Museum Planning

I call lots of museums.  I have become fascinated by the telephone systems of different museums, some museum telephone systems are easy to navigate and some are nerve racking and frustrating.

Exhibitions are a form of communication and the culture of the museum offers the “voice” to that communication.  Is the “voice” a friend? A teacher? An older relative?  It is fascinating the different voices that are communicated for exhibitions.  I like thinking in analogies, often I learn more about the culture of a museum from their phone system than I do from their organizational chart.  Is the phone system user friendly?  Easy to navigate? Helpful?  Able to connect me with the information in the way I want to connect?

Think about your own museum phone system and try calling as a teacher wanting to book a school trip.  Try calling as a mother wanting directions, try calling as the vendor who works on the air conditioning, for each call were your needs met?  Could you connect with the appropriate person?

In many way a phone system is like a museum, callers are contacting the museum for information tailored to them in a welcoming fashion at their own level, a tall order, but try calling American Express and see how you feel or call Fidelity Investments and see how you feel.  Information tailored to the visitor in a pleasant and efficient manner, it can be done!

From the New York Times, July 3, 2010, By Robert Peele

A Quick Trip to the Nascar Hall of Fame

“In short, I was impressed. Glory Road, the sweeping exhibit that greets fans as they enter the museum’s Great Hall, features 18 classic Nascar vehicles parked on a track whose banking gradually increases as the cars progress into the modern era. It’s the museum’s green flag, in a sense, and it offers a neat snapshot of the history of stock car racing. Not surprisingly, cars from the sport’s earlier decades — back when they actually looked like stock cars, in other words — were the highlights. Favorites included Herb Thomas’s 1952 Hudson Hornet, Fireball Roberts’s 1963 Ford Galaxie and the Plymouth Belvedere in which Richard Petty won 27 races, including 10 in a row, in 1967.”

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703964104575335301840480246.html

The Museum of Modern Art attracted its highest-ever number of visitors, 3.09 million, during its 2010 fiscal year, according to estimates released Monday by the museum. (The tally is an estimate because the museum’s fiscal year does not end until June 30.) The figure represents an increase of 250,000 over the previous year’s attendance, and a 530,000 increase over the museum’s first full year of operation in its new building (fiscal year 2006).

Architect:Frank Gehry
Structure:Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain
Year Completed:1997
Number of Votes:28
By Peter Knaup

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2010/08/architecture-survey-slideshow-201008

Vanity Fair asked 52 experts to choose the five most important works of architecture created since 1980, they named a staggering 132 different structures. Here are the top 21, in order of popularity.

Guggenheim plans extension in Spanish nature reserve | Culture | The Guardian.

“The Guggenheim Museum has become the emblem of the northern Spanish city of Bilbao and its main tourist attraction, but now attempts to spread its magic by building an extension in a nearby nature reserve have run into fierce opposition.

Provincial authorities want to call an international competition for a museum extension in the bucolic surroundings of the coastal Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve, 25 miles from Bilbao, hoping it will help boost the local economy in the same way the Guggenheim helped Bilbao.”

Guggenheim plans extension in Spanish nature reserve | Culture | The Guardian.

“The Guggenheim Museum has become the emblem of the northern Spanish city of Bilbao and its main tourist attraction, but now attempts to spread its magic by building an extension in a nearby nature reserve have run into fierce opposition.

Provincial authorities want to call an international competition for a museum extension in the bucolic surroundings of the coastal Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve, 25 miles from Bilbao, hoping it will help boost the local economy in the same way the Guggenheim helped Bilbao.”

Pasadena’s Kidspace Museum plans new “Physics Forest” expansion – Pasadena Star-News.

“That was part of the reasoning when officials at Kidspace Children’s Museum, bowing to economic realities, opted to put on hold an ambitious $20million, 9,000-square-foot building and instead create a Physics Forest that will feature 10 to 15 new exhibits in a naturally landscaped area shaded with transplanted native trees.”

Pasadena’s Kidspace Museum plans new “Physics Forest” expansion – Pasadena Star-News.

“That was part of the reasoning when officials at Kidspace Children’s Museum, bowing to economic realities, opted to put on hold an ambitious $20million, 9,000-square-foot building and instead create a Physics Forest that will feature 10 to 15 new exhibits in a naturally landscaped area shaded with transplanted native trees.”

Guggenheim to pick 20 YouTube videos for museum display

“YouTube Play, which launched Monday, is a partnership between the video site and the renowned art museum. It invites users to submit their short creative videos at http://youtube.com/play. The top 20, chosen by a jury of professional artists, will be on view this fall at Guggenheim museums around the world.”

Guggenheim to pick 20 YouTube videos for museum display

“YouTube Play, which launched Monday, is a partnership between the video site and the renowned art museum. It invites users to submit their short creative videos at http://youtube.com/play. The top 20, chosen by a jury of professional artists, will be on view this fall at Guggenheim museums around the world.”

Great guideline from the Association of Children’s Museums 2010 Interactivity panel “The Changing Face of Technology in Children’s Museums”.

The 3/6/9/12 rule:

No computer screens before age 3, no internet before age 6, no electronic gaming until age 9 and no unsupervised internet before age 12.

Great guideline from the Association of Children’s Museums 2010 Interactivity panel “The Changing Face of Technology in Children’s Museums”.

The 3/6/9/12 rule:

No computer screens before age 3, no internet before age 6, no electronic gaming until age 9 and no unsupervised internet before age 12.

“Killer Ring” By Tobias Wong, Photo Courtesy the New York Times

I was saddened to hear of the passing of Tobias Wong. Tobias was a young artist / designer living in New York City. Tobias blurred the lines between Art and Design and made us more aware of the american consumer culture.

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/06/27/style/20100627WONG.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/27/fashion/27Wong.html

“Killer Ring” By Tobias Wong, Photo Courtesy the New York Times

I was saddened to hear of the passing of Tobias Wong. Tobias was a young artist / designer living in New York City. Tobias blurred the lines between Art and Design and made us more aware of the american consumer culture.

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/06/27/style/20100627WONG.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/27/fashion/27Wong.html

Field Museum’s focus on climate change :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Lifestyles.

“The exhibit and the plan provide a call to action on climate change,” said the Nature Conservancy’s Bob Moseley, speaking Friday at a joint launch for the show and the Climate Action Plan for Nature he helped create. “But the impact of the many things we can and should do will not be felt for another 50 to 100 years.”

Field Museum’s focus on climate change :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Lifestyles.

“The exhibit and the plan provide a call to action on climate change,” said the Nature Conservancy’s Bob Moseley, speaking Friday at a joint launch for the show and the Climate Action Plan for Nature he helped create. “But the impact of the many things we can and should do will not be felt for another 50 to 100 years.”

Firm Chosen to Plan New Design for Museum – The Daily Californian

After months of deliberation, New York-based firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro was named Wednesday to oversee the long-awaited design plan for the new Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive in Downtown Berkeley.

My firm Mark Walhimer Exhibition Design has been hired by the Los Vaqueros Intrpretive Center to create a schematic design for their new exhibits as part of their California Proposition 84 grant proposal.  As I am going through the process I thought it might be interesting to document the steps of the schematic design process.

1. Prior to the first meeting with the client gather general information (review website, admission cost, membership cost, location, demographics of location, museum square footage)
2. First meeting review current museum exhibitions and programs, review current museum objectives and mission, review with floor staff what is working well and not working well, understand desired outcomes of new exhibition
3. While with client create initial sketches and get feedback
4. While with client discuss possible exhibition ideas
5. Photograph current exhibition spaces and space for new exhibition
6. Document findings of first meeting
7. Review meeting notes with client
8. Create photo pages of the current exhibitions and space for new exhibition.  Review objectives as part of photo pages
9. Create style boards, a visual collage representation of the new exhibition
10. Create a Venn diagram of the visitor path and content
11. Review with client, photo pages, style boards and Venn diagram
12. Make revisions to photo pages, style boards and Venn diagram
13. Create framework for final design presentation
14. Create draft exhibition walk-through.  Describe the exhibition visitor experience
15. Create budget framework
16. Create schedule framework
17. Review budget and schedule with client, often it is helpful to review budget and schedule prior to designing exhibition.
18. Draft Schematic design drawings
19. Client feedback
20. Revise budget and schedule with client feedback on drawings
21. Revise drawings
22. Assemble draft schematic design presentation containing; general museum information, exhibition objectives, exhibition walk-through, budget, schedule, schematic drawings, exhibition narrative, Venn Diagram and Style board
23. Review draft design presentation with client
24. Make revisions to design presentation
25. Print out final design presentation either 11″ x 17″ or 8.5″ x 11″
26. One copy for client, one digital copy on CD

The above effort represents between 40 hours ($5000) and 320 hours ($40,000) depending on the exhibition square footage.  In a future post I will share a complete schematic design presentation.

Photo – Current entrance to Interpretive Center

Instead of the typical museum approach of hiring a “world class architect, hiring a ”world class
exhibit designer”, the “Hub Museum” approach, is:
• A “Hub of content” for the museum
• Open Source content, the museum’s content and programs are shared and available for teachers and parents
• Collaborative, the exhibits, exhibit content and programs are shared by several institutions
• Exhibit spaces are easily changeable
• Dynamic, the visitor spaces change every three months
• Transparent, the planning of the institution is shared and available to the community
• The California Discovery Museum will be an amalgam of museums a; Children’s Museum, Science Center, Natural History and Art Museum
• Shared Curriculum

Tough choices.   Maker Faire at $25 per day or AAM at $240 per day

Maker Faire 2008

American Association of Museums conference is May 23rd-26th in Los Angles, CA and the Maker Faire is May 22nd and 23rd in San Mateo, CA.  To be honest I have a lot more fun at the Maker Faire, there is a spirit of sharing and freedom missing from Museum conferences.  If ever there is a museum topic that needs to be addressed it is a sense of freedom and sharing.  I’m going to Maker Faire, then to Los Angles to meet with people at the conference .  As a group of professionals we need to rethink this, why don’t we give up overpriced cookies and coffee and standing around in ties and have some fun!

http://www.makerfaire.com/bayarea/2010/schedule/

As part of California Proposition 84, $93 Million Dollars in grant money is available to California public non-profit organizations that inspire and educate the public.

Grant Website:
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?Page_id=26026

Application PDF:
http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/1008/files/nef_application_guide_2010.pdf

Nature Education Facilities Program

NEF TIMELINE

Application Due Date 07/01/10

Eligible institutions include those that:
Combine the study of natural science with preservation, demonstration and education programs that serve diverse populations
Institutions that provide collections and programs related to the relationship of Native American cultures to the environment, and
Institutions for marine wildlife conservation research.

Eligible applicants:
Public institutions including cities, counties, districts (as defined), California State Agencies and Non-profit organizations qualified to do business in California, and qualified under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Eligible projects:
Eligible projects include nature education facilities, buildings, structures and exhibit galleries that present collections to inspire and educate the public and marine wildlife conservation research equipment and facilities.

Program Lead:
Sandy Berry
Nature Education Facilities Program
Office of Grants and Local Services
(916) 651-7741
sberr@parks.ca.gov

http://www.imls.gov/about/21stCSkills.shtm

Institute of Museum and Library Services has published the  Museums, Libraries, and 21st Century Skills report.

“The report outlines a vision for the role of libraries and museums in the national dialogue around learning and 21st century skills and includes case studies of innovative audience engagement and 21st century skills practices from across the country.”

Images: Daniele Mattioli

Amazing exhibition “Seed Cathedral” at Expo 2010 Shanghai China. Designed by Thomas Heatherwick.

http://www.heatherwick.com/uk-pavilion/

http://en.expo2010.cn/c/en_gj_tpl_71.htm

As a follow up to my Predictions for the future of Museums,  I have been thinking about the future of museums.  What if there was a place where parents, teachers, scientists,museum professionals, artists, students and experts could all share ideas both on the internet and in person. The “Hub Museum” is such a place!

Hub Museum is not one museum but a new model of a partnership of connected museums. Instead of a children’s museum, natural history museum, an Art Museum, a Science Center, the Hub Museum is all of them! Museum live through attendance and attendance is driven by new programs and exhibitions, the Hub Museum, changes every three months, into a new place and the exhibitions are rotated through all of the fellow hub museums.

Teachers, parents, scientists,museum professionals, artists, students and experts all gather online at “The Hub” portal. Teachers can share lesson plans and review science standards and curriculum, parents can view lesson plans and curriculum. Scientists can answer questions of students, “citizen scientists” can earn “expert” points by answering questions. Students can ask questions and learn from one another and experts. The online presence is fun and relaxed, although the content is in line with California Science Standards and National Curriculum. Same as the sharing of exhibitions the Hub portal is a shared online community amongst museums, parents, teachers, scientists, experts and most importantly students.

Museums become the hub for in person activities, instead of museums trying to individually create exhibitions, they are created through a network of museums all working to the same educational standards and curriculum. Instead of each museum working to separate standards and curriculum, the curriculum of the schools is shared by the museums and museums work in partnership with one another to design and build exhibitions.

Exhibitions are then shared amongst museums, so museums are always changing. Superintendents of schools, teachers and students are aware of the educational content before they visit the museum.

Still the museum is serving a different role than the school, the museum is an informal place for exploration and discovery of the formal education at school.

1. Science Centers – Most Innovative
2. Aquariums
3. Children’s Museums
4. Natural History Museums
5. Mobile museums
6. Military and war museums
7. Corporate museums
8. State history museums
9. Art Museums
10. Zoos
11. Local History Museums
12. Living History, Farm and Agriculture Museums
13. Historic houses – Least Innovative

At a museum conference session participants became defensive about adopting technology in museum galleries.  It got me thinking, “is there a “Spectrum of Innovation in Museums ?”".  “Are some types of museum more innovative than others?”

“Spectrum of Innovation in Museums” (for the purpose of the spectrum including Science Centers, Zoos, Living History and Aquariums). Such a spectrum is an insight into the culture of different institutions.

The question I asked myself, “how likely would the museum be to adopt a new technology? (not based on budget)”

Of course this is a generalization, would love to hear feedback.

- Mark