Rediscovering the Historic House: Creating a New Paradigm for the Visitor Experience

Innovations expected by a modern, and increasingly technologically savvy, museum audience have prompted discussions of the historic house museum tour model. For this symposium, sponsored by the Chipstone Foundation, Stratford Hall has assembled a panel of experts from various disciplines to consider a new model for historic house interpretation.

Among the preliminary panelists are: Kati London and Demetri Detsaridis (from Area/Code, a serious game design company); Erica Donnis (Independent historian/museum consultant); Cary Carson (former V.P. of Research, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation); Philip Kennicott (Culture Critic for The Washington Post; Jonathan Prown (Chipstone Foundation); Tom Scheinfeldt (George Mason University); Brian Sturm (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill); Janet Kamien (Museum Consultant); and Philip Bigler (Dir. James Madison Center, James Madison University).

The panelists will meet as a group on Wednesday, October 28 to discuss strategies for historic house museums. On the following day, Thursday, October 29, the symposium will be open to museum professionals and the general public. At this open session, the panelists will present their recommendations. Attendees will be encouraged to ask questions, comment, and debate.

The October 29 public session begins at 9:30 a.m. and ends by 5:30 p.m. Advance registration (required) for this program can be made by calling 804-493-8038, ext. 9578 or by e-mail. The registration fee is $25, which includes lunch in the Stratford Hall Dining Room. For attendees driving a long distance who wish to arrive on Wednesday or depart on Friday morning, meals and lodging on the plantation can be arranged when registering.