On Story & Meaning: Experiencing the World through an Intepretive Lens
On Story & Meaning: Experiencing the World through an Interpretive Lens
with guest scholars Ken Soderberg & Darby Bramble
Walk description & what we explored
lInterpretation is oft defined as a kind of educational activity that places hands-on experience and thinking and meaning-making as primary (over the acquisition, say, of just a set of facts). It is also a tradition that has deep roots in the cultural and philosophical movements of the Enlightenment and Romanticism and has been influenced by such figures as Plato, John Locke, Lean Jacques Rousseau, John Dewey, Freeman Tilden, and more.
In this hayride-philosophy walk led by interpretive professionals Ken Soderberg & Darby Bramble we examined how we perceive, come to know, and understand the world by way of interpretation. Using interpretive principles and sensory exploration, we connected with the landscape and one another while we identified and explored meaning and connection with the world around us.
Thank you to our guest hayride-walk leaders, Darby Bramble and Ken Soderberg, for sharing the day with us, and all of your hard work, expertise, and creativity!
Resources
- Digging Deeper: Exploring the Philosophical Roots of Heritage Interpretation (Studies by Patrick Lehnes & James Carter, 2016)
- John Muir’s “Man’s Place in the Universe” from A Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf (1916)
- Enos Abijah Mills Biographical Portrait
- Freeman Tilden’s Interpreting Our Heritage (University of North Carolina Press, 1977)
- Lisa Brochu & Tim Merriman’s Personal Interpretation, 2nd ed. (Inter Press, 2002)
- Sam Ham’s Interpretation: Making a Difference on Purpose (Fulcrum Publishing, 2013)
- Larry Beck & Ted T. Cable, The Gifts of Interpretation (Sagamore Publishing, 2011)
- Alan Leftridge, Interpretive Writing (Interp Press, 2006)
- John Muir’s, A Sand County Almanac (Oxford University Press, 1949)
- Enos Mills, The Thousand Year Pine (Temporal Mechanical Press, 2005)
- Rachel Carson, Silent Spring (The Riverside Press, 1962)
- National Association for Interpretation
- Aldo Leopold Foundation
- Association for Living History, Farm, and Agricultural Museums
Music
About Our Guest Scholars
Darby Bramble has invested a lifetime into educating the public and interpreting natural and cultural resources across the West. As an interpretive park ranger at Hovenweep National Monument, and Saguaro and Grand Canyon National Parks, she led tours of archeological sites and historic structures for visitors from around the world. In Lolo, Montana she worked as Program Coordinator for Travelers’ Rest Preservation and Heritage Association, where she built a flourishing education program, oversaw the volunteer program, supported the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial and collaborated with local tribes in cultural programming and the “Winter Storytelling Series.”
Makoshika, Chief Plenty Coups, Lewis and Clark Caverns, Bannack — these are only some of the beautiful places that Ken Soderberg has been fortunate enough to help provide a voice for through his work with Montana State Parks. A combined love of the outdoors (and the frightening thought of starvation if he pursued an acting career) led him to a degree in park management. Thankfully his brief theater training was put to use throughout his 35 year career in parks. Each park has a story to tell. Whether the script came alive through the words of a park ranger he helped train or an exhibit he helped to create, giving voice to these special places remains one of his most cherished career memories. To come full circle you can find Ken at the Grandstreet Theater these days either on stage or behind the scenes building the magical sets that help bring the story to life.
Photos
Community Partners, Sponsors & Thank You’s
Thank you to our community partner, Doubletree by Hilton Helena Downtown, to MIke Chapman for capturing photos of the walk for us, and to our fabulous hayride-walk goers for joining us for the day!
