In this article, Richard Faron, independent museum consultant, discusses how the act of musuem building can unite communities and the government. Faron uses Iraq as an "imaginary case study" to investigate how museums can strengthen Iraqi identity and pride.
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Richard FaronNational Association of Museum Exhibition
In this article, John Russick, Curator at the Chicago Historical Society, shares his adventurous experience participating in an archeological dig at a remote site in central Turkey. The experience taught Russick four important lessons related to exhibit development and foreign travel.
In this article, Janet Petitpas, assistant director at the Bay Area Discovery Museum and President of the Youth Museum Exhibit Collaborative, discusses how the group of North American children's museums share and manage traveling exhibits between the United States and Canada. Petitpas addresses the challenges associated with international exhibitions and offers suggestions based on her experiences.
In this article, Audrey O'Connell, Head of International Business Development at The Natural History Museum, London, describes the CASTEX Project, a collaboration of five European natural history museums who developed a set of guidelines to help museums produce and distribute natural history exhibits. O'Connell addresses the challenges and successes associated with this project.
In this article, Robin Groesbeck, Traveling & Temporary Exhibitions Director at The Field Museum, Chicago, details the complex process of examining and packing the objects for "Splendors of China's Forbidden City: The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong," the largest exhibit ever to leave the Forbidden City. The project was in collaboration with The Palace Museum, Beijing.
This article was derived from an AAM panel session of the same title at the 2003 Annual Meeting. The session, chaired by John Chiodo, Director of Design at Academy Studios, included observations by three international museum professionals: Silvia Singer, Director, Espacio Centrale Educativo Betlemitas, Mexico City, Mexico; Tim Walker, Director, The Dowse Museum, The Hutt, New Zealand; and Chris Cawte, Managing Director, MET Studio Design LTD, London, England. The speakers argue that American musuems need to be more willing to implement alternative interpretive techniques.
In this article, Maria Piacente, Principal at Exhibition Studio for LORD Cultural Resources, draws on experience in Asia and Continental Europe to reveal that audience development and visitor research is less common than in the US, Canada, and UK. Some projects at small museums in Asia, however, reveal that a few are taking strides to engage their audiences and work with local communities to meet their needs.
In this article, Sean Duran, Director of Exhibits at the Miami Museum of Science, examines how the institution serves a multicultural audience and helps bridge cultural boundaries. As an example, Duran discusses how the "Amazon Voyage: Vicious Fishes and Other Riches" exhibit will serve this international audience.
In this article, Claire Pillsbury, an independent exhibit developer, examines Singapore's Asian Civilisations Museum. Pillsbury analyzes how the museum successfully engages visitors of all backgrounds in the study of Singapore's past and present.
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Claire PillsburyNational Association of Museum Exhibition
In 1998, the Exploratorium staff submitted a proposal to the National Science Foundation to develop a collection of life science exhibits "to offer science center visitors new ways to explore characteristics shared by all living things." The intention was to combine existing Exploratorium components as well as new exhibits and emphasize in the exhibit collection "that all life, no matter how diverse, shares common essential traits." This proposal was one of a series planned to develop permanent exhibits at the Exploratorium. The evaluation was intended to document several aspects of visitors'
This report presents the findings of a summative evaluation of Invention at Play, conducted by Randi Korn & Associates, Inc. (RK&A), for the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. Invention at Play is a traveling exhibition developed by the Lemelson Center in partnership with the Science Museum of Minnesota and is funded by The Lemelson Foundation and the National Science Foundation. Data collection took place at two venues: in December 2002 at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.,
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Randi Korn & Associates, Inc.Smithsonian Institution
In early 2004 Explorit Science Center (Explorit) contracted with Visitor Studies Services (VSS) to design and conduct an evaluation of Explorit's Health In Your World Project (HIYW). HIYW is a traveling, science-based health education program for children and adults in low-income communities. HIYW features interactive experiments designed to make learning about the human body, health, and healthy choices fun and accessible. The program serves students in grades K-6, and is designed to engage parents and involve them as an integral part of the learning process. The HIYW Project was developed in