He began a Ph. After that he was director at several historical museums, including the San Diego History Center and the Adirondack Museum. During this interview, David M. Kahn describes the state of the Long Island Historical Society's collections and building when he arrived, the conflict among members of the Board of Trustees over the name change to Brooklyn Historical Society, and the fundraising necessary to develop programs and exhibitions that would revitalize the institution and its mission.
As Director of the Brooklyn Historical Society from to , Kahn helped lead the institution through one of its most transformative periods. Kahn reflects on the leading role of BHS in documenting and preserving local urban history and recalls details of planning several exhibitions, including one about AIDS in Brooklyn and another about Crown Heights Early in the interview, he recalls his activism in the gay rights movement in the late s and early s.
The first institution to change its name from historical society to center was the Minnesota historical society, which made the change way back in , 20 years ago. And they did that because consumer research indicated that a lot of people had no idea what an historical society was.
It sounded sort of like a private club, something that was a closed operation and not necessarily something that invited the public in. So once the Minnesota historical society changed its name to the Minnesota history center, you gone to see one institution after another around the country change its name. So the Atlanta historical society is now the Atlanta history center. We've become the San Diego history center. Some institutions have done a little variation on the theme.
The Chicago historical society is now the Chicago history museum. But it's really something that one finds across the conserve. People are trying to get away from that name society which sounds a little forbidding.
There must be plans however under way as to how the history center is going to celebrate that. Can you tell us a little bit about that? KAHN: There are a couple of ideas for major exhibits that we're already beginning to work on.
One has the working title of , , , and the whole idea would be to take a look at what has taken place in San Diego over the past hundred years since the exposition, what kind of progress has been made, what's San Diego become over the last century. And then also the plan is to look forward to try to speculate a little bit about what's going to happen over the next century. And we would love to invite visitors to the exhibit to share their thoughts about what they would like to see happen in San Diego over the next century.
So that's one of the projects that we've just begun to work on. And another exhibit that we'd like to present would be called San Diego innovates. And that would particularly drill down and look into what's happened in all the high-tech industries in San Diego over the past 50 years or so that have really transformed the economy here. And in working on that project, we're collaborating with Mary Walshock who's a professor over at UCSD, a sociologist, who's coming out with a book on this subject some time next year.
So we'll be working on her and her coauthor, professor Abe Schrag, to map out this interesting exhibit. And it will be interactive and hands on, and ask people to think about what the problem solving components were that led to all sorts of innovations in the area of telecommunications.
How Qualcomm came out with its great inventions, and we'll also ask people to think about what's been going on in the biotech industries and think about some of the problems that the great innovators have faced when developing their products and services and applications.
KAHN: Well, it also always relates to people, the people stories are what are really compelling. And it goes all the way back to the very beginning. You've got father Sarah showing up here way back in and coming over the hill with a small contingent of people and founding a mission here in what then seemed to be the middle of nowhere.
So that's an interesting story. And also knowing about the interplay between the native population and Sarah and the missionaries.
That's a big S story that still probably could use a little more attention these days. But also I guess all the kind of fascinating story that there aren't all that many native San Diegans here.
And that people come from all over the place, and they've brought their stories and their traditions with them. And that's as much a part of the story of San Diego as that of the founders. I think it's equally fascinating.
Just to give you one little example, we have among other things, one of the largest historical costume collections west of the Mississippi, which is just a miracle. And so we have had scholars come in to look at that collection. And they found there's an incredible amount of late eighteenth century and early 20th century material in there. The History Center was founded in and is one of the oldest and largest historical organizations in California.
Together with the Chicago History Museum, the Atlanta History Center, and the Museum of the City of New York, it is one of only a handful of institutions nationwide that is dedicated to celebrating the heritage of a major American city. We are especially indebted to David for helping the Louisiana State Museum's board and the boards of the Friends of the Cabildo and the Louisiana Museum Foundation to work more closely together. Frank Donze can be reached at fdonze timespicayune. Edit Close.
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