Sonoma Stories and the Song Wong Bourbeau Collection: A Model for an Exhibition and a Public Outreach Program—An Innovative Approach to CRM

Purpose of the Investigative Project: In accordance with the Collection's Management Policy of the Sonoma County Museum, will be (1) to assist the Museum in interpreting a thematically based multimedia presentation of a portion of their collection; (2) to emphasize a certain continuity in the Museum's and county's material culture and landscape; (3) to contribute to the inventory of collections prior to the Museum's major expansion; (4) to foster a partnership between the Museum and the public it serves; and (5) to involve other repositories of the county's material culture (e.g. the ASC, the Sonoma County Library's History Annex) through collection loan agreements and exposure of archaeology and related discipline's "grey literature."

Procedure: This investigative project documents through text, photographs and images, planned exhibitions, audiotapes, oral histories, curriculum guides, and suggested field trips the "Chinese cultural heritage" of Sonoma County using the Song Wong Bourbeau Collection. An exhaustive search of public records relating to Sonoma County was undertaken including: primary and secondary source material, newspapers, maps, diaries, letters, manuscripts, photographs, oral histories, and the grey literature of archaeology and related disciplines. Virtual displays were designed to accompany the planned exhibit. Interpretive texts for displays include the use of stories excerpted from autobiographies, oral histories, and poetry. A collaborative community model was the basis for research methods.

Findings: This collection illustrates the continuity of cultural heritage over time, as family members care take objects of historical and cultural significance—from a pair of Chinese slippers for bound feet from Song's grandmother to altar accoutrements from the temple to Song's collection of figurines in clay and ivory to generations of family photographs. Historical analysis necessary in the process of public interpretation of heritage-based displays is aided by gathering ethnographic data. The Song Wong Bourbeau family legacy is Sonoma County's quintessential example of the Chinese experience in Western history. Song herself epitomized the women in the West who, in historian Richard White's (1991:315) words, "were quick to extend its boundaries into the culturally defined male spheres of business and commerce." The Song Wong Bourbeau Collection was to be subject to a complete inventory for this investigative project. Complications and errors with the collection quickly surfaced. It became evident that an inventory had not been performed in many years. There are objects in the collection apparently stored in an offsite facility that has no inventory list. Catalogue mistakes were noted, object location data was missing or inaccurate, and objects were found improperly stored.

Conclusions: Museums must be perceived as knowledgeable interpreters for a meaningful experience to transpire. Therefore, this project used all available sources—art, museum collections, archaeology, primary documents offering a "culturally sensitive perspective" (Beaudry, Cook, and Mrozowski 1996:281), and audiovisual components—in showcasing the exhibit. An innovative approach to meaningful public interpretation of artifacts, museum collections, and historical landscapes involves the use of storytelling. The techniques used include: excerpts of oral histories, relevant autobiographies, and primary and secondary source material. Combining authoritative and aesthetic reference points invites audiences to actively construct their knowledge and subjectively value their experience (Barrie 2001:27), which is the foundation of a meaningful interpretive experience. I recommend that the scope of the project's model exhibit be extended to include the entire collection in continued collaboration with the Redwood Empire Chinese Association, the Chinese Cultural Center of San Francisco, the Chinese Historical Society of America, and archaeologist at the Asian American Collaborative Collection. I also recommend a thorough audit of this collection to rectify gaps and errors in associated records.