Engaging in the Armenian Past

Field to Museum 

Since 2022, her 'From the Field to the Museum' summer school program has found success through collaboration between the international expedition she works on (the Ararat Plain Southeast Archaeological Project). During the past four field seasons, over 90 children, as well as 10 teachers, have engaged in hands-on heritage work at the Vedi Fortress excavation and the National Gallery.  

The Program

With this summer school program, Whitaker aims to make the somewhat obscure fields of archaeological and museum research more accessible to the public, both rural and urban. Over the course of four days, each student group takes part in a simulated archaeological dig with replica artifacts on a real archaeological site, engages in laboratory analysis of their finds alongside real archaeologists, restores their artifacts with the aid of conservators, and puts them on display with the aid of curators at the National Gallery. Children also get firsthand experience with advanced technology like an augmented reality app, a virtual reality tour of the site, 3D documentation of archaeological finds and excavation areas, global positioning systems, and solar power. Thus, her program introduces broader skillsets in science and technology that can be crucial for capacity-building in communities both within and beyond the realm of heritage.   

In addition, the classroom-based mini excavations Whitaker developed for Armenia made their way back to our local community. From February-May 2025, Whitaker adapted a 25-30 minute lesson on archaeology, including a brief presentation followed by mini excavation, for over 200 local high schoolers and middle schoolers visiting Parkside from RUSD, Bullen Middle School, and Harborside Academy.  

The Parkside Student Experience

While a Parkside student, Karissa Homar, also got to engage in once-in-a-lifetime experiences abroad in Armenia as Dr. Whitaker’s research assistant in 2022 and 2023. Homar '24 participated in international archaeological fieldwork for the first time and engaged deeply in a new cultural environment. Her dedicated work as research assistant led to her giving a public talk, sponsored by the International Studies program, with Whitaker at Parkside in October of 2022, as well as becoming a co-author with Whitaker on the recently published article in the Journal of Community Archaeology and Heritage. Homar says “Dr Whitaker truly embodies and encourages community collaboration in every project I have been lucky enough to work with her on. As her student, I have found myself engaging with both my local community and international communities and making connections that have lasted even past the end of a project. In Dr. Whitaker’s classes, I have found a passion for learning and have been taught skills that will be beneficial in my future education, career, and life.” Homar now works as an archaeologist at the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison.  

The Teacher Experience

Whitaker aims to touch as wide of an audience as possible with her program. In 2024, she expanded their operations to include education for teachers with the hopes that their work can now also make its way into Armenian classrooms across the country. This program was very popular, with more teachers registering than Whitaker could accommodate, and she hopes to continue to expand in the future. With generous help from donors, she hopes to be able to reach more students and teachers, in Armenia, from UW-Parkside, and from our local region overall.