Revisions toMuseum of San Diego History

by Rosina Guerra-Lunceford and Ruth Maas

Opening of the exhibit

Learning Objective

• Discover through viewing displays and artifacts the lifestyle and cultural adjustments Somalian youth have made in coming to America.

• Listen and learn from the stories of Somalian youth about their challenges as immigrants.

The original display

Proposal

• Enrich the existing displays with technology

• Present an easier mode for the learner to

access the exhibit information

• Restructure the floor plan to include a

sitting area and central kisok

More Proposals• Wall-mount artifacts and replace text boards

with audio tracks

• Place audio-track with motion activation life-size

cardboard mannequin outside door of display

• Integrate a webquest to correlate with the

exhibit

Why revise?

• Turn a fantastic exhibit into an even better one.

• Transform existing text boards into multi-media enhanced objects to bring realism.

• Convey the message in a more personal way using audio of the girls.

Glass case in original exhibit

Same wall with redesign

• basketball signed by the girls

• beautiful hand-made purses

• hand-decorated fans

• costumes and linen from Somalian culture

• Henna display

Objects

Audio buttonsSeveral of the artifacts will have their text board descriptions replaced with audio buttonsThe audio tracks contain the voices of the Somalian girls.

An alternative to the audio buttons would be a mp3 track downloadable to an iPod.

Somalia purse

The purse is currently on display in the glass case.Proposed revisions put this purse in a wall-mounted shadow box. Under the box will be an audio button containing the voice of Rahmi telling her story about the fans.

Hand-painted fanTwo hand-painted fans from Africa are currently on display in the glass case.Proposed revisions put these fans in a wall-mounted shadow box. Under the box will be an audio button containing the voice of Rahmi telling her story about the fans.

Somalia linen

This linen was originally displayed in the glass case. Proposed revision mounts the original in a shadow box, and puts a touchable linen sample in the exhibit.

Somolia costume

Existing Somalia costume is on a mannequin. Proposed revision is to put the costume on a life-size cardboard cut-out with a photographed face, and add a button with an audio track of Rahmi telling her own story about her dress.

Henna tattoosProposed visitor participation table where rub-on Henna tattoos can be applied.

The new kiosk

Centralized touch-screen kiosk will teach visitors about the exhibit and also assess their understanding

The kioskInteractive Video

Technologies

• Audio buttons

• touch-screen kiosk

• life-size paper cut outs

• world map audio/photo display

• how-to Henna tattoo table

• share with me computer input display

Acknowledgments• Thank you to:

• Museum of San Diego History Johanna Jalot, Outreach Coordinator Kate Vogel, Exhibit Graphic Designer

• Professor Bob Hoffman

• Elizabeth Maas