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Light moment: Gardner Chappell talks with Dale Roark of Roseburg after the commissioners’ meeting at the Douglas County Courthouse Wednesday.
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ENLARGE
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Meeting: New Douglas County Museum Director Gardner Chappell listens in on the commissioners meeting Wednesday at the Douglas County Courthouse.
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Even though Gardner Chappell had spent more than three years at the Culture & Heritage Museums, a complex of museums and cultural centers outside Charlotte, S.C., he was nonetheless inspired by what he saw at the Douglas County Museum.
He liked the extensive collection of historical artifacts at the museum located between Interstate 5 and the Douglas County Fairgrounds. Chappell said the photographs, personal items and other possessions were perfect for telling the county’s story. He’s just not sure area residents are aware of that.
“People forget about things in their own backyard,” said Chappell, who took over as the county’s new museum director on Monday. “I’ve been to a lot of museums and this one is impressive.”
Chappell, 35, was chosen over two other finalists for the $50,003-a-year job. At the time Chappell was selected, commissioners said they were impressed by his enthusiasm and his desire to reach out to children.
“We’re very happy to have him here,” said Commissioner Marilyn Kittelman, who has resumed her former position as the liaison commissioner to the museum.
Chappell has spent his first few days on the job getting acquainted with the rest of the museum staff and other county officials. He has also looked over the facility and examined its holdings a little more closely.
One of the first things he would like to organize is an online catalog of at least a portion of the museum’s photographic collection. Thousands of images are stored at the museum, but having them online would give residents easier access and would likely lead to increased sales of reprints, he said.
“They’re great. They’re a moment in time,” Chappell said, as he looked up at an enlargement of a scene on Roseburg’s Jackson Street in the early 1900s. The photograph was mounted on a wall of the museum’s conference room.
Over the past six years, the museum has developed several plans to guide the museum in the future. Chappell said he would like to examine each of the plans and pull out ideas from each that he believes would be valuable in helping the museum improve.
“I’d like to see what’s doable and what isn’t,” he said.
Chappell, who grew up in California, earned a master’s degree in liberal arts and secondary education from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C. He obtained his undergraduate degrees in history and sociology from Clemson University in Clemson, S.C.
At the Culture & Heritage Museums, Chappell coordinated interpretive content research and planning, devised organizational restructuring and alignment plans.
Chappell also developed staff policies and a code of ethics for staff members, volunteers and board members.
He liked the extensive collection of historical artifacts at the museum located between Interstate 5 and the Douglas County Fairgrounds. Chappell said the photographs, personal items and other possessions were perfect for telling the county’s story. He’s just not sure area residents are aware of that.
“People forget about things in their own backyard,” said Chappell, who took over as the county’s new museum director on Monday. “I’ve been to a lot of museums and this one is impressive.”
Chappell, 35, was chosen over two other finalists for the $50,003-a-year job. At the time Chappell was selected, commissioners said they were impressed by his enthusiasm and his desire to reach out to children.
“We’re very happy to have him here,” said Commissioner Marilyn Kittelman, who has resumed her former position as the liaison commissioner to the museum.
Chappell has spent his first few days on the job getting acquainted with the rest of the museum staff and other county officials. He has also looked over the facility and examined its holdings a little more closely.
One of the first things he would like to organize is an online catalog of at least a portion of the museum’s photographic collection. Thousands of images are stored at the museum, but having them online would give residents easier access and would likely lead to increased sales of reprints, he said.
“They’re great. They’re a moment in time,” Chappell said, as he looked up at an enlargement of a scene on Roseburg’s Jackson Street in the early 1900s. The photograph was mounted on a wall of the museum’s conference room.
Over the past six years, the museum has developed several plans to guide the museum in the future. Chappell said he would like to examine each of the plans and pull out ideas from each that he believes would be valuable in helping the museum improve.
“I’d like to see what’s doable and what isn’t,” he said.
Chappell, who grew up in California, earned a master’s degree in liberal arts and secondary education from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C. He obtained his undergraduate degrees in history and sociology from Clemson University in Clemson, S.C.
At the Culture & Heritage Museums, Chappell coordinated interpretive content research and planning, devised organizational restructuring and alignment plans.
Chappell also developed staff policies and a code of ethics for staff members, volunteers and board members.
Chappell left the Culture & Heritage Museums last summer to take a position with an Oregon arts group. The organization then folded, leaving Chappell without a job. He was later hired by the Oregon Department of Education as an administrative specialist, where he worked while looking for another museum job.
He sees his role as museum director as helping “preserve and protect those things that people feel are important components that speak to the history of this county.”
He sees that as encompassing both objects and residents’ stories.
He sees his role as museum director as helping “preserve and protect those things that people feel are important components that speak to the history of this county.”
He sees that as encompassing both objects and residents’ stories.
RECEPTION set
<b>WHAT:</b> Reception for new Museum Director Gardner Chappell
<b>WHEN:</b> 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. April 6 <b>WHERE:</b> Douglas County Museum, located 1 mile south of Roseburg on the Douglas County Fairgrounds campus at 123 Museum Drive <b>INFORMATION:</b> 957-7007 |
Chappell said he would like to incorporate the museum’s holdings with school lessons that can be shared with students of all ages. He said he remembers going to a Los Angeles area museum to see an exhibit on King Tut when he was a youngster.
He would like to impart the same fascination and excitement he felt to students who come to the Douglas County Museum.
He said he would also like to work closely with educators to develop lessons built around the county’s history.
“We need to be a top-of-the-mind resource for teachers,” Chappell said.
Chappell said he doesn’t plan to spend much time thinking about what happened at the museum over the past year. Former Museum Director Stacey McLaughlin was suspended, reinstated and later fired.
She filed suit in U.S. District Court in Eugene, alleging wrongful discharge, defamation and retaliation. She is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
“My goal is to define where we’re going rather than to see where we’ve gone,” Chappell said. “I think it’s important for the organization to have a fresh start.”
• You can reach reporter John Sowell at 957-4209 or by e-mail at jsowell@newsreview.info.
He would like to impart the same fascination and excitement he felt to students who come to the Douglas County Museum.
He said he would also like to work closely with educators to develop lessons built around the county’s history.
“We need to be a top-of-the-mind resource for teachers,” Chappell said.
Chappell said he doesn’t plan to spend much time thinking about what happened at the museum over the past year. Former Museum Director Stacey McLaughlin was suspended, reinstated and later fired.
She filed suit in U.S. District Court in Eugene, alleging wrongful discharge, defamation and retaliation. She is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
“My goal is to define where we’re going rather than to see where we’ve gone,” Chappell said. “I think it’s important for the organization to have a fresh start.”
• You can reach reporter John Sowell at 957-4209 or by e-mail at jsowell@newsreview.info.
