Letting Go?: Sharing Historical Authority in a User-Generated World

by Bill Adair (Editor), Benjamin Filene (Editor), Laura Koloski (Editor)

Letting Go? investigates path-breaking public history practices at a time when the traditional expertise of museums seems challenged at every turn―by the Web and digital media, by community-based programming, by new trends in oral history and by contemporary art. In this anthology of 19 thought pieces, case studies, conversations and commissioned art, almost 30 leading practitioners such as Michael Frisch, Jack Tchen, Liz Ševcenko, Kathleen McLean, Nina Simon, Otabenga Jones and Associates, and Fred Wilson explore the implications of letting audiences create, not just receive, historical content. Drawing on examples from history, art, and science museums, Letting Go? offers concrete examples and models that will spark innovative work at institutions of all sizes and budgets. This engaging new collection will serve as an introductory text for those newly grappling with a changing field and, for those already pursuing the goal of “letting go,” a tool for taking stock and pushing ahead.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Museums, Museology, Academic

336 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2011

Reviews

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of essays, interviews, and reflections on particular museum installations provides a solid, if slightly dated, understanding of how museums can encourage collaboration. Generally speaking, each piece is informative, useful, and well-written. For me, the interviews proved less useful than some of the more theoretical pieces.

I suspect that this book will be more useful for the practitioner than the student or theorist. The fact that most of the essays are less than 15 pages means that the reader never gets THAT in-depth on any one issue or exhibition. It's a good introduction, but rarely delves into the nitty-gritty.

I recommend it for those who are unfamiliar with Web 2.0 tools, community-based research/exhibition, or who are generally interested in the ways that museological methods are adopting to the contours of contemporary learning/information.

[Riley Sutherland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great anthology on participatory models in public history, from museums and oral histories to web development and art projects. Even though this was published more than ten years ago, the thought pieces and case studies still have such relevant lessons.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of good info, but not a good airplane read. After a few chapters it started to sound like a list of museum-speak buzzwords that had been thrown together in a random order. Cultural paradigm reflections hegemony experience immersive crowdsourcing.

[H. Givens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in bits and pieces for various classes and am finally calling it done. I mostly found it frustrating because these things seem like common knowledge to me, but some older public history professionals think it's new and revolutionary, so there we are.

[Adina · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a little more than a decade, museum and historical professionals have been talking about sharing authority, especially in the context of an increasingly digital and interconnected world. Much of the conversation has been speculative and anxious. In this collection of essays, historians, curators, artists, and theorists shed some light on the experiences of real people in real institutions. Some essays fall into familiar speculative traps, but the best bring in concrete experience and contextualize it within historical and cultural theory. I was particularly impressed by the section on artistic collaborations; I found it illuminating to consider the different perspectives of academic historians, public historians, and artists. The oral history section left something to be desired, and the section on research in the field raised more questions than answers, but I guess that means there's room for some good quality future research.

[char · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really nice set of essays, although the two-column typesetting for the "Conversations" made them extremely difficult to read. Inspiring call-to-action to create more participatory and creative programs and exhibitions, although I'm left wondering if one can do this sort of work without partnering with artists, or without being an artist. I'm not sure what's the "better" answer to that question, but admittedly it's a little intimidating! Definitely need to return to this in the future, especially the Dennis Severs House essay, which was so captivating.

[Mills College Library]

020 L6517 2011