Signs of the Times: Hopeful Strategies

There are many reasons to be angry, upset, or disappointed about current policies and politics related to culture, in general, and museums, specifically.

But rather than dwelling on these things, I'd like to start featuring examples of what I'll characterize as "Hopeful Strategies" here on the ExhibiTricks blog. These ideas are what museums and cultural institutions are doing to counter the backward notions of "anti-diversity," for example, that other museums might then adapt to their own situations.

The image of the sign at the top of this post from the Museum of Flight acknowledges that some "Stories Are Missing" and asks for help from the community to fill those gaps.

The image below from the Corning Museum of Glass clearly and directly acknowledges the importance of diversity and inclusion.

I say BRAVO to both these museums!  

Do you have other examples of Hopeful Strategies to share? If so, please send me an email with the image(s) or example(s) attached.

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Paul Orselli writes the posts on ExhibiTricks. Paul likes to combine interesting people, ideas, and materials to make exhibits (and entire museums!) with his company POW! (Paul Orselli Workshop, Inc.) Let's work on a project together!

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Like A Business ...

Over the years, you may have heard well-meaning board members say the equivalent of, "This museum should be run more like a business."

One problem with this idea is that you need to know a little something about a business before you start slashing budgets, firing people, or eliminating long-running programs.  Retracing your steps after an ignorant (and hasty) move often costs more time and money than you initially hoped to save.

Unfortunately, right now in the United States, the DOGE-bag Elon Musk and his minions are taking the equivalent of a chainsaw to many museums and cultural organizations across the country.

This is not efficiency; this is stupidity. 

Worse yet, these ill-considered actions risk the cultural heritage of EVERYONE in the United States, regardless of their political leanings.  The tech bro mantra of "move fast and break things" is especially inappropriate when dealing with museums filled with fragile, priceless objects.

If you are an ExhibiTricks reader in the U.S., I urge you to contact your representatives in Congress to express your concerns about the risks to museums and cultural organizations that "co-presidents" Trump and Musk pose.

It only takes an instant to damage or destroy something that has taken years to build. 

We must resist and protect museums and other cultural institutions from damage (or worse) in the name of "efficiency."

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Paul Orselli writes the posts on ExhibiTricks. Paul likes to combine interesting people, ideas, and materials to make exhibits (and entire museums!) with his company POW! (Paul Orselli Workshop, Inc.) Let's work on a project together!

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Thinking Outside the (Cardboard) Box!

Of course, I love using cardboard and cardboard boxes to make quick prototypes, but here below are some other inspiring ways to think about that accessible and versatile material.  

Artist Federico Tobon of wolfCat Workshop has used cardboard, paper clips, scraps of wood, and tape to create wonderful and whimsical little mechanical sculptures like the one shown below.

Tobon also created a video collection of some creations entitled "29 automata in 6 minutes" which you can see on YouTube. 

There's something satisfying about taking/recycling pieces of cardboard and fastening them together to make interesting new creations.

To that end, check out the video embedded below (or on YouTube) of the automated cardboard horse that trots around Bulgaria. Using cardboard and what appear to be "zip ties," the artist has made not only a cool kinetic piece but also something that gives community members an excuse to gather together --- big fun!

 

Artist Greg Olijnyk lives and works in Melbourne, Australia, where he makes his fantastical cardboard creations, like the robot pictured below.

Olijnyk's website portfolio gives a sense of how versatile cardboard can be!

And if you want a cardboard building system to play around with, check out the Makedo website. There, you will find tools and connectors that are specially made to shape and hold cardboard together in various ways.

You probably have all the materials you need at home right now to assemble your own cardboard creations. Have FUN thinking outside the (cardboard) box!

(Although here's a blog post I wrote about "better" boxes!)

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Paul Orselli writes the posts on ExhibiTricks. Paul likes to combine interesting people, ideas, and materials to make exhibits (and entire museums!) with his company POW! (Paul Orselli Workshop, Inc.) Let's work on a project together!

If you enjoy the blog, you can help keep it free to read and free from ads by supporting ExhibiTricks through our PayPal "Tip Jar"

Creative Inspiration: River Runner Global

River Runner Global is an online tool that lets you "Tap to drop a raindrop anywhere in the world and watch where it ends up."

From that basic idea, this cool visualization tool opens up an entire world of water -- how it moves, where it goes, and how the world's waterways are interconnected ...

Try it for yourself at the River Runner Global website.

Don't miss out on any ExhibiTricks posts! It's easy to get updates via email or your favorite news reader. Just click the "Sign up for Free ExhibiTricks Blog Updates" link on the upper right side of the blog.

Paul Orselli writes the posts on ExhibiTricks. Paul likes to combine interesting people, ideas, and materials to make exhibits (and entire museums!) with his company POW! (Paul Orselli Workshop, Inc.) Let's work on a project together!

If you enjoy the blog, you can help keep it free to read and free from ads by supporting ExhibiTricks through our PayPal "Tip Jar"

Cool Online Tool: Mostly Public Domain Image Search

Mostly Public Domain Image Search is a simple website put together by Mark Frauenfelder that creates direct search links to major institutional collections on a single page. 

Enter a search term like "dinosaurs" or "coin" and get one-click access to results from places like the Smithsonian, Rijksmuseum, Library of Congress, and more.

Don't miss out on any ExhibiTricks posts! It's easy to get updates via email or your favorite news reader. Just click the "Sign up for Free ExhibiTricks Blog Updates" link on the upper right side of the blog.

Paul Orselli writes the posts on ExhibiTricks. Paul likes to combine interesting people, ideas, and materials to make exhibits (and entire museums!) with his company POW! (Paul Orselli Workshop, Inc.) Let's work on a project together!

If you enjoy the blog, you can help keep it free to read and free from ads by supporting ExhibiTricks through our PayPal "Tip Jar"

2 Little Words

I learned a new word the other day -- Jugaad. 

(Pronounced Joo - gahd in English.)

It turns out that "Jugaad" is a Hindi word that describes an improvised or makeshift solution using scarce resources.  Jugaad puts an emphasis on creatively solving problems with the resources available.  

Jugaad seems like the conceptual Indian cousin of the Bulgarian word Можело (pronounced Mo -zhuh - low in English) which roughly translates to the concept of "this can be done" or "I can do this."  Можело is definitely the antidote to the (often) automatic Bulgarian response of, "This is not possible!" ("Това не е възможно!")

Jugaad and Можело are two little words that hold big concepts, namely, they focus on what CAN be done instead of what CAN'T be done.

Imagine how we can shift our "work mindset" if we couple the concepts of Jugaad and Можело with two additional little words -- "I can" or better yet, "We can!"

 

Don't miss out on any ExhibiTricks posts! It's easy to get updates via email or your favorite news reader. Just click the "Sign up for Free ExhibiTricks Blog Updates" link on the upper right side of the blog.

Paul Orselli writes the posts on ExhibiTricks. Paul likes to combine interesting people, ideas, and materials to make exhibits (and entire museums!) with his company POW! (Paul Orselli Workshop, Inc.) Let's work on a project together!

If you enjoy the blog, you can help keep it free to read and free from ads by supporting ExhibiTricks through our PayPal "Tip Jar"