater-Kent building to Temple University. Our funds would also support related restructuring of museum programming.

The Problem

Though it has stayed alive for 75 years, the Philadelphia History Museum is in trouble. Closed between 2009-2012 for renovations, much of the museum's funding goes towards building maintenance. The Museum has been fighting an uphill battle for financial stability, which directs time and money away from creating exciting exhibits and programming. In its current state, the Museum represents an outdated model dominated by displaying objects. Though attempts have been made to incorporate visitor interaction through technology, with over 100,000 items in its collection, the Museum still relies on teaching through simply displaying.

Part of the permanent exhibition, "THE ORDINARY, THE EXTRAORDINARY, AND THE UNKNOWN: THE POWER OF OBJECTS."

Though, in his 2016 assessment of the Museum's collection, @phillyhistory determined that, "the collection is broad enough and diverse enough to be considered a possible element for interesting new programming."

While leaving its current location in the historic Atwater-Kent building may feel like a loss, I believe that, with the right support, moving locations can present an exciting opportunity to implement that "interesting new programming" and become a better fit for the 21st century.

Benefits: An Opportunity for Positive Change

As @phillyhistory explained to us in class,

"The museum is no longer meant to package and present to us as a passive audience, with answers to questions formulated by others. The new role of the museum enables the public to navigate multiple meanings, images and artifacts."

In other words, the museum of the 21st Century requires a greater dialogue between itself and its visitors. Museum patrons should participate in their own education. While the History Museum has struggled to implement this new model, relocating to a University allows for their mission to involve a more collaborative educative process. While the Museum can still be open to the public, it can offer collaborative classes and projects with Temple students. This set-up is mutually beneficial, allowing for the Museum to be influenced by a younger and more interactive perspective while helping Temple to train future museum professionals.

Compact shelving at the Temple University Urban Archives. While preserving the city's history, the Archives remain open to the public and provides specific opportunities to Temple student's. Perhaps the History Museum can follow a similar model

Such a move may also involve downsizing. The Museum would no longer have to spend money maintaining an historic property. Additionally, the potential to collaborate with students and professors may allow for the elimination of some staff positions--an unfortunate, but arguably necessary, step.

The Bottom Line

I explained in my last post, moving to Temple is a great opportunity for the Philadelphia History Museum, but the University has not expressed willingness to fund the transition. Our $10,000 will help the Museum relocate materials to Temple University and fund the restructuring of programming to be more student-focused.

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Source:

Finkel, Kenneth. "The Philadelphia History Museum Collections Report." Oct. 2016.

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100% of the SBD rewards from this #explore1918 post will support the Philadelphia History Initiative @phillyhistory. This crypto-experiment conducted by graduate courses at Temple University's Center for Public History and MLA Program, is exploring history and empowering education. Click here to learn more.