Elmhurst History Museum curator searching for those 'Oh, wow' moments

Daniel Bartlett is a man in a hurry.

Truth be told, in just his second full month as curator of exhibits at the Elmhurst History Museum, he probably could use a pair of roller skates to keep up.

But more about that later.

For now, though, he's just scrambled up a flight of stairs to grab the phone and answer a bunch of questions about what brought him to Elmhurst, what he hopes to accomplish here and how he hopes to build on the museum's tradition while finding new and even better ways to tell stories that resonate with residents and help them understand their connection to the larger urban experience.

If you still think local history museums are dark and dusty places with static displays and limited relevance in our digital world, you haven't been to the Elmhurst museum lately.

And you haven't met Daniel Bartlett.

Facing a challenge

The first thing you need to know is that Bartlett has some big shoes to fill. His predecessor, Lance Tawzer, spent nine years in Elmhurst before taking a job at Naper Settlement in Naperville, and during that time he developed a reputation for creating imaginative exhibits that explored everything from the city's connection to jazz to the infamous Disco Demolition at Comiskey Park.

Bartlett knows all that - "God, the shoes are big," he says - but this isn't his first rodeo.

He came riding into town after 10 years at Beloit College's Logan Museum of Anthropology, where he was curator of exhibits and education and an adjunct instructor of museum studies.

That was all very nice, but he admits he was starting to feel restless and eager to try something new.

"I have always needed a challenge," he says.

So when the Elmhurst post opened, the 56-year-old says, "I threw my hat in the ring and it landed in the right spot."

Dave Oberg, the museum's executive director, says Bartlett impressed everybody on staff with his creativity and his background in creating interactive exhibits.

"He tries to reach people with different learning styles with different approaches," Oberg says. "He likes to engage the public in planning exhibits … and public engagement is really an important part of what we do."

"I'm a historian by training," Bartlett says, "and I love to tell stories through exhibits."

Elmhurst seemed a perfect fit.

First, it's a history museum with a good reputation.

Second, with a staff of four full-time and three part-time employees, he views it as an ideal size.

"I occasionally like to get called in to help with another department," Bartlett says. "I like the collaboration that comes with a small staff."

Finally, he was impressed by support for the museum and its mission from city officials, residents and the Elmhurst Heritage Foundation.

So he consulted with his significant other and when she agreed, they moved to Logan Park, where Bartlett learned his first lesson about commuting.

"There are no potholes," he says, "like Chicago potholes."

'Rink Rats'

Bartlett started working remotely in April and arrived full-time at the museum in mid-May.

He'll tell you he's been racing to get up to speed ever since. He's been so busy, in fact, he still hasn't unpacked most of the stuff in his office.

Happily, the museum's second-floor exhibit, "By All Accounts: The Story of Elmhurst," provided an ideal crash course.

"The first thing I did on my first day was do that exhibit," he says.

In his new role, Bartlett says he wants to build on the museum's success in producing exhibits that resonate in Elmhurst and beyond.

On this day, for example, the staff is taking down a traveling exhibit from the Charles M. Schultz Museum that featured Snoopy and the Red Baron and attracted more than 5,000 visitors.

Next up is "Chicago Rink Rats: The Golden Age of Roller Skating," which opens Friday, July 13, in the former Glos Mansion near downtown.

The key to the exhibit, he says, is establishing the connection between roller skating in Elmhurst and the larger national trend that gripped the country in the 1950s.

The Elm Skating Rink and its iconic sign featuring a giant skate opened around that time and became something of a Mecca for folks on wheels before the fad faded and the rink closed in the 1980s.

'Crowd-curated'

The museum's exhibit schedule already is planned through 2020, but Bartlett says he has some ideas for helping it along.

Next spring, for example, the staff is planning an exhibit called "Are We There Yet? The Great American Road Trip" and he wants at least part of it to be "crowd-curated" by asking residents to contribute vacation photos, souvenirs and even home movies - along with the stories behind them.

Some of those memories may be serious and some may be frivolous, but Bartlett believes they'll all help provide context and a more "nuanced and inclusive view of history."

With that premise in mind, he's also giving thought to creating "hand-held exhibits" that folks could tap into on their cellphones to receive information and historic pictures when they're at key locations in the city.

"We're talking about taking the history of the community out of the Glos Mansion with digital," he says.

'Cool history'

For now, though, Bartlett is busy with the "Rinks" exhibit and trying to get a better feel for the city and maybe even unpacking some of those boxes in his office.

"Elmhurst has this real pride in its community history," he says. "People say, 'We've got a cool history.'"

He wants to build on that to tell stories that move people. He wants to create exhibits that bolster the museum's attendance and make people want to come back. He wants visitors to say "I learned something" or just "Oh, wow."

For a new guy, it can seem a little daunting, a little scary. But he really doesn't have time to worry.

He's got a lot to do. And Daniel Bartlett is a man in a hurry.

If you go

What: Elmhurst History Museum

Where: 120 E. Park Ave., Elmhurst

Hours: 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays and Tuesdays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays

Cost: Free

Info: elmhursthistory.org or (630) 833-1457