History doesn’t sell
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- Published on Saturday, November 21, 2015
By Vern May
Minnedosa & District Community Development Corporation
“History doesn’t sell.” That was the message from a publisher who received a manuscript for a book I was pitching.
He predicted my proposed book wouldn’t sell, but he was interested to take it on anyway because he believed in the importance of creating a printed record.
Thinking solely of his three-word view on history, I have been interested to see that many communities lead with their history when making their introduction to newcomers. Is our history interesting? Yes. Is it important to preserve our past? Yes. Will our history sell homes? Probably not.
If we remove our history from the introductory conversation, what’s left? Promoting our community’s present, does it stand on its own effectively to promote growth?
Yes, it’s interesting to know how the area was first settled and to get familiar with some of those key pioneers, but for many newcomers, it’s not a picture in which they can readily see themselves.There isn’t a connection.
But what about our history? How can we better promote our local heritage sites in a manner that ensures the long-term resilience of these attractions?
We have to remember the relevance to the current generation. Many rural museums feature artifacts and exhibits that represent a specific period, but there is little done to draw the connection to the present. If the “newest” artifact on display is from the 1950s, there’s a large audience that we’d like to attract that will have no emotional connection to those items – they may never have seen them in their homes or even their grandparents’ homes.
Maintaining the integrity of the theme is important, but promoting a connection to the present may be an important missing step that helps us generate interest from a new generation of patrons. For example, temporary displays that illustrate the evolution from the artifact on display to the current product that is in homes.
I think about the history of music. Many museums may have a gramophone. If an exhibit were to be created about the evolution of music, you could share how we evolved to record players, eight-track tapes, cassettes, CDs and the present MP3 format of music that is popular. This one theme addresses a whole timeline of progress and change. Last year, Beautiful Plains Museum in Neepawa held a special event celebrating the history of underwear in a similar fashion. I suspect if we looked around, we could find numerous themes we could build upon for several years to come.
We also need to consider how we bring that history to life. Yes, it is easy to post a sign some visitors may read, but what other means do we have to make that experience interactive and imagination-provoking. Maybe we create colouring or activity pages in our museums, scavenger hunts that encourage more active exploration of sites, or even videos – which are now easier and less cost-prohibitive to produce and present than ever before. Our history CAN sell, if we take an active hands-on approach to do so.
Success starts with an open dialogue and we need to be talking with each other. Let’s continue the conversation and explore the possibilities that exist by email (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) or phone (204-867-3885). The best things around that I have ever seen came from small towns and big dreams.
