These are the slides for my March 22, 2018 presentation at MERGE: The SMPS Northeast Regional Conference 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. Thanks to everyone who attended the session! Skip to the end for links to free online resources on thematic interpretation. This presentation showed A/E/C marketers how to leverage thematic interpretation, a museum education technique, to make their project sheets and award submissions more engaging and more memorable to the audience.

1. Thematic
Museums’ Secret for Engaging Audiences
K R I S T I N A VO N T I S H , L E E D G R E E N A S S O C I AT E | Q U I N N E VA N S A R C H I T E C T S
Interpretation

2. What is thematic
interpretation?
Why use thematic
interpretation in
marketing?
How does thematic
interpretation work?
What’s the Big Idea?

3. Pope-Leighey House
Frank Lloyd Wright, 1941 | Alexandria, Virginia

9. What is thematic
interpretation?

10. [Empty museum gallery]

11. [Empty museum gallery]

12. [Empty museum gallery]

13. [Empty museum gallery]

14. interpretation

15. thematic
!

20. Why use thematic
interpretation in
marketing?

21. !

22. !

23. Dr. Sam H. Ham
Professor Emeritus of Communication Psychology &
Conservation Social Sciences, University of Idaho
Ph.D. in Cognitive & Social Psychology
B.S. & M.S. in Natural Resources Ecology &
Behavioral Sciences

24. Your favorite project
Function
Location
Program
Why do you
like it?

25. How does
thematic
interpretation
work?

26. Theme = Facts + Relevance

27. FBIIRSTGIFPHDCIA

28. FBIIRSTGIFPHDCIA FBI IRS TGIF PHD CIA

30. Innovation
Integrity
Justice
Love
Mystery
Power
Birth
Conflict
Courage
Danger
Equality
Family
Fear
Freedom
Home
Progress
Protection
Revenge
Struggle
Survival
Tension
Transformation
Underdog
Victory

31. Innovation
Integrity
Justice
Love
Mystery
Power
Birth
Conflict
Courage
Danger
Equality
Family
Fear
Freedom
Home
Progress
Protection
Revenge
Struggle
Survival
Tension
Transformation
Underdog
Victory

32. Innovation
Integrity
Justice
Love
Mystery
Power
Birth
Conflict
Courage
Danger
Equality
Family
Fear
Freedom
Home
Progress
Protection
Revenge
Struggle
Survival
Tension
Transformation
Underdog
Victory
?

33. Van Ness Elementary School

34. This LEED Gold modernization demonstrates
that historic schools can become both high
performance buildings and 21st century
learning environments.

35. This LEED Gold modernization demonstrates
that historic schools can become both high
performance buildings and 21st century
learning environments.

36. Emmanuel-Brinklow Seventh Day Adventist Church

37. Small renovations made a big impact on
the functionality of this church building,
helping it to better meet the congregation’s
changing needs.

38. Small renovations made a big impact
on the functionality of this church building,
helping it to better meet the congregation’s
changing needs.

39. Gateway Senior Apartments

40. The adaptive reuse of this former school
preserves the character of its historic
neighborhood while creating warm and
welcoming senior apartments.

41. The adaptive reuse of this former school
preserves the character of its historic
neighborhood while creating warm and
welcoming senior apartments.

43. This renovation has transformed a grim urban
corner into a vibrant maker space that
exemplifies the power of arts-based
community development.

44. This renovation has transformed a grim urban
corner into a vibrant maker space that
exemplifies the power of arts-based
community development.

45. From facts to themes
Theme = Facts + Relevance
A very important thing for people to
understand about this project is that ____.

47. What’s the
Big Idea?

53. This project is a
celebration of glass.

54. This project is a
celebration of glass.
Inspired by the art glass pieces housed within the space, the design team
converted a defunct machine shop into a transparent jewel box of a gallery.
A new cast glass vestibule beckons visitors to the building, creating a glowing
beacon that announces the gallery entrance.
The design juxtaposes old and new, beauty and functionality, and materials and
performance to create a state-of-the-art gallery space that reinforces the narrative
embodied in the museum’s glass collection.

56. Skeleton project sheet
Theme = Facts + Relevance
A very important thing for people to
understand about this project is that ____.

57. Congratulations!

58. Questions?

59. Thematic Interpretation Bible
Ham, Sam H. Interpretation: Making a Difference on Purpose. Golden, Colorado: Fulcrum Publishing, 2013.
Online Resources
Colquhoun, Fiona, ed. Interpretation Handbook and Standard: Distilling the Essence. Wellington: New Zealand Department of
Conservation, 2005. http://www.doc.govt.nz/Documents/about-doc/role/policies-and-plans/interpretation-handbook-complete.pdf
Ham, Sam H. Environmental Interpretation: A Practical Guide for People with Big Ideas and Small Budgets. Golden, Colorado:
North American Press, 1992. https://serceducationvolunteers.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/interpreatation-sam-ham1.pdf
Tardona, Daniel R. “Exploring Evolved Psychological Underpinnings of Universal Concepts and Meaningful Connections.” Journal
of Interpretation Research 10, no. 1 (2005): 69-74. http://www.interpnet.com/nai/docs/JIR-v10n1.pdf
U.S. National Park Service. “Foundations of Interpretation Curriculum Content Narrative,” 2007.
https://www.nps.gov/idp/interp/101/FoundationsCurriculum.pdf
U.S. National Park Service. “The Interpretive Process Model,” 2002. https://www.nps.gov/idp/interp/101/processmodel.pdf
Bibliography