Stacey Mann works as an exhibit and education experience designer. She consults nationally with museums and cultural institutions on how best to engage audiences both onsite and online. Her areas of expertise include the pedagogical (and playful!) design of learning environments, public interpretation of human rights and social justice issues, social and cultural capital in museums, and the intersection of civic engagement with media literacy. When I was first approached about developing Torn From Home, a children’s exhibition about refugee rights, I was intrigued, although not all together convinced that it was a good idea. I mean clearly, it was feasible – all it takes to build an exhibition is time and money. But was it reasonable? Was it responsible?
Anyone who has spent much time in children’s museums over the past decade (as I have) can sometimes have trouble distinguishing one from another: grocery store, check; doctor’s office, check; water table, check; music room, check. But then it occurred to me that what I missed most in the contemporary children’s museum landscape was recognition that kids are a lot smarter than we give them credit for. Why couldn’t an exhibit about what it means to be a refugee be designed to target young audiences and allow them to start exploring and understanding the world as global citizen? Our intrepid development team consisted of me; Linda Quinn, the Executive Director of Lied Discovery Children’s Museum; Elaine Bole, former spokesperson for United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; and Pamela Omidyar, founder of Humanity United. Each of us brought to the project a range of personal and professional experiences that would help shape the exhibition over the course of almost two years. Our earliest conversations were perhaps some of the most influential as we began to challenge the notion of what is “appropriate” for children to learn about in today’s world. Emotional safety was critical, as was a narrative that focused on the resilience of the
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