The
wigwam is designed to help visitors understand the Native American Paugussett
people who lived here. This point of view was important to the exhibit’s
creators to present an aspect of history often left out. However, the wigwam is a reproduction, not an
original. The wigwam shows a common
issue that museum staff need to consider: when and how to use original objects actually
from the past, versus using reproductions.
Actual objects can be very powerful because of their direct connection to the past, but they are also fragile. In contrast, visitors can interact with reproductions, which are less likely to break. A staff member put it this way: “reproductions are great because it lets kids touch them and kids need to have a tangible connection; but as a museum curator I need to protect real objects [from damage].”
When the exhibition opened, there were other reproduction artifacts for visitors to touch such as a gourd water container. However, even the reproductions suffered damage initially, and the curators decided to remove the objects from the display temporarily. Sometimes exhibition designers change the exhibit after it opens, once they have evaluated how visitors interact with it.
Actual objects can be very powerful because of their direct connection to the past, but they are also fragile. In contrast, visitors can interact with reproductions, which are less likely to break. A staff member put it this way: “reproductions are great because it lets kids touch them and kids need to have a tangible connection; but as a museum curator I need to protect real objects [from damage].”
When the exhibition opened, there were other reproduction artifacts for visitors to touch such as a gourd water container. However, even the reproductions suffered damage initially, and the curators decided to remove the objects from the display temporarily. Sometimes exhibition designers change the exhibit after it opens, once they have evaluated how visitors interact with it.