To the editor:

One of the most beautiful buildings in Lawrence is the Watkins Museum run by the Douglas County Historical Society. It is elegant and grand and relatively untouched by hideous modern improvements.

Unfortunately, it also houses exhibits that are more like glorified books than interesting, well-curated, multisensory experiences. When I compare the creative, family-friendly exhibits at the Kansas Museum of History in Topeka, many of which are curated by and designed by Kansas University people, I can’t figure out why the Douglas County museum exhibits look more like something you’d see at a science fair.

The president of the board is head of the museum studies department at KU, responsible for educating future curators and exhibit designers. Shouldn’t the Watkins Museum be a fertile laboratory?

As a history buff and parent, I’m concerned when the excellent kid corner on the third floor has graffiti in the little playhouse. Why is it neglected? The Watkins Museum needs to evaluate its mission and its future.

If the leaders don’t value or know how to prepare excellently curated exhibits they should find a creative visionary who can, or become a center solely for research and preservation.

Megan Helm,

Lawrence