EDTEC 671: Learning Environment Design
Informal Learning Exhibit Proposal
The New London Sea Chantey Museum
Informal Learning Environment Proposal
Overview
The New London Sea Chantey Museum will a place where the music of the sea can be preserved and displayed, supported by imagery, technology, and live performance.
Setting
The museum will be co-located with the Coast Guard museum in New London, Connecticut. Alternately, the museum could be housed in a historical home in the downtown area. New London was a major whaling port in the mid 19th century, second only to New Bedford, Massachusetts. As such, many sailors called New London home. The whaling industry funded much of the city’s architecture. Many sea chantey lyrics deal directly with whaling and getting to or from the whaling grounds. New London is therefore an ideal location, aided by its proximity to other attractions of historical significance, such as Fort Griswold, Mystic Seaport, and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
Audience
The intended audience members are adults and families. The museum will be part of the Coast Guard Museum, currently under construction. The larger museum will provide many of the services needed by this audience, such as comfort facilities, handicapped access, snack bar, and gift shop.
Narrative Sketch
Visitors will enter the exhibit through double doors. An entrance to the displays will be on their left, and the lobby of the live performance will be on their right. Entering the exhibit area, visitors will first be treated to the historical use and significance of chanteys. They will then proceed to an area where the musicianship of chanteys is explained, such as the varied musical patterns used for different sailing evolutions. Where appropriate, Soundtube overhead speakers will be used to play individualized audio in support of interactive videos or selectable audio clips.
The very rear of the exhibit will house the sea chantey library and listening kiosks. Kiosks will have several hundred sea chanteys available for listening over headphones, grouped by purpose, time period, and vocal style. Selections will be available in the gift shop. Using kiosks, the visitors will be able to explore the similarities and differences between different chantey performances. They will also be asked to select the chantey most appropriate for a given shipboard evolution, such as raising sail or weighing the anchor – in effect putting them to work as a virtual Chanteyman. Finally, weekly performances by local groups will serve to draw a wider audience while keeping the chantey tradition alive.
Allowances will be made to allow access by non-English speakers, but the chanteys will be presented in their native language, whether English, Portuguese, French, or Swahili. The exhibit will incorporate visual interpretive elements for those who are auditory challenged, and audible interpretations for those who are visually challenged.
Décor will be heavy on wood and brass, with maroon and gold accents used as needed in paint or cloth. Typefaces will be reminiscent of the time period when chanteys were prominent (1830-1930), but higher consideration will be placed on readability.
Additional Information
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_London%2C_Connecticut
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_shanty