Changes are coming to the McFaddin-Ward house
Rayanna Hoeft, who has only served as the Director of Educational Programs at McFaddin-Ward Houst since this summer, has already launched a new initiative and she looks forward to launching several more.
“We have a new podcast. This is our first, “she said.” It’s called 1906 McFaddin Ave. It’s on all platforms – you know, Apple, Spotify, all things. We did a transcript for the accessibility I think it’s on the website now.
This first podcast, created in collaboration with marketing and communications manager Kara Timberlake, focuses on Apron Strings, an exhibition that the house has been organizing since the end of August. It will be on display until January 7, 2022 and invites visitors to explore the changing dynamics of gender norms from the 1930s to the present day.
“The apron is an icon of the domestic sphere and because of feminism at the end of the 20th century, like my generation, I never owned an apron,†Hoeft said. “My mother never owned an apron. But my mother was a working woman, kind of a feminist. And (the apron) represents a bygone era. It was one thing at a time and now it means nothing to a whole generation of people. “
“I wish we had more information on the designers behind the aprons,†said new collections curator Victoria Tamez. “Most come from a private collection or garage sales, which happens a lot with textiles. They don’t have a biography.
Hoeft and Tamez, both arriving in Beaumont this summer, take advantage of their new positions to ask questions like these in an attempt to fill in gaps in the historical narrative they find as they continue to explore the colonial home of the Fine Arts and the rest of the land.
The team is currently working on a new podcast episode. As the seasons shift from fall to winter, they produce an episode on the Christmas traditions held by the McFaddin family, the traditions of the local community, the traditions that African American housekeepers and staff have. preserved as well as the ways in which those with different religious beliefs celebrated the holidays in Beaumont.
However, podcasts are only the tip of the iceberg. McFaddin-Ward House hasn’t had a director of educational programming in years, but executive director Tony Chauveaux felt it was essential to expand the reach of their historic site in Southeast Texas.
“We had the opportunity here to really build this staff from scratch with a new curator (and) a new educator,†Chauveaux said. “There are a lot of historic house museums across the country, and most of them are struggling because, you know, it’s kind of there, done that. I bought the t-shirt, no need to go back. You’ve seen it and they don’t really change unless they offer a very robust opportunity program for visitors. And education is the main way to be a cultural center.
Hoeft’s goals include promoting inclusiveness by highlighting the untold stories of the McFaddin-Ward House and the Town of Beaumont; provide historical interpretation, curricula and programs to demonstrate the importance of preserving the built environment; and to create a participatory environment where visitors feel a call to action for community and civic engagement. She also wishes to create exhibitions on broader interests and deliver programs that strengthen community relationships, rectify past wrongs and embrace a shared society.
Recently, she hosted an open house on history with local educators – public school teachers, private school teachers, and home teachers – and showed the group how home can be instructive for teaching students. kindergarten to grade 12 and what kind of excursions they might have. Hoeft is already considering how the information and activities performed at the museum might coincide with the state’s public school curriculum. She sets up a task force of superintendents, teachers and leaders from public schools and Lamar University to help her bring students to the museum.
“I feel like we can do something with the fourth, seventh and 11th,” she said. “And then maybe world history in grade 10, depending on how the teacher approaches the Industrial Revolution and WWI.”
The effective use of technology to reach a wider audience doesn’t stop with podcasting. The museum is preparing to offer free virtual tours of the house. It’s part of a ‘hard pivot’ museums across the country have had to make to stay relevant and engaged during the pandemic.
“We will be offering a 360-degree tour of the house,†Hoeft explained. “We can highlight objects. We can provide historical context, we can integrate audio and visual. I can manage this system through a Zoom call or a Google Classroom call. If the kids can’t come here, I can go and see them virtually. That’s the point.”
The visit will also be accessible to the general public. But no one worries that it will reduce their site traffic. In fact, they think it’s quite the opposite because, according to Hoeft, there is nothing quite like discovering a site in person.
“There are notches on the doors, things that are still written by Grandma (McFaddin), scratches on the doors,” said Michelle, a technician at the museum. “It’s much better in person. And the people who like that stuff – they’ll want to come. “
Over the next two weeks, a photographer will come and capture 360 ​​degree images. They plan to have the entire system up and running over the next four months so that wherever you are, whoever you are, you can participate in the multiplicity of stories at the McFaddin-Ward house.
“We want to be active members of the community and I want to invite the community to our home,†Hoeft said. “That’s the big message: we’re here to have you here. Its very important for us.
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