Smaller IS Better

So here's my two-part solution to solve the ever continuing museum money/funding crisis:

1) Stop building gigantic new museums.

2) Fund small "risky" projects instead of "safe" big projects.

Most big museums were unsustainable before the current "financial crisis" and even more so now. Not to mention that many gigundo museums are filled with pockets of mediocrity or plain lousiness that gets ignored or excused or even overlooked because there are other flashier, newer segments of the rest of their elephantine museum building complex.

So why do people keep building giant museums? Sheer ego and "edifice complex" as far as I can tell. It's a lot sexier to say you're building the "world's biggest and best museum" than to actually set up the infrastructure to ensure a continually growing and evolving institution that makes best use of both staff and community resources.

If you really want to see Museum 2.0/3.0/whatever happen, then museum workers and museum organizations should advocate for more, but smaller, museums spread throughout communities like public libraries --- heck why not have every museum (that's not already doing so) partner with a local library or community center to work on exhibits and programs together?

Now, funding.

Here's a modest proposal for NSF, IMLS, NEH and the rest of the governmental alphabet soup of funding agencies: alternate every year between funding "big" projects and "little" projects.

This would have the benefit of breaking the cycle of perpetually funding "The Usual Suspects" of the same batch of museums/designers/evaluators who get funded every grant cycle.
Which would be fine, if the "The Usual Suspects" were turning out wonderful field-changing exhibitions. But mostly the funding process has turned into a gravy train for folks doing the same sort of mediocre exhibitions over and over again.

Why couldn't NSF, for example, deliberately fund 15-20 large exhibition projects one cycle, then 50-60 small exhibition projects the next?

I think part of this big vs. small dichotomy is also an issue of exposure. There are many amazing, innovative museums and museum workers doing their thing in remote or smaller outposts, so they don't get recognized in the traditional incestuous museum conference/funding world.

So, I'm going to do my part to help change that exposure thing, and I need your help. Do you know of some cool projects happening at smaller "non-famous" museums, or do you know an up-and-coming whiz kid who hasn't been able to find a real full-time with benefits job in the museum business yet?

Send me an email at info@orselli.net so I can start giving these small places and some NOT the usual suspects some publicity and the attention they deserve.


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Exhibit Designer Toolkit: LIT LEDs

LED technology continues to advance, and designers can take advantage of the high-impact of LEDs to add some punch to exhibit components and/or environments.

LIT is a company that offers some nice compact LED lighting elements, as well as some nifty interactive demos on their website that give you a sense of the possibilities that LED lighting offers.

Of course, LEDs have the double advantage of a long life span and low energy usage compared to many other light sources, making them a "greener" design choice as well.

So check out the LIT website and consider how you might be able to use LEDs in your next exhibit project.

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For Sale: INFINITY

Yes, the title of this posting is for real --- I'm offering infinity for sale.

Well, OK, it's actually a portable Infinity Room exhibit. This one of a kind piece was developed with the M.I.T Center for Advanced Visual Studies, and has been experienced by over 100,000 people (note the "undoctored"photograph of the person inside the Infinity Room above.)

The entire walls, floors and ceilings of the interior space are covered by high quality mirrors, behind which is a system of lighting units and over two miles of high quality, solid core fiber optics!
The entire all-steel mobile structure is mounted on two axles, each with dual wheels (8 tires total) on a leaf suspension. The current owners would like to sell the Infinity Room to a museum, planetarium, astronomical organization or the like.

If you are interested, or know someone who might be, please direct all inquiries to: info@orselli.net

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FREE Green Exhibit Design Article

If you'd like to download a free PDF of my recent Green Exhibit Design article, just click over to the POW! website.

The article is jam-packed with resources and techniques to help you expand your green exhibit design toolkit.

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Pictaculous: Great Free Design Tool

The fine folks at MailChimp have released a free graphic design tool called Pictaculous.

Simply plug an image into Pictaculous, and different sets of compatible color palettes are generated. A nice little tool to help you with your print or web projects!

Try it out for yourself on the Pictaculous website.

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Exhibit Design Inspiration: The Twisted Films of PES

I'm not sure how I ran into the film work of PES, but there's something really great about their clever use of familiar household materials in new and creative ways to create their videos. The update to old-school stop-motion style is really appealing as well.

But don't just take my word for it, click on the example entitled "Fireworks" at the top of this posting, or zip on over to the PES website to discover the wide range of their film work --- just take in the eye-candy in small doses!

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The OUTSIDE Factor: A Great Exhibit Design Meeting In Brooklyn

Have you ever been in the middle of an interminable exhibit design meeting where you just wanted to slit your wrists out of boredom and frustration?

Well just a few days ago, I participated in an exhibit design meeting that was actually fun!

I was able to join some of the intrepid Liberty Science Center (LSC) staff on an informative (and tasty!) romp around Brooklyn. (We went to visit the Children's Garden at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Blue Marble Ice Cream, The Pickle Guys, and Taci's Beyti Turkish Restaurant.) And the best part is that it was all related to the exhibit design process for a project called Cooking: The Exhibition.

While a trip through Brooklyn with a food writer, in this case Arthur Schwartz, to visit different restaurants and food-centered sites was automatically going to be big fun, the biggest take-away for me was the OUTSIDE Factor:

1) The event took place OUTSIDE the LSC offices.

2) The event offered opportunities to learn from OUTSIDE people (Arthur Schwartz, restaurant and store staff.) At each stop, we could ask questions, discuss ideas, and get behind-the-scenes glimpses of how things happened.

3) Most importantly, the Cooking project has been inviting (actually encouraging) OUTSIDE ideas from anyone who joins their NING site. You'll also find design write-ups, grant submissions, inspirational websites, and notes related to the Cooking exhibition development process on the site as well.

While you might not be able to take in a food tour through Brooklyn, hopefully your can apply the OUTSIDE Factor to your own exhibit design process sometime soon.

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Exhibit Design Resource: Online Articles from NAME

Where can you find a treasure trove of FREE exhibit design articles online?

Thanks to NAME (The National Association for Museum Exhibition) there are now entire editions of their twice-yearly journal, The Exhibitionist, available online in downloadable, digital form.

The most recent issues are not available, since receiving the journal is a benefit of NAME membership (you are a NAME member aren't you?) Leaving that aside, there are some great articles on subjects ranging from exhibit RFPs to tips for prototyping to add to your exhibit design references.

Click over to the NAME website to check things out for yourself!

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Celebrate Independents Day and IMPs!

No, that's not a misspelling in the title.

Even though today is Independence Day in the United States, there are thousands of independent museum professionals (IMPs!) who can provide fresh new ideas, as well as valuable exhibit fabrication and/or design skills for your museum.

So why not seek out a local IMP to brainstorm ways to work together on your next project?

You'll be expanding your list of community resources and doing your part to help support the economy as well.

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Museums Worth A Special Trip: Summer Vacation Edition

Since we've entered the summer travel season here in the U.S., I thought I'd point out a few "Museums Worth A Special Trip."

This time around, here are three suggestions that combine fun, science, and the Great Outdoors:

1) Montshire Museum of Science The Montshire is one of those "gems" that everyone who visits considers their own little secret. In addition to creative and unique interactive exhibits, Montshire's building is surrounded by 110 acres of woodland and nature trails along the Connecticut River.

2) The New York Hall of Science. In addition to the hands-on exhibits inside, the NY Hall offers some wonderful outdoor activities as well. Joining the outdoor Science Playground this summer is Rocket Park Mini Golf. With two real NASA rockets looming in the background, Rocket Park Mini Golf reveals that the same laws of motion and gravity that guide the path of a spaceship control the motion of golf balls here on Earth. Playing off the retro styling of the 1960's (evoking the Hall's roots as part of the 1964 World's Fair) the nine-hole miniature golf course is gigantic fun!

3) Chanticleer Garden While not technically a museum, this charming "pleasure garden" just outside Philadelphia is filled with whimsical touches including a carved stone living room set (pictured above) and interesting pathways, bridges, and artworks that both complement and highlight the surrounding landscape and plants. Every single member of my in-house testing team wants to go back for another visit!

Have your own summer suggestions for Museums Worth A Special Trip? Let us know in the Comments Section below. Happy Trails!

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