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Ken Burns describes good storytelling with the equation 1+1=3.

“The common stories, 1+1=2. We get it. But, the real genuine stories are about 1+1=3. We live in a rational world, and we’re absolutely certain that 1+1=2. It does, but the things that matter most to us, some people call it love, some people call it God, some call it reason…is that other thing where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. And that’s the 3.”

What Ken Burns refers to as the “third element in storytelling,” interpreters refer to as “universal intangibles.” Universal intangibles are concepts that all humans can identify with e.g., family, death, and happiness, regardless of their personal experiences. Interpreters use these universal intangibles to turn common stories into genuine stories.

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Taylor Studios is located in Rantoul, Illinois. We have developed genuine and engaging stories for dozens of museum and nature center exhibits. When Taylor Studios was brainstorming ways to give back to our community, someone asked a simple question, “Do you think we can apply our exhibit storytelling techniques to a larger entity, say a town? Say Rantoul?”

The group thought about the questions implications, and to a person replied with a resounding “yes!” Taylor Studios’ Community Experience Plan was born.

In a fit of charity, Taylor Studios created a Community Experience Plan (CEP) for Rantoul. The long-term goal of Rantoul’s CEP was to create a planning document that highlighted Rantoul’s unique, universal stories—the type of stories that make 1+1=3.

Rantoul looks similar to other small towns in the Midwest whose Main Street has seen better days. By creating a CEP for Rantoul, which reveals the town’s special stories and determines what media elements would best relate these stories, e.g., murals, community gardens, interpretive playgrounds, etc., Taylor Studios hopes to use storytelling to inspire residents as well as attract visitors. We will help create a whole that transcends the sum of its parts.

Did you know that on 22 March 1941, the first all black fighter squadron was activated at Chanute Field in Rantoul? Probably not. This all black fighter squandron is better known as the Tuskegee Airmen.

1+1=3.