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Several years ago as a graduate student, while working on my dissertation, I visited an archive to conduct research on the records of an advertising agency.  As I searched through page after page of the collection’s finding aid, I couldn’t escape a sinking feeling that the archival gems I needed—internal agency memoranda, correspondence, and meeting minutes—were nowhere to be found. Determined to dig deeper, I eventually discovered a company newsletter filled with names, dates, and insights into how the […]

Continue Reading about Why ICHEG Collects Game Company Newsletters and Magazines Published on:
July 25, 2016

“I knit so I don’t kill people.”
You can buy a mug, a tote bag, or a shirt with this phrase emblazoned on it. You can meet a handful of fellow knitters out on the town for World Wide Knit in Public Day or you can share your projects and patterns with the 5.5 million registered users of Ravelry, the social media site for knitters and crocheters. Surprised? You shouldn’t be: knitting, along with other “domestic hobbies,” is exceedingly popular, and […]

Continue Reading about Domestic Hobbies: The Search for Calm in Life’s Storms Published on:
July 15, 2016

Domestic hobbies scratch the play itch—the need for creative expression and for losing yourself in the flow of an activity. In my previous blog, I addressed the therapeutic nature of crafting and the calm that it brings to its practitioners. Creative pursuits can also meet the need for community, for comfort and companionship for the individual and also for the comfort of the greater good, through social causes and charities.
Limited in the roles they could play outside of the home, […]

Continue Reading about Domestic Hobbies: The Fight for Community in the Face of Isolation and Injustice Published on:
July 15, 2016

Knitting, quilting, and other domestic hobbies appear to have experienced a surge in popularity over the past two decades. Perhaps it is more accurate to state that they have experienced a surge in visibility thanks to social media and other online communities, as the qualities that attract people to domestic hobbies have remained constant for centuries. In previous posts, I addressed their therapeutic benefits and ability to create a sense of community among crafters. There is a third reason why […]

Continue Reading about Domestic Hobbies: The Connection between the Past and the Future Published on:
July 15, 2016

In the spring, guests attending The Strong’s Museum Secrets events got a behind-the-scenes look at The Strong’s conservation labs and learned about some of the strategies and techniques used to keep collections preserved.
In the carousel care lab, guests heard about the history of the Elaine Wilson Carousel, the second largest artifact in the museum’s collection after the diner. Guests also discovered how Conservation Technicians Chris Wenderlich and Sue Dowling use reversible adhesives and other conservation materials to maintain the structural […]

Continue Reading about Behind the Scenes: Conservation at The Strong Published on:
July 1, 2016

GIFT SHOP. Those two words might strike fear into the hearts of museum-going parents, but for children who have been bribed into good behavior, it is a beacon. Don’t disappear, don’t have a tantrum, don’t break anything—you may be rewarded with something from the museum’s gift shop. I grew up in Pittsburgh, where we had a treasure trove of museums to frequent. My favorite was the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, whose permanent exhibitions included a hall of minerals and […]

Continue Reading about Dino-MITE! Published on:
June 20, 2016

Museums have long memorialized genius. While art museums preserve great paintings and sculptures, history museums collect and preserve a wide-ranging record of the ways individuals, groups, and companies have shaped our society. The Strong’s focus on the history and meaning of play has guided its efforts to preserve a comprehensive collection of artifacts that document the rich history of toys, dolls, games, puzzles, electronic games, and other playthings. Among these collections are those donated by Ralph Baer, who over the […]

Continue Reading about Installing Ralph Baer’s Desk at The Strong Published on:
June 13, 2016

In November 2015, I came from my home in Turin, Italy, to spend a month at The Strong museum working on my research project, “The Meaning of Toys: Creating and Conveying Knowledge through Playful Artifacts.” I was honored to be granted a  Strong Research Fellowship that financed the first half of my stay.

Continue Reading about From Italy to Rochester, Looking for the Meaning of Play Published on:
June 13, 2016

In my previous blog titled I’d Like to Thank All the Little People, I described the profound impact that Fisher-Price’s Play Family had on my preschool years in the early 1970s. What I could not have realized during those formative years is that, almost 4,000 miles away in Zirndorf, Germany, another type of play set—Playmobil—was being designed and tested for use by four- to 12-year-olds. But by 1977 at the ripe old age of seven, I had transitioned to these […]

Continue Reading about Playmobil Play Sets Published on:
June 1, 2016