LISTENING TO THE COLLECTIVE VOICE: STORYTELLING FOR ADULTS IN HISTORY MUSEUMS
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Authors
Flores, Joan Ramos
Issue Date
2002
Type
Capstone
Language
en
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
This master's project focuses on the professional storyteller who develops and presents history stories for adults and the benefits of the history-based storytelling program in the museum, focusing on history and historical society museums in California. History-based storytelling arose as part of a 1970s revival of folk arts and traditions in the United States. Traditional storytelling is an oral tradition; the stories can belong to a family, ethnic or other cultural group, and are passed along to group members through word-of-mouth. Also, librarians, teachers, counselors and the clergy have long used stories as instructional tools. These stories are usually derived from literary sources. During the 1970s, a heightening interest in preserving folk tradition stirred a storytelling revival. The contemporary storytelling movement created a new generation of storytellers who developed stories from non-traditional sources—drawing material from written as well as oral sources, or from stories outside their own culture. They saw storytelling as a livelihood in its own right, and received payment for their work. Within this framework of nontraditional storytelling reside storytellers who develop and perform history stories shaped by researching personal documents and academic scholarship. History-based storytelling programs would seem to serve as a valuable interpretive approach for the adult audience, but storytelling programs present themselves only on rare occasions in history museums. Educational institutions such as libraries, colleges and universities have recognized the value of all genres of storytelling and present storytelling programs for adults without hesitation.