MENU

Sections

  • Home
  • About
    • The Chestertown Spy
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising & Underwriting
      • Advertising Terms & Conditions
    • Editors & Writers
    • Dedication & Acknowledgements
    • Code of Ethics
    • Chestertown Spy Terms of Service
    • Technical FAQ
    • Privacy
  • The Arts and Design
  • Local Life and Culture
  • Public Affairs
    • Ecosystem
    • Education
    • Health
  • Community Opinion
  • Donate to the Chestertown Spy
  • Free Subscription
  • Talbot Spy
  • Cambridge Spy

More

  • Support the Spy
  • About Spy Community Media
  • Advertising with the Spy
  • Subscribe
May 16, 2025

Chestertown Spy

Nonpartisan and Education-based News for Chestertown

  • Home
  • About
    • The Chestertown Spy
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising & Underwriting
      • Advertising Terms & Conditions
    • Editors & Writers
    • Dedication & Acknowledgements
    • Code of Ethics
    • Chestertown Spy Terms of Service
    • Technical FAQ
    • Privacy
  • The Arts and Design
  • Local Life and Culture
  • Public Affairs
    • Ecosystem
    • Education
    • Health
  • Community Opinion
  • Donate to the Chestertown Spy
  • Free Subscription
  • Talbot Spy
  • Cambridge Spy
Education Education WC

Tour Five Regional Museums Through WC Virtual Reality

November 18, 2023 by Washington College News Service

Share

Center for Environment & Society (CES) and the Digital Scholarship in Museum Partnerships (DSMP) project are proud to invite local and regional visitors to virtually “tour” the collections from several regional museums, all in one place. Housed in the community space at 210 South Cross Street in downtown Chestertown, the exhibit includes interactive exhibit banners from the DSMP’s collaborations with Kent County museums over the last six years, including Betterton Heritage Museum, the Worton Point Schoolhouse, the Waterman’s Museum, the Kent Museum, and Sumner Hall.  

With the goal of preserving and providing greater access to the local histories of our community, the exhibit offers digitized looks into each museum viewable through virtual reality with 360-degree virtual tours of the museums, a look at digitized collections from each site, oral history interviews, and more. The exhibit also features a new curved projection theatre which creates an immersive environment in which to experience the virtual tours.  

 The panels were created by Washington College students participating in the DSMP project and serve as a continuation of their work which was curated under the guidance of Sara Clarke-De Reza, Associate Professor of Education and Director of the Museum, Community & Field Education Minor; Julie Markin, Professor of Anthropology and Director of Archaeology; and Raven Bishop, Assistant Director of Educational Technology and Lead of the Virtual/Augmented Reality Digital Imaging Studio at the Millier Library. After a successful one-day pop-up showcase of the project last fall, an opportunity to put the work on display for a longer period, and for a wider public audience, emerged at the Cross Street space.  

 “Working with these museums affords our students the opportunity to apply concepts and best practices learned in the classroom to a project that makes a real impact for the local community,” said Bishop. “Students and community stakeholders are immediately able to see the real-world impact of this work as it improves access to the history and culture of Kent County within and beyond our community.” 

 Bishop added that community partners often report that their organizations feel reinvigorated by the energy and enthusiasm that DSMP students bring to the project. The reciprocal relationship advances the common purpose of providing greater access to the important cultural heritage of the Eastern Shore that is held in so many small, rural community museums. 

 “It would be easy to say that the technology is the most interesting part of this project,” said Bishop. “But what is most exciting about this project is the way students are able to authentically contribute to a community-engaged digital scholarship project with real-world impact. Bringing students off of the Washington College campus and into meaningful partnership with community members is one of the most important goals of our work. Students benefit from feeling a stronger connection to place and feel-good knowing that they can contribute to Kent County in a small way.”  

 The exhibit is located at 210 South Cross Street and is open to the public through January on the First Fridays of each month from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., as well as every Saturday from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. The collections may also be viewed by appointment. Scanning the QR codes on the exhibit’s exterior windows will allow access to digital versions of the exhibit even when the space is closed. Cultural Heritage organizations are encouraged to reserve time in the space to hold meetings. 

 More information about the Digital Scholarship in Museum Partnerships Project can be found here: 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Education, WC

Food Friday: Thanksgiving Prep Upper Shore Aging Selected for 2023 Thome Aging Well Grant

Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article

We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.

Copyright © 2025

Affiliated News

  • The Cambridge Spy
  • The Talbot Spy

Sections

  • Arts
  • Culture
  • Ecosystem
  • Education
  • Health
  • Local Life and Culture
  • Spy Senior Nation

Spy Community Media

  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
  • Advertising & Underwriting

Copyright © 2025 · Spy Community Media Child Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in