Why start a Conner Prairie blog?
It wasn’t my idea to start a blog. The first few times it was proposed; I protested.
Some younger, more tech-savvy staff members explained, “Conner Prairie is a place where guests get involved. Where they interact with staff and participate in activities. Our website should provide the same opportunities. Blogs are a way to exchange ideas and create community.”
Now I understand. Blogs aren’t just opinion pieces; they are a way to continue the conversation.
It might be safer to continue writing for publications where hardly anyone writes back, but I look forward to this new challenge. In the weeks to come you’ll find me and others expressing views, asking for input and wondering what’s on your mind.
For example, I’ve been thinking a lot recently about what we’ll tell future generations about the economic collapse of the past year. Now, more than anytime in the past, I’ve been asking myself, “What should I notice? What events and news stories are important to remember? What will people want to know?”
Residents of Conner Prairie’s Prairietown, set in 1836, lived on the brink of the 1837 economic panic. But the times were different. News took weeks, not seconds to reach them. Surely they couldn’t have felt the anxiety we all share now. Or did they?
If in 2019 you were creating a living history recreation of 2009 how would you represent this time period?
I look forward to our conversations in the months to come.
Posted:
3/17/2009 5:23:42 PM by
Ellen Rosenthal | with
0 commentsRecent Posts
Behind-the-scenes at Conner Prairie’s Apple Store
Meet Conner Prairie's Chief Balloon Pilot
What's New in 1836?
Conner Prairie Horizon Council
Looking Back at My Time in Museums