Exhibitsmith

Kids & Art: Managing the Family Collection

Fall is in full force and kids are busy making masterpieces at school and home. So what do you do with it all? 🍁October is American Archives Month and to celebrate, this episode focuses on you, the unofficial family archivist. That's right! It's up to you to decide whether to organize, curate, or toss the stuff that walks through the door. Feeling a bit overwhelmed? Give this episode a listen and I'll help you sort things out.Ready to listen? Find Exhibitsmith the Pod at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, and many more, or just listen at exhibitsmith.podbean.com. And of course, please subscribe so you don’t miss an episode, and remember to tell all your friends. Thank you!Exhibitsmith the podcast rethinks how and why we save our stuff. With a background working with museum collections and archives, Lindsey loves to help people interpret, preserve, and better understand, well, stuff. She believes that artifact and heirloom preservation is both easy and fun, so sit back, relax, and listen to professional thoughts, personal musings, and the exciting - and sometimes ridiculous - stories that that she’s encountered while working with all that stuff.

Do my clothes define me? (The Sweatshirt Episode)

Here’s the scenario: you’ve been invited to donate a garment that represents you to your local museum. You’ve been given carte blanche to select something that is personal and important to you, and that reflects your daily life.
What would you choose?
You might be surprised by what I’d pick. 
This month’s episode challenges you to think about the different ways in which an item can become “museum-worthy”. (And it may have you rethinking loungewear, too!) 

Lester and the Tape

History is in the eye of the beholder. What might feel old to one person, seems like yesterday to another. This episode encourages us to think about this, as I share a real-life story of how museum staff and volunteers spanning three generations approached a collection of "old papers" - and how I managed it all.
 
 

The Unfortunate Bank

Sometimes the objects that are important to you aren't the prettiest. Sometimes they're best left in a box, but that doesn't mean they're unimportant or forgotten. In this episode, hear the heartwarming story about an unfortunate-looking bank and its sweet history, and learn three important questions to ask yourself about the past, present, and future of your possessions, as you decide what to keep and why.

Much Ado About Scrapbooks

Much ado about scrapbooks. Am I right? Anyone who has an old or aging scrapbook in their life knows what I'm talking about. The tape is brittle, the glue has stained everything. The pages are yellowed, made from acidic paper. If you try to peel off a photo, you’re left with a torn page, and the back of the photos is a mess. Things like newsprint - are a lost cause. They have become one with the album. There is no easy way out. Could it get any worse?!
Or, perhaps we’re just thinking about scrapbooks all wrong. Maybe we need to stop looking at the negative and start seeking out the positive. Despite the fact that they may be crumbling before our eyes, maybe we should be thankful for these old scrapbooks and albums. I’m always excited to see these stacks of old, deteriorating papers. And I’m here to tell you why.

The Wedding Dress Question

Wow! It’s May already? That means wedding season is almost upon us. Yay! Or… yikes! To each their own I suppose. 
Anyhow, no matter how you feel about it, wedding dresses often hold a lot of power. They're special symbols of a special day - and are often expensive. But what happens to a wedding dress after the wedding? Well, that's up to you. In this episode I talk about wedding dresses and the many options you have as you decide what to do with your dress whether your dress is new, old, or a family heirloom in your care.

Who knew a tent could be so exciting?

Who knew a tent could be so exciting?!
 
I certainly didn't. But the fourth graders did.
 
Let’s talk about the power of authenticity. Authenticity is real. True. And when it comes to objects, it might just be what turns something ordinary into something extraordinary. On today’s episode, I’ll be sharing a very creative example of how one museum decided to interpret one of their most special artifacts, to great success.

Typewriters! Or, U R A QWERTY

Today, I'm sharing a story about a day that changed my perspective on museum behind the scenes tours forever. All it took were some hard-to-please kids, a few old typewriters, and a little unexpected museum magic.

Keeping Spring Cleaning Stress Free

You have permission to get rid of things the easy way. If you need a sign from the universe to do it, here it is! I recently purged some old things that were taking up space, but the processed proved to be harder than I had anticipated. Listen to my story to find out how I kept my spring cleaning stress free.

Grandma's Flowers

Today I’m digging deep into my personal memories to share a story about how an otherwise ordinary object at my grandmother's house became surprisingly important to me at a very young age.  I’m curious whether you’ll be able to relate. I hope you enjoy today’s episode and I invite you to share your stories, too.