In our latest prototyping sprint on the Ford’s campus we tested out a concept Ford’s has long-considered: character cards representing historical figures whose stories patrons follow through the exhibit. While the cards were highly successful in terms of engagement, the D.R.A.F.T. team continues to debate what counts as success and whether these cards achieved it.

Take a look at our findings from our process of digitizing our Ford's Theatre stage production image archive.

Staff observed reactions to staff-distributed ballots and interactive flip doors in the Ford's Museum on March 12, 2018. Discover our main takeaways from this prototyping experiment.

Student groups visiting Ford’s Theatre on the morning of Monday, March 12, 2018, saw some test  features in our Museum: Flip doors with questions about Lincoln’s decisions while in office. Learn more about our continuing series of prototyping experiments.

In honor of Women’s History Month, here’s how several women in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries have been inspired by President Abraham Lincoln and his legacy.

Here at Ford’s we believe that it’s never too early to learn about the Lincoln assassination. Whether you are looking for a way to introduce Lincoln’s assassination to elementary school students or an interesting novel to make history come to life for your own middle-school child, the Ford’s Education team has readers of all ages and skill-levels covered. 

Most visitors come to Ford’s Theatre to learn more about that one fateful night in 1865. But a school trip to Ford’s should be more than just seeing Booth’s gun and visiting the box where Lincoln was shot. How can you make sure that kids leave Ford’s with a better understanding of the bigger picture?

"They Knew Lincoln" by John E. Washington’s recounts the complex relationship between Lincoln and Washington’s African-American community. Kate Masur, a professor of history at Northwestern University, facilitated the reissue of the book for the first time since the original run in 1942. This edition includes a new introduction by Masur on John E. Washington and the Washington, D.C., he knew. Here, she offers a preview.

February 12, 2018 marks 50 years since Ford’s Theatre reopened and began presenting plays to honor Lincoln’s love of the performing arts. Here are a few shows that help us remember our past.

Arts Education Coordinator at Ford’s Theatre Jennie Berman Eng discusses coming to terms with Thomas Jefferson's complicated legacy and how teachers might address this in the classroom.