In this article, Darcia A. MacMahon, Exhibits Director at the Florida Museum of Natural History, reflects on a trip to Nepal as an opportunity to consider the cultural complexities and new approaches to exhibit design when working on international projects. MacMahon presents ten questions for professionals to consider when developing exhibitions that contribute to the ongoing conversation about the role of museums in a cultural heritage context.
This article features an interview with Dr. Richard Kurin, Under Secretary for History, Art, and Culture at the Smithsonian Institution. Dr. Kurin describes the Haitian Cultural Recovery Project and how it has helped Haitians rebuild after the earthquake struck the nation in 2010. He describes the goals of the project, key partners, funding sources, future opportunities and challenges, and how individuals can get involved in the project.
This article features three critiques of the exhibition "MN150" at the Minnesota History Center, part of the celebration of the Sesquicentennial of the State of Minnesota. Roger Barrett, Exhibit Designer at the Science Museum of Minnesota, Liza Pryor, Project Leader in the Exhibits Department at the Science Museum of Minnesota, and Jeanne Vergeront, Principal of Vergeront Museum Planning, each provide an assessment of the exhibition.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Roger BarrettLiza PryerJeanne W. Vergeront
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.
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
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.
In this article, Mary Jane Taylor, Interim Director of Public Programs at Winterthur Museum & Country Estate, shares the Request for Proposal process associated with the "Made in China: Export Porcelain from the Leo and Doris Hodroff Collection at Winterthur" exhibition and the associated "Design your own plate" interactive. Evaluation results and RFP are included in this article.
In this article, Paul Katz, Ph.D., Curator of the Texas Pharmacy Museum and partner in the PRIAM consulting firm, discusses the development of the "Playas...Gems of the Plains" traveling exhibit, produced by the Panhandle Museum Resource Sharing Consortium and later the Northwest Texas Museum Association. Katz describes the rationale behind the exhibit, its components, its uniqueness as a traveling exhibit, and evaluation findings.
This article highlights some of the diverse ways that different types of museums use place-based education to further their missions and benefit their audiences. Authors include Janet Petitpas, Assistant Director of the Bay Area Discovery Museum, Maggie Russell-Ciardi, Education Coordinator for the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, Lori Salles, Exhibit Manager at the Turtle Bay Exploration Park, and Mary Jo Sutton, Director of Exhibitions at the Bay Area Discovery Museum.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Janet PetitpasMaggie Russell-CiardiLori SallesMary Jo Sutton
This ethnographic case study illustrates what happens when informal educators introduce science concepts in non-scientific contexts, such as a program focused on youth culture and girls’ empowerment. Helping young people find the science in their everyday lives can build science trajectories and identities for youth from backgrounds that are historically underrepresented in the sciences.