Museum staff
brings the past to lifeFormer Bishop Museum director Don Duckworth had a thing about the traditional museum concept of things sitting quietly in boxes: He didn't like it. Museums, he thought, ought to be vibrant, living places, where the viewer is engaged.
That's been a trend in museology for the past couple of decades, actually. It just doesn't occur overnight.
Last week I looked in on Bishop Museum's daily 1 p.m. storytelling session, which they call Ola Na Mo'olelo. Noelani Tachera and Chiya Hoapili, from the museum's archives branch, performing as Hawaiian royalty Liliuokalani and Kapiolani, gave an extraordinary performance.
Using costumes, sound effects and dramatic readings, they transported the small audience back in time. Their passion and belief came from a deep well of shared values.
They made historical figures come alive, and gave preserved artifacts the added resonance of emotion and humanity. The tiny production put the entire museum's collection into a fresh perspective.
Even though I visit the museum regularly, it's always exciting when it seems new again.
--Burl Burlingame