Museum of History & Industry
The Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) is a museum located in the South Lake Union neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, United States. Accredited by the American Association of Museums, MOHAI is "dedicated to enriching lives by preserving, sharing and teaching the diverse history of Seattle, the Puget Sound region and the nation."[1]
History
In 1911, Morgan and Emily Carkeek hosted the first annual Founder's Day party at their home, which was an invitation-only event where guests dressed in historic costumes and brought artifacts and documents related to early Seattle. An outcome of these parties was the establishment of the Seattle Historical Society in 1914, the membership of which was limited to white settlers and their descendants.[2]
The Seattle Historical Society lacked a building to house their museum. Several attempts to find a permanent location were abandoned because of challenging financial circumstances, especially during the Depression, and the fact that the original society members were aging and new members were hard to come by. The collection continued to grow, however. In 1945, Boeing offered $50,000 towards an aviation wing, and over the next 5 years, the Society successfully procured its former site in Montlake. During this time the Society became a more public and civically-minded institution, opening up the Founder's day to community and service organizations. The new museum opened in 1952.[2]
Over the last 50 years, the museum has experienced ups and downs. Management practices of the museum and collections, membership, and the relationship to its immediate surroundings, have also been problematic over the years. Changes in the 1980s that moved the museum forward in a positive direction included developing new exhibits and reaching out to underrepresented communities, but were a shock to older staff and board members. During the 1990s the museum gradually recovered from these internal challenges, as well as financial ones, and began expanding educational and community outreach programs.[2] Currently, the museum is relocating to the former Naval Reserve Training Center, or "Armory," in Seattle's South Lake Union neighborhood. The grand opening for the new Armory location is scheduled for December 29th, 2012.
Organizational structure
The museum employs 35 permanent staff members. Departments include Administration and Development, Education, Public Programs and Events, Collections, Exhibits, Library and Archives, Visitors Services, and Communications.
Audience
MOHAI targets visitors from the Seattle-area, school groups, and tourists. It is visited by over 60,000 people annually.
Permanent exhibits
MOHAI's permanent exhibits cover several different periods of Seattle's and the region's history. The exhibit is divided into "This Native Land" (1792–1859) about native settlement and early European exploration and settlement; "Little Town on Elliott Bay" (1859–1889) about the period until Washington statehood and the Great Seattle Fire (both 1889); "Boom Times, Hard Times" (1889–1940) covering, especially, the Klondike Gold Rush and Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition and the Great Depression; "Homefront" (1941–1945) about Seattle during World War II and the U.S. homefront more generally; "Our Own City" (1946–present) covering the suburban boom, the American Civil Rights Movement, and the rise of companies such as Microsoft.[3]
Other permanent exhibits include "Salmon Stakes" (covering a sweeping history of the salmon fishery);[3] "Icons and Eye Candy" with exhibits such as a Boeing B-1 seaplane,[4] the Lincoln Towing Co.'s original Pink Toe Truck,[5] and the once famous and now taxidermically stuffed Bobo the gorilla;[6] numerous ship's figureheads;[citation needed] and several works of art from now-demolished or remodeled Seattle buildings, including Jean Cory Beall's 1958 mosaic from the old Seattle City Light building;[7] and numerous large panels by Kenneth Callahan, formerly in the Marine Hospital (now Pacific Medical Center).[8] In addition, the Gift Shop has the Rainier Brewing Company's old red "R", which used to be on top of the brewery next to Interstate 5.[9]
Temporary Exhibits
Recent temporary exhibits are wide ranging, and include traveling exhibits such as "Lincoln: Constitution and Civil War," "Finding Your Way: Human Navigation," and "Theatre de la Mode," and "The Art of Warner Bros. Cartoons." Upcoming in-house Exhibits include "Photographing the Fair: The AYPE Photos of Frank H. Howell and Others," developed as part of Seattle's city-wide centennial celebration of the Alaska Pacific Yukon Exposition in 2009, and "The Arts and Crafts Movement in the Pacific Northwest," developed as a traveling exhibition.[1]
Education Programs
The K-12 programming at MOHAI is designed to complement the permanent exhibition, "Essential Seattle: A City Revealed, a Future Imagined." Programs are designed to support teachers through meeting state curriculum standards, and offering professional development opportunities; use primary sources to promote critical thinking; present multiple perspectives to explore diverse experiences and histories that make up Seattle's story; make history relevant with personal connections; and create links across academic disciplines.
Onsite programs for students are designed to complement the permanent exhibition. Students use primary sources to explore Seattle's stories, gather evidence to crack history mysteries, and explore facts and myths about Seattle's past.[10]
Outreach resources include themed trunks that include artifacts, audio/visual resources, and adaptable activities that are aligned to state curriculum standards. Themes range from Native American People of Washington State, to the Settlers of Washington State, to the War Years. Themed packets of visual resources include photographs and slides, background histories and activities. Themes include Early Recreation in Seattle, Changing Scenes of Downtown Seattle, and Women in Washington History. Finally, a reader's theater script, drawn from primary sources relating to the Gold Rush, comes with stage directions. [11]
MOHAI also organizes professional development opportunities for teachers, to strengthen their understanding of Seattle's history, object-based learning, and curriculum standards.
Collections
MOHAI has around 4 million objects in the collection, including around 100,000 artifacts, and 1.5 million photographs, and extensive archives. Collections focus on Seattle's early settlement (ca. 1850) through present-day, and concentrate on the stories and achievements of Seattle's residents. Artifacts highlight significant contributions by Northwest businesses such as Microsoft, Boeing, and Starbucks, artifacts related to significant Seattle families such as the Mercers and the Dennys, and artifacts from events such as the Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition, Century 21 World's Fair, WTO riots, etc. It is best known for its photographic collection. The archival collection also includes oral histories which are accessible through the website, and are occasionally interpreted for public programs and member events. Collection Highlights: The B-1: Boeing's first plane, Slo-Mo-Shun IV Hydroplane, Bobo the Gorilla, Neon sign collection, and Seattle's first fire bell. Archives Highlights: Seattle Post-Intelligencer Photographic Collection, Al Young's Bardahl sponsored 70 Dodge Challenger Race Car, and the MOHAI OSPI Oral History Project.
See also
Notes
- ^ a b www.seattlehistory.org
- ^ a b c http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=3682
- ^ a b Gallery Guide, MOHAI, undated, current as of 2007.
- ^ See commons:Image:MOHAI plane.jpg Photo on Wikimedia Commons.
- ^ Seattle's cultural icons: The Lincoln Toe Truck, Seattle Times, April 24, 2004. Accessed online 11 January 2007.
- ^ See photo on Wikimedia Commons.
- ^ Current Exhibits: Seattle City Light Building Mural, MOHAI web site. Accessed online 11 January 2007.
- ^ Sue Ann Kendall, Transcript of interviews with Kenneth Callahan, conducted October 27, November 21, &December 19, 1982; Smithsonian Archives of American Art. Accessed online 11 January 2007.
- ^ Wyatt Buchanan, Neon's illuminating stories find a home, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, October 11, 2003. Accessed online 11 January 2007.
- ^ http://www.seattlehistory.org/edu.cfm
- ^ http://www.seattlehistory.org/edu_resources.cfm
External links
