Museum director speaks on Mound House
Mound House museum director Alison Giesen appears to be a perfect fit to forge a new era at the 2.8-acre historic property at the end of Connecticut Street and into a full opening in the 2015 year.
“I am very excited to be here,” she said. “When I read the job description, it was like something it was written specifically for me.”
With schooling and a background in archaeology and a Masters degree in museum studies, Giesen may be the prototypical match for the position on Fort Myers Beach. Couple that with field experience in cultural resource management -the same work that SEARCH, a leading archaeology company providing archaeological consulting and monitoring services and currently working on Mound House projects- including land use research, report writing, grant writing and other services as well as curator work and various museum experience, anyone would agree that she has a great understanding at the task at hand.
“I really got to see how everything works,” she said.
Giesen met with members of the Friends of Mound House organization at the Fort Myers Beach Library last Thursday to discuss the task at hand. She was also given a welcome reception at an island residence the night before.
“Mound House is just a wonderful historical building on top of this great, great shell mound,” she said. “I am hitting the ground running. We are really focusing on trying to get that exhibit open, site ready and programs in place.”
Friends of Mound House organization, Town Cultural and Environmental Learning Center Advisory Board and Mound House volunteers are all involved in the vision to ensure all visitors will enjoy a full historic and cultural experience at the site by collectively visualizing both immediate and long-term goals for the Mound House site and grounds.
Friends of the Mound House president Barbara Hill spoke on behalf of the organization just how excited they are to have a lead person at the William H. Case House that is currently being restored to its 1921 grandeur.
“You are so enthusiastic about everything at the Mound House, and that is what we need,” she said.
Giesen is working with the groups as well as Town Council to solve what may be the biggest issue – parking. The timing is right for Town officials to embrace her expertise.
“I am so excited to come in at a time like this to have an opportunity to really be a part of this process,” she said. “Many museums aren’t at this stage.”
After traveling the southern portion of the nation doing various professional jobs, Giesen moved to Florida and worked at Pinellas County Heritage Village before settling in as chief curator at Edison & Ford Winter Estates, the position she held before her Beach hire.
Geisen spoke about how the Town-contracted firm SEARCH is doing in their designing, fabricating and installing of the museum exhibits, CELCAB’s work on interior and exterior signage for the property, furniture placement and observation pier construction. Fabrication alone was reported to take from 45 to 60 days.
Observation pier work is expected to begin in mid-December and hopes are to finish the project in early March 2015. The pier, which is approximately 2,500 square feet and a curved shape so it doesn’t extend very far out into the bay, will be another facet of the historical experience for visitors.
“We are excited about that moving forward,” Giesen said.
While the projects are being completed, ongoing programs are still being offered on a donation basis.
There has been neighborhood opposition about a few things involved with Mound House. A preview party for property neighbors was suggested.
“I look forward to meeting all the neighbors, because I want to be on a first-name basis and want to feel like they can come and talk to me,” she said. “I also want to communicate with them when things are happening. I know that probably not everyone is going to be happy, but I am going to do my best to address and make sure they feel like they are heard, valued and said whatever there concerns are.”
Giesen realizes the frustration involved with unofficial timelines not being met, but the museum pieces must be installed right the first time. There is no redoing in that phase of work.
“We want to make sure we engage our audience, make them excited about wanting to learn more and make sure we have a large variety of audiences that we are reaching,” she said. “We want to make sure that no one is excluded from learning and that they are getting the message. We want them to come back and learn more.”