Museum Exhibit Design Inspiration: Advent Calendars in Minnesota

Who would have thought that advent calendars could inspire exhibit design?  Maybe it's not that surprising that Advent Calendars with their little doors and secret hidden treasures would be a great way to engage visitors.

As I'm here in St. Paul for the annual Children's Museum InterActivity Conference, I got to see some wonderful exhibitions yesterday at The Minnesota History Center that Dan Spock and his team had put together.  Each area was rich without being overwhelming, and rewarded careful observation.

"Open House" was an especially inspiring exhibition. Essentially an interactive journey of the life of one real house in St. Paul in which 50 families lived over the past century.  Nicely placed stories and objects to give you a real sense of the lives of the house's inhabitants. You can get a sense of the space from the YouTube video above.

Great stuff! And definitely worth a special trip if you're ever in the Twin Cities

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