Have You Made an Unforgettable Impact on Your Visitors?
Have You Made an Unforgettable Impact on Your Visitors?
June 29, 2017 by Taylor Studios
One Unforgettable Summer: **A Baptism in Interpretation at Gettysburg National Military Park**
As this holiday weekend approaches, so does the 154th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. As such, I thought I’d share how universal and impactful interpretive practices can be–whether you are interpreting a historic event, a patriotic holiday, or the outdoors–these tips can help your story resonate with your visitors.
It was the summer of 2009 and I had the chance of a lifetime – an opportunity to be an interpretive intern at . As a history nerd, I knew that the four months represented an opportunity like few others to explore one of the most pivotal moments of our country’s past. Little did I know, however, that it would also introduce me to the formal practice of interpretation – led, in fact, by none other than some of the best interpreters in the world. Looking back now, I realize that so much of what I do today as an Interpretive Planner at Taylor Studios stems from lessons that I learned that summer in Pennsylvania.
Photo courtesy of Nicolas Ramond
Matt and Angie were two of my “teachers” – full-time rangers who spend the first week of every summer teaching the basics of interpretation to young interns like me. We had a full week of intensive classes before we could even get out on the battlefield and interact with the visitors, learning every small detail about interpretive practice and how to captivate our audiences. Matt and Angie used props, artifacts, maps, photo aids, and the most compelling of stories to illustrate how formal interpretation can make education both fascinating and personally relevant. I was spellbound at how amazing they were at their jobs! Here are some of their lessons that I still use today:
I could go on and on – the lessons that they taught me that summer are far too numerous to list here. And they were not alone in teaching me, as the entire staff of rangers and educators served as mentors, guides, and friends to us fresh-faced interns. When the summer was over, I felt such a debt of gratitude for all that I had learned.
Perhaps as a coincidence, perhaps not, I now work at Taylor Studios – an exhibit firm that prides itself on the practice of interpretation and that has even done . I could not feel more blessed. The seeds of what I learned that summer continue to bear fruit in all of the work that I do, and I can only humbly hope to one day be as great of an interpreter as Matt, Angie, and their fellow rangers at Gettysburg!
Photo courtesy of Jared Frederick
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