I have used that lesson from my mother-in-law to remind me that museums are at their best when they confirm the relevance they have to the communities they purport to serve.

When I worked at the Smithsonian, my mother-in-law came to visit. Not knowing anything about the Smithsonian, like many, she thought it was one museum rather than a constellation of research centers, laboratories and museums. In fact, she knew very little about museums, and certainly felt out of place coming to the largest one in the world.

I decided to take her to see the exhibition "From Field to Factory" at the National Museum of American History—which chronicled the journey of what was called, the Great Black Migration, and how it affected southern black families seeking expanded freedom and opportunity in the North.

At the entrance to the exhibit there was a display fenced off by a barrier of chicken wire. Inside the chicken wire were plows, hoes, halters, bridles and other paraphernalia that farmers used to work horses and mules in the field. My mother-in-law took one look, and began to tell me about the horse she used to plow with; the horse's name; how she summoned him from the field; how she could plow as "as good as any man"; how she missed the simple life of growing up on a farm.

Before she finished her conversation, other visitors to the museum had stopped to listen to her, and as she finished her story, one of them chimed in about his growing up on their family's farm in Kansas. Another discussed using oxen on their potato farm in Idaho. Another talked about their experience in up state New York. In just a few minutes, she had amassed a small crowd. She had so much fun talking and listening to others whom she was fascinated to realize had grown up much as she had, although they didn't look like she did. In fact she was so fascinated, she didn't even see the rest of the exhibit. As we finished the afternoon and headed for home, she looked over at me and said, "It must be nice to work in a museum in this day and age." I said, "why's that?" She said, "Because now you can go in them and see yourself."

I have used that lesson from my mother-in-law to remind me that museums are at their best when they confirm the relevance they have to the communities they purport to serve.