Our Leopold's Shack with Aldo's Shack Inset

Vision Statement: 

Our Leopold’s Shack is a space where conversations lead to a deeper, meaningful dialogue and connections between people.  Selected pieces of literature are read and discussed amongst participants.  Participants curate a Pop-Up museum by bringing the items that symbolize “conservation” to them.  This Pop-Up Museum collection initiates a dialogue amongst participants when they describe the objects to each other.  We hope that the museum will lead to a more thoughtful, engaged, and vibrant society oriented towards conserving our natural resources and history.

Description: 

Our Leopold’s Shack is a classroom space used as part of the Adult Museum Sleep-In on February 10 & 11, 2012.  Our Leopold’s Shack will be a space that is decorated with items associated with Aldo Leopold’s Shack, Baraboo, Sauk County, Wisconsin, USA such as hurricane lamps, cast iron cookware, hand cross-cut saws, camp chairs, wooden benches, and wooden tables.  David Leff, a local conservationist and author, read excerpts from literature with the theme of Winter and Conservation.  We took nature walks, share meals, and sleep in the museum among the exhibits.  We learned more about the flora and fauna inhabiting our region.  We also had an exhibit of items that participants brought to “show and tell” how each item represents conservation to each participant.  Participants labeled their items on a 4” x 6” index card that described the piece and what it means to them.  This Pop-Up museum introduced the “Conservation Conversation”.  The group discussed the collected objects by comparing and contrasting the pieces.  We encouraged a dialogue that lead the group towards discovering their shared values and the ethics that lead them towards making conservation decisions.  The Pop-Up Museum “catalogue” is a published on this website for other viewers to review.  We hope to encourage other groups to use this activity as a template for their Aldo Leopold Event activities.