Turning Personal History into Community History In researching the role of narrative in the museum, I found that historically, museum narratives consisted of information being handed down from scholars and experts to be received by the public. Today we recognize that convincing narratives make use of diverse viewpoints, and communities construct meaning collectively. I conducted an audit of narrative occurrences within the North Carolina Museum of History, mainly focusing on exhibit content. The resulting compilation revealed that most narrative content was conveyed in an institutional voice and did not often incorporate multiple perspectives. Additionally, there were few avenues for visitors to contribute to the community process of forming meaning. Observations at the museum revealed that large numbers of visitors related to museum content by telling stories of their own experiences and memories. As visitors were already naturally sharing their own narratives, I wanted to design a tool to capture and preserve those stories, and allow them to be shared with the larger community. The resulting prototype allows the visitor to curate the exhibit’s content in order to create a new story, while adding a new voice to the museum and community narrative.

1. Curate Edit Narrate Share
In Search of a New Deal
The Farmer’s Dilemma
Tenancy
Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 +

2. Curate Edit Narrate Share
In Search of a New Deal
The Farmer’s Dilemma
Tenancy
Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 +

3. Curate Edit Narrate Share
In Search of a New Deal
The Farmer’s Dilemma
Tenancy
Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 +

4. Curate Edit Narrate Share
In Search of a New Deal
The Farmer’s Dilemma
Tenancy
Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 +

5. Curate Edit Narrate Share
In Search of a New Deal
The Farmer’s Dilemma
Tenancy
Photo 2 Photo 3 +

6. Curate Edit Narrate Share
In Search of a New Deal
Signs of Change
The Approaching Conflict
+
Done

7. Curate Edit Narrate Share
My Photos
Done choosing photos?
Now you can edit them
and add other content,
or skip straight to narration.
Cancel Edit Narrate

8. Curate Edit Narrate Share
Add photos from:
Internet
Other museum
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9. Curate Edit Narrate Share
Add photos from:
Internet Other museum
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10. Curate Edit Narrate Share
Add photos from:
Internet Other museum
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11. Curate Edit Narrate Share
Add photos from: Done
Internet Other museum
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12. Curate Edit Narrate Share
Add photos
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13. Curate Edit Narrate Share
Add photos
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14. Curate Edit Narrate Share
Add photos
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15. Curate Edit Narrate Share
Add photos
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16. Curate Edit Narrate Share
Add photos
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17. Curate Edit Narrate Share
Add photos
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18. Curate Edit Narrate Share
Add photos
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19. Curate Edit Narrate Share
Add photos
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20. Curate Edit Narrate Share
Add photos
Done

21. Curate Edit Narrate Share
Done editing your photos?
Now you can narrate your story.
Cancel Narrate
Done

22. Curate Edit Narrate Share
My Narration
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23. Curate Edit Narrate Share
My Narration
Done

24. Curate Edit Narrate Share
My Narration
“My mother was so pretty and as a
little girl I wanted to be just like her.
I remember when she cut her hair
short, and I wanted mine cut to look
just like hers.”
Record again Approve
Done

25. Curate Edit Narrate Share
My Narration
“The dress Mom made me looked
just like the one in this photo. It
was made with the same blue fabric
as her favorite dress, and I felt so
beautiful when I wore it.”
Record again Approve
Done

26. Curate Edit Narrate Share
Select the tagged area of this photo that
My Narration best corresponds with your story:
“The dress Mom made me looked
just like the one in this photo. It
was made with the same blue fabric
as her favorite dress, and I felt so
beautiful when I wore it.”
Done

27. Curate Edit Narrate Share
Select the tagged area of this photo that
My Narration best corresponds with your story:
Dress, 1940
“The dress Mom made me looked
just like the one in this photo. It
was made with the same blue fabric
as her favorite dress, and I felt so
beautiful when I wore it.”
Done

28. Curate Edit Narrate Share
Select the tagged area of this photo that
My Narration best corresponds with your story:
Dress, 1940
Cancel Approve
“The dress Mom made me looked
just like the one in this photo. It
was made with the same blue fabric
as her favorite dress, and I felt so
beautiful when I wore it.”
Done

29. Curate Edit Narrate Share
Select the tagged area of this photo that
My Narration best corresponds with your story:
Desk, 1941
Cancel Approve
“I sat near the front of the class in
school and everyone saw my new
dress the first day I wore it. All the
boys said it was ugly but I knew
they just thought I looked cute!”
Done

30. Curate Edit Narrate Share
My Narration
Done narrating your photos?
Now you can share your story.
Cancel Share

31. Curate Edit Narrate Share
My Story Details
Watch Video Add story Touch to type
tags
Suggested Objects Social Occupational
Clothing parents farming
story tags dress Siblings working
food Brother business
ice cream sister Cooking
bonnet Kids sewing
hat mom
suit Dad Descriptive
Horse baby funny
Story Title Touch to type house Blue
wood stove Environmental Cute
collar School Long
Description Touch to type potato sack Farm dotted
bonnet store purple
material North Carolina Striped
summer short
Economic Winter beautiful
Great Depression Spring
tobacco
poor
money
Done
Share with Community

32. Curate Edit Narrate Share
My Story Details
Watch Video Add story Touch to type
tags
Suggested Objects Social Occupational
Clothing parents farming
story tags dress Siblings working
food Brother business
ice cream sister Cooking
bonnet Kids sewing
hat mom
suit Dad Descriptive
Horse baby funny
Story Title My Favorite Dress house Blue
Q W E R T Y U I O P
wood stove Environmental Cute
collar School Long
Description Touch to type
A S D F G H J K L Search
potato sack Farm dotted
! ?
Z X C V B N M , . bonnet store purple
123 123
material North Carolina Striped
summer short
Economic Winter beautiful
Great Depression Spring
tobacco
poor
money
Done
Share with Community

33. Curate Edit Narrate Share
My Story Details
Watch Video Add story haircut, favorites
tags
Suggested Objects Social Occupational
Clothing parents farming
story tags dress Siblings working
food Brother business
ice cream sister Cooking
bonnet Kids sewing
hat mom
suit Dad Descriptive
Horse baby funny
Story Title My Favorite Dress house Blue
wood stove Environmental Cute
collar School Long
Description This is the story of a dress that potato sack Farm dotted
my mother made for me. I will bonnet store purple
never forget how it made me feel material North Carolina Striped
like the most beautiful young summer short
Economic Winter beautiful
woman in town.
Great Depression Spring
tobacco
poor
money
Done
Share with Community

34. Curate Edit Narrate Share
My Story Details
Watch Video Add story haircut, favorites
tags
Suggested Objects Social Occupational
Clothing parents farming
story tags dress Siblings working
Done with your story details? food
ice cream
Brother
sister
business
Cooking
bonnet Kids sewing
hat mom
Now you can share your story with the suit
Horse
Dad
baby
Descriptive
funny
Story Title My Favorite Dress
community, or privately post itEnvironmental
house
wood stove
Blue
Cute
School
collar Long
Description This is the story of a dress that selected friends.
for Farm
potato sack dotted
my mother made for me. I will bonnet store purple
never forget how it made me feel material North Carolina Striped
like the most beautiful young summer short
Economic Winter beautiful
woman in town.
Great Depression Spring
tobacco
Cancel Share poor
Private post
money
Done
Share with Community

35. Curate Edit Narrate Share
My Story Details
Watch Video Add story haircut, favorites
tags
Suggested Objects Social Occupational
Clothing parents farming
story tags dress Siblings working
Thanks for adding your story food
ice cream
Brother
sister
business
Cooking
to the community! bonnet
hat
suit
Kids
mom
Dad
sewing
Descriptive
Horse baby funny
Story Title My Favorite Dress house Blue
Use the photo tags or story tags
Environmental
wood stove
School
collar
Cute
Long
This is the story of a dress that
Description
to explore everyone’s contributions.
my mother made for me. I will
Farm
store
potato sack
bonnet
dotted
purple
never forget how it made me feel material North Carolina Striped
like the most beautiful young summer short
Economic Winter beautiful
woman in town.
Great Depression Spring
tobacco
Cancel Photo tags poor
Story tags
money
Done
Share with Community

36. Curate Edit Narrate Share
My Story Details
Share with Community Explore story tags Explore photo tags Touch to search tags
Great
Depression
My Favorite Dress Farming During Auction Days Working as a My Family of Planting the Fields
the Depression for Farmers Street Vendor Sharecroppers
Brother
Working My Brother’s Birth Working The Things We Did
the Fields as a Family for Fun
Beautiful
Aunt Ruth the My Older Sister The Bonnet Working All Day in My Cousin and Her
fiddle player Grandma Wore the Sun First Baby
See more

37. Curate Edit Narrate Share
My Story Details
Share with Community We Did for Fun tags
The Things Explore story Explore photo tags
Comments Touch to search tags
My mom always had us make ice
cream to keep us busy for a day. It was
Great the best treat during the summer. I
Depression remember looking forward to the first
batch of ice cream every summer!
Nana49
My mom always had us make ice
My Favorite Dress Farming During Auction Days Working as a us busy forFamilyIt was
cream to keep My a day. of Planting the Fields
the Depression for Farmers Street Vendor during the summer. I
the best treat Sharecroppers
remember looking forward to the first
batch of ice cream every summer!
Brother GrandpaGene
My mom always had us make ice
cream to keep us busy for a day. It was
Description the best treat during the summer. I
remember looking forward to the first
Working my uncle was aBrother’s Birth best ice cream
When My kid he was the Working The Things We Did every summer!
batch of ice cream
the Fields
maker around. All the kids were jealous of Family and
as a his skills for Fun AuntBertie
he became the most popular kid in town. Then when
Beautiful he was older he opened his own ice cream parlor, and My mom always had us make ice
the store is still open today. cream to keep us busy for a day. It was
NadineR the best treat during the summer. I
remember looking forward to the first
batch of ice cream every summer!
Gerald54
Aunt Ruth the My Older Sister The Bonnet Working All Day in My Cousin and Her
fiddle player
Back Grandma Wore the Sun Add a comment...
First Baby
See more

38. Curate Edit Narrate Share
My Story Details
Share with Community
2
6
2
12
8
Filter by:
Photo Tags
Story Tags 6
Time Frame 3
Location

39. Curate Edit Narrate Share
My Story Details
Share with Community
Sister
sewing
dotted Blue
Spring
sister
School Cute
Long
North Carolina
collar
bonnet
Striped Cooking
potato sack beautiful
mother
poor material
short
tobacco
Filter by: mom purple
Photo Tags
Story Tags sewing Farm
Great Depression
Time Frame
Location working

40. Curate Edit Narrate Share
My Story Details
Share with Community
Comments
Original photo: Other stories with
Aunt Samantha the fiddle player, 1937 this photo tag:
Sister
sewing
dotted Blue
Spring
sister
School Cute
Long
North Carolina
collar Working
as a Family
bonnet
Striped Cooking
potato sack beautiful
My mom always fiddled for us when we
mother
poor material
were kids. We loved it! Nana49
short
Grandma was a world class fiddler! She Planting the Fields
tobacco
Filter by: mom purple
always won the contests. GrampaJed
Photo Tags I wish more people played fiddle today.
Story Tags Everyone played it back then! Gerald54 sewing Farm
Great Depression
Time Frame
Add a comment...
Location working My Cousin and Her
First Baby

41. Curate Edit Narrate Share
My Story Details
Share with Community
1900 1910 1920 1930 1940
Filter by:
Photo Tags
Story Tags
Time Frame
Location

42. Curate Edit Narrate Share
My Story Details
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1920 1930 1940 1950 1960
Filter by:
Photo Tags
Story Tags
Time Frame
Location

43. Curate Edit Narrate Share
My Story Details
Share with Community
Wilkes Co.
Bertie Co.
Guilford Co.
Buncombe Co. Wake Co.
Mecklenburg Co.
Filter by:
Photo Tags
Story Tags Brunswick Co.
Time Frame
Location