Ruthmere Experiences
Telling Tales with Objects: Inside the Curator's World
Objects are very good at telling stWe all have our reasons for collecting, and objects are often important to telling the story of who we are. Museums collect objects for the same reason -- to create pathways between people and our history.
Thus, we enter the world of the museum curator, who is the custodian of these objects from acquisition to exhibition. We know a curator has to decide what objects fit into a museum's mission and then use them to create a narrative, but a curator's job is more than that. Much more.
For the first time, Ruthmere is offering visitors a glimpse into what it's like to work at a museum with our new program, "Telling Tales with Objects: Inside the Curator's World."
Join a small group of curious minds as you go through every exciting step of museum curation, becoming a part of Ruthmere's museum team for a day. Learn about what museums choose to keep (or not keep), how to properly care for your own collections, and how the curator uses objects to tell the rich stories of history.
Tickets are $50 per person for Non-Members and $25 per person for Members and each experience is limited to 8 people. Available the second and fourth Mondays every month June-October.
June & July dates are for Members Only. Click one of the links below to register.
Members only dates: June 8 June 22 July 13 July 27 August 10 August 24
Public Dates: September 14 September 28 October 12 October 26
Above-Ground Archaeology
Not only is history all around us, but also we are creating it every day. Need proof? Let's take a walk around Ruthmere grounds and the neighborhood and observe the small and simple puzzle pieces that tell us a story of something that happened.
Above-ground archaeology involves studying archaeological evidence that is visible on the surface. This includes standing buildings, ruins, or even subtle changes in vegetation. There exist in the immediate vicinity of Ruthmere Campus a number of above-ground archaeological resources.
For this program, we are going to take you on a pedestrian survey, where you will be able to walk a real historic site and observe the archaeology that surrounds us everyday. Test your observation skills, examine the landscape and aerial photography, and put together the pieces of history so that YOU can tell the story of what happened in this place over time.
Participants use Bingo Cards to spot certain surface features and then complete a short creative writing exercise that relates to features they've encountered.
This program is supported through a Historic Preservation Education grant from Indiana Humanities.
Tickets are $40 per person for Non-Members and $20 per person for Members and each experience is limited to 8 people. Available on the third Monday of each month, starting June 15th.
Register for one of the following dates:
Night-Blooming Cereus Parties
Holding a Blooming Party for the beautiful night-blooming cereus is a fun, whimsical tradition that was popularized in the early 20th Century. This flowering cactus only blooms at night, and people used to join together with their friends and neighbors to see the rare bloom in its full form. Unfortunately, you don't always get a lot of notice about exactly when the flowers are about to bloom! Read more about the night-blooming cereus and blooming parties in Ruthmere's recent blog post here.
We usually don't know when the Night-Blooming Cereus in Ruthmere's greenhouse will bloom until a day or two in advance - if you receive Ruthmere emails, you should get an invitation once we know the time is approaching!
Blooming Parties open at 9:30 pm in Ruthmere's greenhouse. Ruthmere members are $15, non-members are $30 per person at the door. You are welcome to bring a flashlight to observe the blooms. Photographs and social media sharing is encouraged for those who attend!