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Archaeology Fairs and Community-Based Approaches to Heritage Education

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 January 2017

Ben Thomas  and
Meredith Anderson Langlitz
Ben Thomas
Affiliation:
Archaeological Institute of America, Boston University, 656 Beacon Street, 6th Floor, Boston, MA 02215-2006, (BThomas@aia.bu.edu;, mlanglitz@aia.bu.edu)
Meredith Anderson Langlitz
Affiliation:
Archaeological Institute of America, Boston University, 656 Beacon Street, 6th Floor, Boston, MA 02215-2006, (BThomas@aia.bu.edu;, mlanglitz@aia.bu.edu)
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Abstract

Since hosting its first archaeology fair in 2001, the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) has organized 23 more fairs and informed thousands of people through this popular outreach activity. The AIA fair model brings together independent archaeological organizations representing a rich array of archaeological subfields to present their programs and resources to a local community in an interactive and engaging manner. The goals of AIA archaeology fairs are to promote a greater public understanding of archaeology, raise awareness of local archaeological resources, and bring together proximate archaeological groups with a shared outreach goal. In this article, the authors discuss how the AIA fair model was developed through feedback cycles that include evaluation, data analysis, reflection, and trial and error; how it evolved; and how it is spreading to other groups around the world. To date, 26 AIA local societies have hosted fairs, and the popularity of this program as an outreach event is increasing among other archaeological groups across the United States, as well as in Belize, Canada, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Iran, and Myanmar. This growth in popularity and implementation presents us with unique opportunities to collect and reflect upon data essential to conducting archaeological outreach around the globe.

Resumen

Resumen

Desde su primera feria de arqueología en 2001, el Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) ha organizado un total de 23 ferias e informado a miles de personas de su compromiso a través de esta actividad. Con su modelo de feria, el AIA reúne a organizaciones arqueológicas independientes que representan una rica variedad de campos para presentar sus programas y recursos a la comunidad local de una manera atractiva e interactiva. Los objetivos de las ferias de arqueología del AIA son promover una mayor comprensión pública de la arqueología, aumentar la conciencia de los recursos arqueológicos locales y reunir a los grupos interesados en divulgación. En este artículo, los autores discuten cómo el modelo de ferias del AIA se desarrolla a través de ciclos de retroalimentación que incluyen la evaluación, el análisis de datos, la reflexión y la técnica de ensayo y error, cómo evolucionó, y cómo se está extendiendo a otros grupos en todo el mundo. En este momento, 26 sociedades locales de AIA han acogido ferias y la popularidad de este programa como un evento de alcance está aumentando entre otros grupos arqueológicos de EE.UU., Belice, Canadá, Colombia, la República Checa, Irán y Myanmar. Este crecimiento de la popularidad y la implementación nos presenta oportunidades únicas para obtener datos y reflexionar sobre ellos, datos esenciales para la divulgación arqueológica en todo el mundo.

Type
Research Article
Information
Advances in Archaeological Practice , Volume 4 , Issue 4: Special Issue: Designing and Assessing Public Education Programs in Archaeology , November 2016 , pp. 465 - 478
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 2016

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References

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