2021 in the Rearview

I don't know about you, but I'm happy to put 2021 in the rearview mirror.  Yet, despite the many challenges that came over the past 12 months, some recurring positive aspects of my work and professional practice continued to poke through the gloom.

Here are some good things I'll be carrying with me and considering some more in 2022.  (Each title link below brings you to a related 2021 ExhibiTricks post.)

Design Inspiration

I always enjoy being inspired by and sharing the work of creative folks.  I especially enjoyed the wonderful cable tie sculptures made by Sui Park.

Prototyping (and TAPE!)

Taking a little time to prototype and test ideas is such an important part of making great exhibits, but so often overlooked or "rationalized" away.  Make a New Year's resolution to use more TAPE!

Museum Spirit

Some museums have it, and some don't.  What can you do in 2022 to imbue your work, and the places where you work, with authentic museum spirit?

FREE STUFF!

I think one of the major strengths of museum workers is their willingness to share -- their ideas, their time, their hard-won lessons learned. So I was delighted this year to work with ASTC to release all four volumes of the Exhibit Cheapbooks out into the wild for FREE! (Of course, you can always check out the "Free Exhibit Resources" section of the POW! website for articles, videos, and other cool stuff!)

Here's wishing ExhibiTricks readers and subscribers a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2022!

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"

Exhibit Design Inspiration -- Literary Clock

Maker (and manager of the electronics workshop at the Royal Academy for Arts) Jaap Meijers released this Instructable that shows how to repurpose an old e-reader into a very special type of clock -- a Literary Clock!

What is a "Literary Clock" you might ask?  It's a device that tells the time by quoting "timely" passages from literary works.  The "literary time" updates every minute, so for instance at 9:23 in the evening, it will read:

My father met me at the station, the dog jumped up to meet me, missed, and nearly fell in front of the 9:23 pm Birmingham express.

This is an incredibly inventive concept, and I kinda want to see one in every library.  If you don't have an old e-reader handy, you can still use this Web-based version called "Literature Clock" that was developed by Johannes Enevoldsen, inspired by Jaap Meijers' original idea.

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"