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.




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"

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!






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"

Sunday, August 3, 2025

18 Years of ExhibiTricks!



The ExhibiTricks blog turned 18 this summer!

Since June 2007, I've been posting roughly once a week -- so I've built up quite a "back catalog" of ideas to share.

Here are four "blasts from the past" that are among the most popular ExhibiTrick posts:

Are Exhibit Timelines So Boring Because of the Lines? 

There are soooo many timelines in exhibitions -- can't we make them more interesting, both physically and conceptually?

Hayao Miyazaki's Museum Manifesto

Hayao Miyazaki is a film artist who has created some amazing animated films for Studio Ghibli in Japan. He has also created one of my all-time favorite museum manifestos, which I think is worth revisiting from time to time.

Many Ways To Say Thanks

Most donor recognition installations in museums are really ways to say thanks.  And who could argue with that? Here's a post with lots of interesting examples.

Are Screens Killing Museums?

I still think museums default to screen-based solutions too often, without really considering other design alternatives.  This post is memorable for me for the amount of "hate mail" it generated!


THANKS to everyone who has been along for the ride -- whether for the whole eighteen years, or for just the past few months.


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"