ExhibiTricks: A Museum/Exhibit/Design Blog

Saturday, October 4, 2025

How Do You Design One Space That Works for All Ages?

Here's a question that keeps exhibit designers up at night: How do you create a single museum experience that genuinely engages a curious five-year-old, their design-savvy parent, and their retired grandparent—all at the same time, without patronizing any of them?

The answer isn't "dumb it down for kids" or "add a separate kids' corner." The secret lies in designing exhibits with multiple entry points and layers of complexity that visitors of any age can explore based on their interests, abilities, and prior knowledge.

Think of it like a great Pixar movie. There are jokes for the kids and cultural references for the adults. Nobody feels left out, and everyone leaves satisﬁed.

Let's explore how to replicate this same trick in physical exhibit spaces with a few concrete strategies, as well as some “Do’s and Don’ts.”

Strategy #1: Use Real Materials and Authentic Complexity

Don't use toy versions of real tools. Don't oversimplify because "kids won't get it." Children smell condescension a mile away, and adults resent being treated like children.

Instead, use professional-grade materials with appropriate safety measures. Real woodworking tools. Actual scientiﬁc equipment. Genuine art supplies. The challenge scales naturally—a beginner and an expert can both work with real materials, and both will be appropriately challenged.

Strategy #2: Open-Ended Creation Without "Right Answers"

Design and making spaces where the goal is creation, not completion. Digital design tools, art studios, building zones—anywhere the question is "what do you want to make?" rather than "can you solve this?"

This works because:

• No "right answer" exists—a child's creation is as valid as an adult's.

• Aesthetic appreciation transcends age.

• Multiple roles emerge naturally—one person creates while another offers ideas.

Strategy #3: Provide Multiple Paths to the Same Insight

Don't assume everyone learns the same way. Instead, build in options:

• Hands-on manipulation for kinesthetic learners

• Data visualization for analytical thinkers

• Personal stories for emotional connectors

• Clear explanatory text for readers

• Video or audio for those who prefer multimedia

A ten-year-old might gravitate to hands-on components while their parent connects with data. Both reach understanding through their preferred door.

Some Do's and Don'ts

DON'T:

• Use baby talk or condescending language

• Create "dumbed down" labels that insult adult intelligence

• Assume physical limitations based on age

• Make one age group the "helper" and another the "learner"

• Use toy versions of real tools or fake materials

• Create separate "kids sections" and "adult sections"

DO:

• Use clear, direct language that respects intelligence at any age

• Design for sitting, standing, and wheelchair users simultaneously

• Create sight lines that work for different heights without segregating

• Make the ﬁrst action obvious, but deeper exploration optional

• Test with real intergenerational groups, not age-segregated focus groups

The best intergenerational exhibit design isn't about compromise—it's about richness. When you design with genuine depth, multiple modalities, and respect for every visitor's intelligence, remarkable things can happen.

A three-year-old and a 73-year-old can stand side by side, both fully engaged, both learning, both having their unique experience validated. That's not just good design—that's what museums are supposed to do.

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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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Wednesday, September 24, 2025

The Room(s) Where It Happened ...

Here's something that museums can give you that Artificial Intelligence or Virtual Reality can't touch -- the literal "room where it happened."

As someone who was born and raised in Detroit, it was incredibly powerful to stand inside "Studio A" at the Motown Museum, where amazing musicians like Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, and Marvin Gaye created their hits.

There's something interesting in visiting a place and feeling, if not exactly the "ghosts" of the past, at least the "spirit" of the people who passed that way before you. I have felt that way while visiting Graceland and the Mark Twain House, as well as in very particular outdoor locations, such as the Old North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts. There was something very evocative in all of those spots --- almost as if each one of those spaces had a "personality."

One of the best things I've ever heard said about the original Exploratorium was that it felt like you'd walked into Frank Oppenheimer's workshop after he just stepped outside for a minute. The feeling that real people, with real interests and foibles, have created something for you to experience is one of the most powerful, and most authentic, of museum experiences.

This authentic museum "spirit" is not something that just casually occurs or manifests itself through some sort of formulaic exhibit development process. But when all the elements of such a museum experience come together, they form something that really cannot occur in any other medium.

Thursday, September 11, 2025

Museum Work as (Quiet) Resistance

You know that moment when a board member suggests you "tone down" that civil rights exhibition?

Or when a donor hints that your climate science display might be "too political"?

Or when local politicians start making noise about your programming choices?

Welcome to the front lines of cultural resistance.

Guess what? Our work is inherently political.

Every object we choose to display, every story we decide to tell, every voice we amplify or silence—these are political acts, whether we acknowledge them or not.

The question isn't whether our work has political implications. The question is whether we'll own that reality and use it purposefully.

The Power of the Long Game

Politicians come and go. Donor priorities shift. But that artifact you preserve today? That story you document now? They outlast the pressure campaigns and the culture wars.

I've watched museum professionals navigate impossible situations by playing the long game. They quietly document stories that others want forgotten. They preserve objects that challenge dominant narratives. They create educational programs that plant seeds of critical thinking, even when the soil seems hostile.

Small Acts, Big Impact

Resistance in museums doesn't always look like dramatic confrontations. Sometimes it looks like:

• The educator who finds creative ways to discuss difficult topics despite administrative pushback

• The curator who ensures diverse voices are represented in "non-controversial" exhibitions

• The archivist who prioritizes preserving materials from marginalized communities

• The museum worker who creates inclusive programming even without explicit support

These aren't grand gestures. They're professional choices made with intention and integrity.

Your Professional North Star

When external pressures mount, your primary obligation is to uphold your professional ethics and ensure your community's right to access authentic, complex, and meaningful cultural experiences.

Not to a donor's comfort level. Not to a politician's talking points. Not even to your board's risk tolerance.

This doesn't mean being reckless or ignoring practical realities. It means being strategic about how you fulfill your actual mission—not the sanitized "neutral" version that keeps everyone comfortable.

The Network Effect

You are not alone, and you're more powerful than you think. Every curator making thoughtful choices, every educator refusing to oversimplify, every museum worker standing up for their community's stories—together, you create a network of (quiet) resistance that's remarkably resilient.

The pressure will come. It always does. But remember: you're not just preserving the past or entertaining the present. You're shaping the future's understanding of this moment.

Make it count.

Friday, August 29, 2025

The Secret Sauce of High-Quality Museums: Internal Capacity

Here's something I've learned after years in the trenches of exhibit design and development: all truly high-quality museums share one critical characteristic. It's not their flashy architecture, their famous collections, or even their generous budgets. It's something far more fundamental.

High-quality museums have strong internal capacity.

Now, I'm not saying these museums create everything internally—that would be impossible and frankly, unwise. But they can handle many things in-house, and more importantly, they know exactly what those things are. Great museums understand their strengths and double down on them. They also know their weaknesses and where to find the right help.

High Quality = Internal Capacity

The Long Game

Developing genuine museum quality means thinking beyond your opening day celebration. You need a crystal-clear vision of what your institution will look like two, three, or more years down the road—not just two months after you cut the ribbon.

This requires investing in thoughtful experiences, dedicated staff, and deep expertise for the long haul. As Jane Werner wisely puts it: "Invest in staff, not stuff!"

The Two Questions That Matter

In my practice, I often pose two straightforward questions to museum partners:

1) How will you (the staff inside your museum, not contractors or consultants) fix things that break or don't work?

2) How will you transform great new ideas into real exhibits and programs?

If you can't provide credible answers to both questions, you're setting yourself up for trouble. You'll spend your days frantically putting out fires—dealing with problems that could have been anticipated, on top of all the truly unexpected challenges that will inevitably arise.

Even worse? Your bright, shiny museum will inevitably become dingy and boring. And I don't just mean physically—I'm talking about its intellectual and emotional spirit too.

Culture Beats Everything

Creating a robust institutional culture of internal capacity is the defining difference between a great museum and a mediocre one. But here's a crucial point: building strong internal capacity doesn't mean working in isolation.

Quite the opposite, actually.

When you truly understand your institution's strengths and weaknesses, you gain clarity about when and where to invest your precious time and resources. Those investments might involve tapping into local community expertise, sending staff to conferences, pursuing professional development opportunities, or yes—sometimes bringing in consultants to help build internal capacity in areas where you need it most.

You have many choices.

What's not a choice is doing nothing.

Because doing nothing will surely begin the slide from "high quality" to "who cares?" And honestly, is that the kind of museum you want to be part of?

Wednesday, August 20, 2025

Postcards from the Future!

Last month, during a workshop in Bulgaria, I did an activity called "Postcards from the Future!"

It allowed workshop participants to synthesize some of the work we did earlier in the week and to share a future goal related to the workshop content with a partner.

Basically, each participant chatted about their goals, and then had a partner create a "Postcard from the Future!" that would give them a nudge, or ask about progress, and offer help with what they would be working on in a month or so.

(We gathered up all the postcards and will be sending them out to each participant at the end of this month.)

It was such a fun activity that I thought, "Why not do this for my ExhibItricks blog?"

So, if you send me a postcard with a short message (and your return address) about a project you are working on, or a sticky museum/exhibit problem you are trying to solve, I promise to send you back a cool "Postcard from the Future!" with some friendly encouragement and/or my suggestions.

And who doesn't like receiving a postcard in the mail?

You can send your postcard to:

POW! World Headquarters

1684 Victoria Street

Baldwin, NY 11510

U.S.A.

P.S. This offer is open to anyone around the world, since I have readers and subscribers from outside the United States.

Monday, August 11, 2025

Museum Materials Hacks: When Home Depot Meets High-Touch Design

Today, we're diving into the delightfully scrappy world of unconventional exhibit materials. When creativity kicks into overdrive, and the hardware store becomes your new best friend.

Because sometimes the best exhibit solutions are hiding in aisle 7, next to the paint brushes.

Here are some of my favorite "Wait, That's Not What It's For" materials:

Pool Noodles

Those colorful foam cylinders aren't just for cannon-balling into pools anymore. I've seen them used for:

• Edge Protection -- slice lengthwise and slip over sharp corners.

• Cable Management -- hollow core = perfect conduit for wiring.

• Kid-friendly barriers -- Zip-tie them together for the world's friendliest crowd control

• Padding for shipping crates -- Cut to fit, way cheaper than custom foam.

Pro tip: Buy them off-season in bulk.

Shower/Curtain Rings

These little metal or plastic rings are the unsung heroes of flexibility.

• Quick-change graphics -- Hang banners that swap out seasonally.

• Modular displays -- Connect lightweight panels that reconfigure easily.

• Interactive elements --Create flip-through graphic cards.

• Budget-friendly hardware -- Sometimes you need 50 rings and $0.79 each beats custom fabrication costs.

Velcro

Industrial-strength Velcro is your secret weapon for:

• Removable artifact labels -- For non-invasive mounting.

• Modular wall systems --Panels that stick and unstick without damaging surfaces.

• Interactive components -- So visitors can move exhibit elements around safely.

• Temporary installations -- Perfect for pop-up exhibits/graphics in awkward spaces.

PVC Pipe: The Lego of Adult Museum Professionals

• Custom display stands -- Adjustable height, lightweight, paintable.

• Cable raceways -- Run power and data wherever you need it.

• Modular structures --Think jungle gyms, but for artifacts.

Magnetic Sheets

Thin, flexible magnetic sheeting transforms any metal surface into an interactive playground.

• Changeable graphics --Print directly onto magnetic material.

• Kid-height interactive zones -- Magnetic poetry, anyone?

• Staff work areas -- Instant bulletin boards on metal cabinets.

Household Items with Museum Potential:

• Ice cube trays -- For organizing small artifacts during installs.

• Lazy Susans for rotating displays -- Because everything is better when it spins.

• Drawer organizers -- For tool storage in Maker Spaces.

• Tension rods --For instant, non-permanent hanging systems.

Reality Check!

Before you go wild with the zip ties and duct tape, let's insert a quick Reality Check:

When to DIY: Quick fixes, temporary installations, tight budgets, prototyping, staff work areas.

When to call the Pros: Anything structural, high-traffic areas, permanent installations, safety-critical components, anything involving valuable artifacts.

The Golden Rule: If visitors will touch it, lean on it, or if it's holding something irreplaceable, spend the money on proper materials and installation.

So, next time you're wandering through a hardware store, grocery store, or even scrolling through Amazon, ask yourself: "How could this solve my exhibit problem?"

You'd be amazed at what creative solutions emerge when you stop thinking about objects in terms of their intended purpose.

The best museum design hack is the one that works for YOUR space, YOUR budget, and YOUR visitors. Now go forth and MacGyver responsibly!