What drew you to your role with The Henry Ford and what inspires you in the work you do?
“I worked at The Henry Ford three times in my life. I had been teaching in the history department at Eastern Illinois University when a dream job became open (in 2017) – curator of agriculture and the environment – and I knew that there were incredibly important stories to tell. I decided to launch into yet another career as the curator of agriculture and the environment at The Henry Ford. It has been an amazing learning experience – getting to meet incredible people and working with one of the best collections of agriculture and the environment in the country, if not the world.”
One of my favorite pieces of history is the collection of agriculture artifacts that are on display in the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation that surveys technology. Within that we have copy that talks about the people and the ways people had to make decisions about labor and mechanics to ensure their food supply. That’s always a highlight. Then there are magnificent resources that are within Greenfield Village. There are orchards and kitchen gardens and a working history farm. As many as 1.8 million people come through the institution a year experience these items. The Benson Ford Research center has the equivalent of five miles of linear feet of archival material, many of which tell stories about agriculture and the environment. It’s a treasure trove.”
How do you hope this symposium and The Henry Ford’s exhibits educate people?
“Agriculture is a topic that almost no one may be passionate about, and yet everybody is passionate and very concerned about their food supply. There is a direct relationship between agriculture and the food supply, and of course the environment. People continue to explore this, but it doesn’t change the fact that about 98% of people in the U.S. have no direct connection to agriculture. Any ways that this event and our attractions at The Henry Ford can help people connect to the place where food grows, the processes involved, as well as the scientific understanding of nutrition and the values of fresh fruits and vegetables is great. We have such a unique package to share with the general public.”
What are you, yourself, interested in learning about from the symposium?
“It’s always inspiring to engage with a visionary. I think Dr. Feldman is a visionary who’s established this kind of public engagement between university scientists, experts, historians, and folks like me who don’t know enough about how to keep their brain healthy. I’m interested in both being inspired by that vision and learning from experts. Danielle Karsies is going to provide the practical “how-to” of the theory and the method. We each have a role to play in applying the method to our lives and sustaining and hopefully strengthening our brain health.”