DEFENDERS OF THE GATE: A SOLDIER'S STORY
In order to tell the story of the soldiers who have been stationed or passed through the Bay Area over the years, I developed a strategy to connect the public’s interest in local history and combine it with a personal element. To do this, I wanted to avoid presenting stories from a linear style of history, and not use a timeline setting of nearly two hundred years. Instead, interpretive themes were presented through stories in a series of historical vignettes on the didactic panels. Additionally, the objects and archives on display represented specific people and places.
Significance & Objectives
The main objectives of the exhibit were as follows:
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To establish and show the historical connection between the Army and the San Francisco Bay Area;
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To convey the story of nearly two hundred years of soldier history through three main areas of soldier activity: work, life, and war;
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To create a connection between the San Francisco Bay Area community and their local history; and
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To educate and make the public aware of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area’s vast archives and museum collection.
As mentioned above, research was conducted mainly through the historical cultural resource guide, Defender of the Gate: The Presidio of San Francisco, A History from 1846 – 1995 by Erwin N. Thompson. From this source, I was able to narrow which events and topics I wanted to illustrate throughout the exhibit. The process of choosing what objects and archives I wanted to use was more complex. The methods for choosing these items included consulting various finding aids and by simply browsing their expansive collections database known as Re:discovery or ICMS. Finally, to assist in exhibit design, the curatorial process, and the development of interpretive themes, I utilized the Manual of Museum Exhibitions by Lord and Lord (2009). However, the book was used more as a background resource because the National Park Service has a specific way of designing their exhibit panels and texts.