Project by Valerie Roberts (2019)
Heritage organizations must take a close look at what stories they tell and how they tell them as their communities increasingly recognize the diversity within them and the vital part people of color and indigenous peoples play in the history of their spaces. The Log House Museum is asking the question of relevance to its community as more people move to the Duwamish Peninsula with different origin stories and different ideas of what is their heritage. Through using their outdoor spaces and innovating how they can share the heritage of the Duwamish Peninsula in more accessible ways, the Log House Museum can become a leader and innovator in the work of connecting to people and recognizing more narratives that are part of the greater heritage of these important areas.
The purpose of this project is to create an interpretive plan for the Southwest Seattle Historical Society Native Plant Garden at the Log House Museum. This interpretive plan is the first step in the Log House Museum using its outdoor spaces to develop and grow new ways of connecting to its community on the Duwamish Peninsula. This project was completed in three phases: first, researching interpretation concepts of heritage and case studies of museums and public gardens using outdoors spaces to engage their communities. The second and third phases were implementing this research in a comprehensive written Interpretive Plan that was submitted to staff for approval.
Results of this project is an interpretive plan that uses native plants to connect to community members through the heritage and history of the Duwamish Peninsula. It creates opportunities to bond over common themes like moving to new places, health and home cooking, and environmental impact on life and history. The Log House Museum can become an example of small museums maximizing their use of space by going outdoors to create more education opportunities that fulfill their mission.
Keywords: Class of 2019, project, museum, museum studies, museology, garden, plants, native plants, community engagement, community, local history, interpretation
Citation:
Roberts, V. (2019). “Engaging Community through Native Plant Gardens at Small Heritage Museums:” Creating an Interpretive Plan for the Log House Museum Native Plant Garden. Unpublished master’s project, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.