To deep dive into Louisiana history, visit the Capitol Park Museum for its monthly Discovery Day sessions.
The next Discovery Day will take place on Feb. 21, with a focus on Black History Month. It will focus not only on important Black historical figures, but also major events and topics that took place in Louisiana, such as the Civil Rights Movement and development of prominent music genres.
“I knew that we had many individuals that I wanted to highlight, so I was like, ‘Hey, we’re doing this,’” said Catherine Pearson Puma, the museum special projects coordinator and educator. “We have a whole section on Louisiana civil rights history. We have many places in our exhibit where we talk about how individuals made strides for historic Black colleges. So we have collections that support the theme. If I have the collection, I want the educational opportunity.”
The Capitol Park Museum is the history museum of Baton Rouge. It houses many exhibits, from a display of Poverty Point to a scale model of an offshore oil rig. The displays showcase many important artifacts of Louisiana’s past.
However, the displays are just that: displays. Viewers can look at and read about parts of history, and then walk away, hopefully retaining some of the information. To extend this learning, Pearson Puma finds ways to connect visitors with the exhibits. She tries to make history memorable, allowing people to take more knowledge with them when they leave the museum.
“It’s that chance for us to be the bridge, and you get to learn more and connect with that item on a different level than just, ‘hey, I saw it through a case,’” Pearson Puma said. “It’s a meaningful experience where we get to dive deeper. Where we get to connect more with the objects.”
Pearson Puma works as an educator in the museum. Educational programming teaches viewers by enhancing their experience when visiting.
“According to John Falk, who is a museum educator, we actually only spend 5% of our lives in formal education,” Pearson Puma said. “Places like museums and libraries are so crucial because they are our informal learning education. That’s why it’s important for educators — museum educators — to be there to help learners keep going further.”
Because Pearson Puma is dedicated to bridging the gap between history and learners, she worked to revitalize the Discovery Day program. Through this, she is able to teach visitors about the museum’s exhibits.
It is especially important to learn about history because it helps us grow from not only our own mistakes, but those made before us. Without the opportunity to continue public education, we risk the same issues persisting throughout time.
“I think just history, and knowledge in general, is power,” Pearson Puma said. “It’s not just the bad that you learn. You’ve learned good things too. It’s just all of that knowledge that you can take forward with you. When people have the chance to come to a museum, they have a chance to get up and close with things and further their knowledge.”
Pearson Puma doesn’t show up to work each day just to get paid. She shows up because it’s an opportunity to do what she enjoys.
“I love my job,” Pearson Puma said. “To be able to educate someone on something in our collection and see them get happy, or even sometimes learn. Would you agree that you don’t know everything? You’re learning every day. So there’s such joy in being able to share something with someone and have them take something out of it.”
Since June, the Discovery Day program has been regaining steam at the museum. Anyone interested in learning about history is welcome to Discovery Day events, where there are ample opportunities for learning, plus a fun activity to go along with the topic.
“You do not have to be 3 years old to come here,” said Pearson Puma. “You can be 3, you could be 103. This is not just for kids. It’s learning for all.”
In March, Discovery Day will focus on Clementine Hunter, a Black artist who lived in Louisiana. Through her pieces, Hunter captured everyday life around a plantation from the eyes of an African American during the time of sharecropping.
If you’re looking to attend Discovery Days in the future, you can follow the Capitol Park Museum on Facebook for the most up-to-date information. You can also find Capitol Park Museum events on websites such as visitbatonrouge.com and downtownbatonrouge.org.
