October 19, 2016 – Matthew Fisher

Principal, Night Kitchen Interactive

From Exclusion to Representation: Digital Exhibitions Interpreting Slavery, Disability and Prejudice in American History”

Museums, libraries and cultural institutions are constantly reframing their narratives to accommodate emerging voices and viewpoints as they strive to portray a more inclusive picture of American History. Stories that were largely only shared in scholarly circles are being presented to the general public. Digital exhibits, often more so than their physical counterparts, provide wonderful venues to explore these complex, multifaceted stories. Matthew will share his experiences collaborating with several institutions as they embraced challenging topics, including: Re-envisioning the www.monticello.org website with the Thomas Jefferson Foundation to accommodate the stories of slavery and plantation life, Exposing the “disturbingly informative” extremities of the human body in the Memento Mutter online exhibit for the Mutter Museum, and sharing the experiences of Japanese American WWII veterans and life in American Concentration Camps with the Smithsonian.
 
Matthew Fisher is Principal and Lead Interactive Designer for Night Kitchen Interactive (www.whatscookin.com), an award-winning digital storytelling studio based in Philadelphia. For nearly 20 years Matthew has partnered with museums and arts and cultural institutions to craft online exhibits and interactive installations, sharing his deep commitment to telling challenging stories and exploring difficult subject matter. Matthew has published several papers for the Museums and the Web annual proceedings including Rousing the Mobile Herd: Apps that Encourage Real Space Engagement (co-authored with Jennifer Moses, 2013) and co-authored a chapter in Letting Go?: Sharing Historical Authority in a User-Generated World (Left Coast Press, 2012). Matthew studied Drama and Filmmaking at Vassar College.
Matthew Fisher