What are themes? What are not themes? Why are they essential for good interpretation?
A theme, quite simply, is The Point.
It can be the Point of a novel, play, art, lecture, or any other slightly abstract (or interpretive!) form of communication. When asked, the almighty Google provided some examples of themes like: love, identity, death, belonging, war and peace, time, hope… et cetera. Though these Universal Themes are great method to relate an idea to many people – likely due to common life experiences or common notions of human nature – it’s still not quite The Point.
Interpreters use a main theme and sub themes to concisely state The Point of an exhibit, tour, program, or other form of interpretive media.
A theme should be no more than one sentence, but much more than one or two words, and may never actually be stated or printed for visitors to see. Theoretically, in an evaluation exercise, the main theme is what visitors should respond with when asked “can you briefly summarize what you just saw/ experienced/ heard in our exhibit/ tour?”
I’ve frequently seen the words “topics” and “themes” used interchangeably, which doesn’t quite work for good interpretation.
Themes are not topics, but your organization’s stance on a topic.
Topics are broad, such as “desert ecology”, “geology”, or “WWII”, and are a good starting place. The problem with topics is that there is no point. They don’t answer the most important question a visitor will have while experiencing your interpretation. As Sam Ham says, So What?
Answering that question is a great way to start developing your interpretive theme. If your Desert State Park wants an exhibit about “desert ecology”, start by answering “So what about desert ecology at this State Park?” Is it about the protection of the species, the hostile environment they live in, the preservation of their environment, or the unique adaptations to their environment? Or, is it a mix of it! Here’s an example I used last year for a State Park:
- Topic: Desert Ecology
- Theme: Life is fragile in this extreme environment, surviving through adaptation and interconnection.
This theme takes the topic of desert ecology one step further and tells me something about it. It provides key concepts like fragility, extreme environments, survival, and adaptations / interconnections (aka the ecology web), that content developers, researchers, and designers can use to build exhibit elements and interactives from.
And when all is said and done, themes and sub-themes (along with an associated content/graphic hierarchy) are the best way to easily communicate information to the visitor. They are who this piece of interpretation is truly for, after all. The best themes are designed with the audience in mind from the beginning.
Writing a theme to get to The Point you want to make about a topic also helps narrow down the types of information to include.
There is an overwhelming potential of content that can fall under a topic. A theme can be used as a selection tool to narrow down the interpretive focus about that topic. If you find you have too many resources you want to display, the main theme and sub-themes can be used to pick and choose the best examples that reinforce the theme.
For example, if your topic is WWII, but your sub-theme is “HMS Ship’s status as a national icon was used by the Royal Navy to inspire and motivate solders during WWII,” you may choose to select objects that highlight HMS Ship’s status as an icon during the war – instead of military medals and ledgers – even though all resources fall under the topic of WWII.
Or, if designers are designing a little too close to the sun, interpreters can use themes to pull them back down to earth. Blue-sky thinking only takes a project so far, until the team is faced with the true gravity of the situation.
emilymfriesen consulting 