• Read What’s the plan? The Interpretive Master Plan

    Curator Corner

    What’s the plan? The Interpretive Master Plan

    Curator Corner blog - The long and fulfilling process to create the critical planning document for the National VA History Center is done. The Interpretive Master Plan details the themes and stories that will be told within the future NVAHC.

  • Read Training the next generation of history professionals is a win-win

    Curator Corner

    Training the next generation of history professionals is a win-win

    Curator Corner blog - The National VA History Center (NVAHC) is relatively new in tenure, but has already started bringing on interns as they embark on careers as history professionals.

  • Read From the collection: Where’s the tumor? Preserving medical innovation artifacts

    Curator Corner

    From the collection: Where’s the tumor? Preserving medical innovation artifacts

    Curator Corner blog - There’s a 3D tumor out there and the VA History Center wants it. The quest for contemporary artifacts is a constant challenge. It’s not simply a question of what to collect, but when, where, and how to collect items of potential value to our collection. In this case, the hunt is on for an item used in an innovative collaboration at the Seattle VA Medical Center to safely remove a tumor from a Veteran’s kidney.

  • Read Core project team for museum moving forward

    Curator Corner

    Core project team for museum moving forward

    Curator Corner blog - A key first step in developing a new museum is an Interpretive Master Plan (IMP) and a core project team to create it. On June 9, 2021, a group of VA employees met with the staff from the Smithsonian Exhibits program to begin forming the team that would begin planning for a future VA museum.

  • Read From the collection: A donation from VA employee

    Curator Corner

    From the collection: A donation from VA employee

    Curator Corner blog - A VA employee found a historic blanket at a flea market. She then learned about the National VA History Center and made a call. Soon it was a donation item to the collection. Check out this courtesy story from the Eastern Oklahoma VA Health Care System.

  • Read From the collection: Happy Halloween and creepy dolls

    Curator Corner

    From the collection: Happy Halloween and creepy dolls

    Curator Corner blog - Happy Halloween! As a tribute to all the dolls that make our hearts race, this edition of the Curator Corner features procedure dolls from the recently acquired group of early 20th century artifacts from Mountain Home VA Medical Center in eastern Tennessee. Some of these dolls are super creepy.

  • Read From the Collection: COVID-19 Artifacts

    Curator Corner

    From the Collection: COVID-19 Artifacts

    As the reality of a global pandemic set in, historians, archivists, and museum professionals recognized the need to collect artifacts telling the story of VA's efforts to care for Veterans against COVID-19. Part of that collection fell to the newly established VA History Office which led to its first agency-wide historical preservation effort.

  • Read Archiving VA’s History

    Curator Corner

    Archiving VA’s History

    How does VA do it? Many people interested in VA's archives have asked excellent questions about archiving and what that team does, how will it expand, and what can be accomplished. As those answers have come clearer at the National VA History Center, Archives Month seemed to be an excellent time to discuss them.

  • Read What goes into a collection?

    Curator Corner

    What goes into a collection?

    Curator Corner blog - So the VA is getting its own museum? That's pretty cool! But what goes into finding the right pieces to display from the collection? Or how to even start a museum from scratch? The National VA History Center's curator Kurt Senn tells you how. He's new on the gig, but he's experienced, so he knows a thing or two about this. Take a peek at what he's doing now to start this VA museum!