Gatherings
I've been thinking a lot about gatherings lately.
One reason is that my son Philip got married this past weekend. (Congrats, Dani and Phil! ❤️)
Another reason is that an international gathering of museum professionals is about to converge on Chicago for the 2024 edition of the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) Annual Conference.
Both a professional conference filled with excellent colleagues and an auspicious occasion like a family wedding actually have several things in common:
• Everyone is gathering for an event that is important and meaningful for them
• Everyone is gathering for an event that is important and meaningful for them
• You are seeing people you care about that you may not have seen in a while
• Things will happen at the event that people will continue to ponder after they return home
• You will meet new people
• There will be dancing and drinking!
All this to say that what makes a successful event are the people who create a community of sorts there.
All this noodling also leads to what Brian Eno calls "scenius" -- the idea of a creative community -- rather than "genius" -- the focus on one creative individual. Check out this super short video of Brian Eno explaining the concept.
That idea of scenius really resonates with me and makes me think of many examples of powerful creative communities -- Apple Computer, Burning Man, the Harlem Rennaissance, Andy Warhol's Factory, and, yes, even museums like the Exploratorium.
So I hope the next gathering you attend will be a true coming together of diverse individuals forming a spirited creative community!
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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