Tiffany Fisk serves as Director of Interpretation at the Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia in Staunton. In a conversation with Waynesboro, VA-based marketing firm Standout Arts, she discussed her path to the role, the standards she sets for historical interpretation, and the professional culture she is building among the museum’s team.
Fisk brings more than 25 years of experience in the museum field, much of it focused on Living History Interpretation. Part of that time was spent as an apprentice at Colonial Williamsburg, following years of earlier experience in the field. She later held management roles in both Pennsylvania and Maryland. Her position at the Frontier Culture Museum brings together all of that experience, combining her interpretive expertise with her leadership background.
She grew up in eastern Pennsylvania with strong exposure to Pennsylvania German and Moravian history. As a child, she joined the youth guide program at Historic Bethlehem, where she learned to explain the industrial quarter and the Moravian choir system. “I was twelve and was able to talk about all of that,” she said. Those early experiences, combined with the Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown context she gained at Colonial Williamsburg, give her a perspective that aligns perfectly with the Frontier Culture Museum. “It dovetails wonderfully here because the museum is where all of those cultures come together in one place,” she said.
At the Frontier Culture Museum, a team of about 25 full-time and part-time interpreters rotate across multiple sites and time periods. Interpreters research, train, and think deeply about historical narratives and accuracy. Many bring specialized skills in trades, domestic life, agriculture, and specific regional histories. While team members have individual specialties, they also adapt across different sites to meet the museum’s needs. Since arriving, Fisk has been impressed by the team’s depth of knowledge and adaptability. She points to the intellectual effort involved in synthesizing research, maintaining awareness of expert sources, and managing the physical realities of historic sites. Interpreters also serve as assistant curators and preservation stewards. Because they work in the buildings daily, they monitor conditions and flag concerns for follow up. “The expectations of our interpreters are very high,” she said.
Fisk spends time at each site, observing, answering questions, and identifying strengths and opportunities for growth. Ongoing research is a central part of the process. “Research is always happening, and we constantly receive new insights that help refine accuracy,” she said. This continual learning shapes both the interpretation and the presentation of the sites, improving how the museum conveys the lives of the people it represents.
Advocacy for the staff is central to her role. “They are my first priority,” Fisk said. “They are counting on me to get them what they need.” She admires their initiative, collaboration, and commitment to professional standards. “The caliber of the work and their passion for it are incredible,” she said. “The enthusiasm is contagious, and my job is to make sure they have the tools to keep growing.”
The Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia is a major open-air living history site in the Shenandoah Valley and one of the Commonwealth’s leading family attractions. Costumed interpreters explore the lives and cultures of Indigenous peoples in Virginia; the arrival of German, English, and Irish settlers along the Great Wagon Road; and the forced migration of enslaved Africans to the first permanent British colony in North America. Visitors can engage with skilled practitioners such as blacksmiths, woodworkers, tailors, and spinners, and learn how early settlers cooked, worked, and managed the land.
For more information about the Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia, visit frontiermuseum.org.
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