the objects of experience.

  What if museums could harness the emotional and intellectual connections people have to personal and everyday objects to create richer visitor experiences? In this book, Elizabeth Wood and Kiersten Latham present the Object Knowledge Framework, a tool for using objects to connect museum visitors to themselves, to others, and to their world. They discuss the key concepts underpinning our lived experience of objects and how museums can learn from them. Then they walk readers through concrete methods for transforming visitor-object experiences, including exercises and strategies for teams developing exhibit themes, messages, and content, and participatory experiences.

Book Excerpt from LeftCoast Press, Introduction and Chapter 1

Related Articles from Wood & Latham

Wood, Elizabeth and Kiersten F. Latham.  “Object Knowledge: Researching Objects in the Museum Experience” Reconstruction 9.1 (2009).  http://reconstruction.eserver.org/issues/091/wood&latham.shtml

Wood, E. & Latham, K. F. (2011). The Thickness of the Things: Exploring the Museum Curriculum through Phenomenology. Journal of Curriculum Theorizing 27(2). http://journal.jctonline.org/index.php/jct/article/view/347

Media and Reviews for The Objects of Experience

Wood and Latham on The Museum Life with Carol Bossert

Elee Wood presentation, Around the Country in 50 Museums

 

A short interview with the authors–the origin story of The Objects of Experience

 

Book Reviews of The Objects of Experience

Leslie Bedford Review in Museum Management and Curatorship (paywall for full access)

Louise Ravelli Review in Visitor Studies (paywall for full access)