This is Problematic!

Link To Conner Prairie's newest Podcast- This Is Reclamation: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1nWFL9euQ6X9DKXrCZ5A1N?si=N0nhNCRgTbufiiPwI_bHXA  

Ornithology is defined as "a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds." The study, at least in America, is often tied to the amateur "father" of the study, John James Audubon. However, Audubon and many like him appropriated the knowledge of black and indigenous contributions and took the credit for themselves. Ornithology is filled with racist ideologies, with many slave-owners and/or wh...

Confederate monuments spawn controversy wherever they sit, and recently their removal has caused emotional uproar from all sides of the political spectrum. These ghostly shells of the past represent the myth of the Lost Cause, striking slavery from the list of reasons why the Civil War was fought and turning blame towards the North. Our special guests, Katie Bramell, a museum professional who tack...

Today Zoe and Easton are unraveling a complex yet fascinating story connecting a solar eclipse in 1806 to a future president, Chief Anderson's ascension to Chiefdom, and a pan-indigenous movement led by a Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa- the man that many remember as 'The prophet.' They won't be alone however. Our curator of Native American history and life, Sara Schumacher, is back with us, setting the...

Our yearly take on the controversy-filled legacies of former presidents brings us to the infamous 'Old Hickory', Andrew Jackson. Curatorial research associate Dylan Rawles visits Zoe and Easton to unravel an often overlooked aspect of Jackson's legacy; Populism, along with its rise in the United States. Jackson prided himself as the "People's president", which made him the "voice of the people" wh...

Conner Prairie's Director of Business Intelligence, Andrew Collins, joins us to discuss funding and oversight for K-12 education. When common school trailblazer Horace Mann began his campaign to establish universal education in the United States, he saw it as the only way to overcome disparities plaguing the country and give every child an equal opportunity and access to quality educational opport...

Our Prairie's Collections Manager, Rebekah Furey, Collections Assistant, Rina Sim, and Educational Curriculum Specialist, Zoe Morgan join Easton to talk about museums (which we love!). Museums are beautiful places where stories can be told from across the globe and inspire curiosity in guests of all ages. However, when we look back at the history of museums, we find that many began as wonder shows...

Guess Who's back? David Heighway; joined alongside Curatorial's very own Curator of Native American History and Life, Sara Schumacher. Chief Straw is an entity that has been on our minds for close to a year now- and we're going to talk about him- beyond Strawtown's namesake story. The Native American nations and their histories have long been misunderstood in the United States. It's hard to piece...

David Heighway is back once again to explore the intricacies of our country's constructed memory! It finds its way into nearly every American home; lingering memories of a sparsely populated frontier and the rugged pioneer. Many family histories have followed this line of thinking for generations. It even shows up at our own "Pioneer museum" of Conner Prairie. And yet, while not necessarily fabric...

We are forever thankful for the power of editing and the privilege to remove our less-than-perfect moments. However, we have to laugh at ourselves every now and then. We invite you to laugh with us, as we've lined up some goofs, jokes, and random singing from the entirety of Season 1 as well as a few audio-related side-projects! Thank you so much for sticking with us thusfar, here's to another sea...

We're back for Season 2!!! Hannah and Easton take a trip back to 1882 when a group of women from the town of Westfield, IN took their frustration with the opening of a local saloon into their own hands. Our discussion explores what motivated their unusually forceful actions, the consequences of their decisions (and the decisions of women like them across the country) and how the actions during the...

Dr Fletcher is back for our final episode of the season! The history of Sesame Street is the topic of today's conversation. Back in 1969 when the show was launched it was focused on underserved children to supplement absent preschool services. However, today it's been moved behind a paywall. So, let's figure out how we got to Sesame Street and where it's headed… Show Notes: Dr Charlene Fletcher: H...

Brandy Whitaker, Conner Prairie's Director of Education, shares her 10+ years in the Education field in this discussion about Museum Education. Together we contemplate how Museums and their Educational philsophies fit within the wider Education landscape.  Show Notes: Brandy Whitaker:     The preschool that Brandy & team created here at Conner Prairie: https://www.connerprairie.org/educate/prescho...

Our first Presidential episode of This is Problematic featuring the (not so) well known US President John Tyler (AKA "His Accidency")! Today's trip through the problematic life of President Tyler is guided by your favorite hosts Hannah & Easton, as well as special guests Dylan Rawles (Curatorial Assistant at Conner Prairie) and Ryan Shank (Director of Digital Experiences).  Sources: Edward P. Crap...

Join Hannah and Easton as they travel across the globe exploring why Halloween becomes an opportunity to fetishize the dead, and the very scary roads this leads down.  Sources: Buffenstein, Alyssa. "Spend a Truly Bizarre Halloween Night in the Catacombs of Paris," Artnet News. Accessed at https://news.artnet.com/art-world/halloween-catacombs-paris-341393 .    Harrap, Caroline. "Happy Kataloween: t...

We are grateful to be joined by the incredible Kisha Tandy MLIS, who is an Assistant Curator at the Indiana State Museum, and Paula Brooks, an activist here in the city of Indianapolis, a Program Manager at the Hoosier Environmental Council and a lifelong member of the community of Indianapolis. Today they are talking with us about their experiences of how Indianapolis has changed over recent year...

Conner Prairie's Curator of Native American History & Life is joining us to talk about the story of Mekinges. Mekinges was a Lenape woman who lived on the land that is now Conner Prairie at the turn of the 19th century. She was William Conner's first wife and had six children with him before experiencing removal with her community. We explore how her story has been told in the past and the changes...

David Heighway is back to talk to us about the untold story of Pete Smith. Pete was a free Black man living in Hamilton County, IN in 1820. He found himself being captured and taken into enslavement in Kentucky. We explore how his life interesected with Conner Prairie and William Conner, as well as how his story has not been told and what the next steps are for sharing it.   David Heighway: You ca...

Dive with us into the first of our three part series about the history of the land that Conner Prairie sits on today. Our first episode is about William Conner, the namesake of the William Conner House here at the Prairie. We are joined by Hamilton County Historian to dive into all areas of his life-the good, the bad and the ugly!   David Heighway:   You can find more about Hamilton East Public Li...

Join Hannah and Easton for a discussion with Dr Liza Black about Native American Representation and Misrepresentations throughout American Culture and Media. This discussion spans the range of sports to film and includes recommendations for how to diversify your media consumption.  Dr. Liza Black: Her IU bio: https://history.indiana.edu/faculty_staff/faculty/black_liza.html Liza's website: https:/...

Historian Dr Charlene Fletcher comes to the podcast, with expertise in US History and a decade of experience working in the Criminal Justice system, to explore a case from Indiana's history with Hannah and Easton. The murder of Kent Brown in 1893 rocked the small town of Winchester, Indiana. His story since then has gone largely untold, join us as we finally tell it and explore what it says about...

Join Hannah and Easton as they introduce you to This is Problematic , a Conner Prairie podcast! Discussion of the upcoming first season of the podcast and what you have to look forward to.

Today Hannah and Easton are sitting down on This is Problematic , a Conner Prairie podcast, with the institution's President and CEO, Norman Burns, to discuss the topic of First Person Interpretation. As a museum that has employed this strategy for telling history this is an opportunity to get a glimpse into the past, present and future of this type of storytelling. Show Notes: Norman Burns: @Norm...