In this article, Eric Siegel, Director and Chief Content Officer at the New York Hall of Science, addresses examples of exhibitions that attempt to create experiences that communicate phenomena too big, small, slow, or abstract for normal sensory comprehension. This article also includes a case study by Gretchen Baker, Exhibition Development Manager at the Field Museum, and a case study by Tim Martin, Principal of Tim Martin Design.
In this article, Lee H. Skolnick, Founding Principal of Lee H. Skolnick Architecture + Design Partnership, critiques the Museum of Sex and explores sex as an appropriate museum exhibition topic. Skolnick concludes that sex can have a place in exhibits and investigates how to design such exhibits.
In this article, Joan Krevlin, Partner at BKSK Architects, discusses the "Preschool Playground" exhibition at the New York Hall of Science, where children discover the environment and learn principles of science through sensory exploration. Krevlin outlines the background, planning process, and design of the unique exhibit.
In this article, Ingrid M. Kanics, OTR/L, Senior Play Environment Specialist, and Heather Scrivner-Mediate, Director of Communications & Business Development, both at Center for Creative Play, discuss the theory and practice of creating play environments that support children of all abilities. The design must incorporate the Principles of Universal Design, Developmentally Appropriate Practices, and Experiential Variety, which are described in this article.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Ingrid M. Kanics, OTR/LHeather Scrivner-Meidate
This article offers new research to the discussion about the role of museums in the context of changing society. The authors hoped to add to the community discourse by sharing how they promoted and recognized visitor action in their museums. The article examines the Social Diffusion of Ideas by John Fraser, the COURAGE project by Tom Hanchett, and Time's Running Out - Act Now by Jon Deuel and Jenny Sayre Ramberg.
This article explores the ways imagination and how museum professionals can foster new ways of thinking in their work and products as well as encourage visitors to be more aware of their museums experiences. In the Introduction, D. Lynn McRainey, Elizabeth F. Cheney Director of Education at the Chicago History Museum, discusses two projects that changed her practices as a museum educator and her understanding of learning in museums. Next, Leslie Bedford, Director of Leadership in Museum Education Program at Bank Street College, examines the meaning of imagination and how narrative and
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TEAM MEMBERS:
D. Lynn McRaineyLeslie BedfordDaniel SpockAndrew Anway
This article explores a variety of strategies for using museum floor staff as evaluation resources. Eric Siegel, Director and Chief Content Officer, discusses the New York Hall of Science's Science Career Ladder and how Explainers are involved in evaluation. Ryan Hill, Manager of Interpretive Programs and Curatorial Research Associate at the Hirshorn Musuem and Sculpture Garden, examines the The Guggenheim Museum's Gallery Guide as a case study on the value of feedback. Elizabeth Kunz Kollmann, Senior Research Associate and Evaluation Assistant at the Museum of Science in Boston, examines the
In this article, Gary T. Johnson, President of the Chicago History Museum, discusses the Spanish-language initiative at his museum. Johnson describes how Spanish exhibit labels were received , lessons learned about preparing Spanish labels, and additional ways the museum attempts to reach out to Chicago's diverse community.
This article features critiques of the "Race: Are We So Different?" traveling exhibition that was inaugurated at the Science Museum of Minnesota in 2007. Brian Horrigan, Exhibit Developer at the Minnesota Historical Society, Ida B. Tomlin, Chief Operating Officer at the Detroit Science Center, Kirsten M. Ellenbogen and Murphy Pizza, both of the Department of Evaluation and Research at the Science Museum of Minnesota, share their analysis of the exhibition and assess its strengths and weaknesses.
The Interactive Video Science Consortium is a non-profit group of fifteen science centers and museums that proposes to develop interactive video exhibits about Earth and Planetary sciences with two purposes in mind. One, the video exhibits on the two subject areas will serve as educational vehicles for four million visitors, representing the combined audiences of the fifteen participating museums. Two, through extensive testing and visitor research during the development process the consortium members will enlarge understanding of the appropriate and effective uses of the interactive video medium in science museums. Consortium members will fund the costs of conducting research on the subject matter and producing the first two discs. The request to the National Science Foundation is for the systematic analysis of the effectiveness of this type of program and of the educational impact of the medium in science museums.
Strange Days on Planet Earth combines a 4-part television series and outreach program produced by Sea Studios Foundation (SSF) for National Geographic Television and Film and Vulcan Productions, with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and The David and Lucile Packard Foundation. The project comprises three primary components: a broadcast series, website, and a national consortium of informal learning institutions. The project team expects that through consistent messaging and content, these components, when integrated, collectively offer the public enriched opportunities to
Strange Days on Planet Earth combines a 4-part television series and outreach program produced by Sea Studios Foundation (SSF) for National Geographic Television and Film and Vulcan Productions, with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and The David and Lucile Packard Foundation. The project comprises three primary components: a broadcast series, website, and a national consortium of informal learning institutions. The project team expects that through consistent messaging and content, these components, when integrated, collectively offer the public enriched opportunities to