This article summarizes key findings of the American Association of University Women (AAUW)'s research report, "Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics" (2010). The report profiles research that demonstrates how social and environmental factors—including stereotypes, cultural beliefs, and implicit bias—act as barriers to girls’ and women’s full participation in these fields. This article provides a brief explanation of their findings and recommends what science centers and museums can do to promote girls' participation in science and math. The full report is
In this article, Jane Clark Chermayeff recalls a trip to Angkor, the UNESCO World Heritage site in northwest Cambodia and home to two archaeological sites being conserved by the World Monuments Fund. Chermayeff shares her experience in Angkor as she and a team of conservators attempted to deal with the challenge of dealing with hordes of visitors each day and importance of communication and interpretation as an aid toward site conservation. Included are five recommendations for facing similar challenges in heritage preservation.
In this article, Alan J. Friedman, a consultant on museum development and science communication, details his experience working on the development of the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie (Center of Science and Industry) in Paris, 1981. Friedman describes lessons learned including the value of planning, the role of evaluation and prototyping, and comparisons between American French exhibit development.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Alan J. FriedmanVisitor Studies Association
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.
In this article, Donna R. Braden, Experience Develop and Curator at The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan, provides tools and strategies to reduce "friction" when developing exhibitions. Included are helpful worksheets and lists that assist exhibit developers as they establish parameters while laying the initial exhibit groundwork, promote collaboration amongst the team, and assist stakeholders and other decision-makers in efficiently fulfilling their roles in the exhibition planning process. These tools and strategies are intended to be used as a personal toolkit, and can be adapted or revised
In this article, contracts attorney Bruce A. Falk offers a practical guide to circumventing the legalities of soliciting content from third-parties (i.e. audience participation). Falk provides a brief history of copyright and contract law and useful examples and models of contracts, in response to the growing trend of museums integrating user-generated content into their spaces and programs.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Bruce A. FalkNational Association for Museum Exhibition
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, John Jacobsen, CEO and CO-PI at the White Oak Institute, President of White Oak Associates, and Co-Chair of the Professional Interest Committee for Green Museums (PIC Green), explores sustainable design and argues that large museums have a lot to learn from smaller institutions. Jacobsen outlines how and why museums should take a "leaner and greener" approach.
In this article, Lea T.F. Warden, Independent Researcher/Collections Manager, examines traveling exhibitions and their impact on the environment. Warden discusses there interrelated aspects of traveling exhibitions where resource conservation is particularly in need of improvement: transportation, packaging, and scheduling. Warden argues that museums must take more responsibility for the role it plays in the larger context of environmental degradation if they want to continue to produce and house traveling exhibitions.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Lea T.F. WardenNational Association for Museum Exhibition
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.