Thinks and Links: Reflecting on the ASTC 2017 Conference

The 2017 ASTC (Association of Science-Technology Centers) Conference just wrapped up in San Jose, California.

As you might expect, given the audience of science-minded folks hunkering down in the heart of Silicon Valley there was much discussion of tech, but I was also left with the feeling that the Science Center field (and perhaps the entire museum and cultural sector) is in a time of introspection and re-evaluation.

Saturday, October 21st, the first day of the Conference, got off to a bit of a rocky start with the looongest opening keynote ceremony ever --- clocking in at over 3 hours!  Despite the mind (and butt!) numbing duration, there were some bright spots including outgoing Board Chair Linda Conlon giving an impassioned speech entitled, Scientific Evidence Is Proving No Match for Emotionalism. 

The opening ceremonies concluded on a high note --- a conversation with Brendan Iribe, CEO at Oculus VR, who shared his early experiences and inspirations designing exhibits for the Tech Museum in San Jose. He also discussed his initiative called Virtual Science Center.

Sessions on Saturday continued this tech/society trend with topics ranging from how to use digital games as audience engagement tools to "smart exhibits" to environmental sustainability actions in museums.  I especially enjoyed a practical session called "Under Pressure" all about demonstrations with air.

Paul Taylor shows off the Giant Eye/Air Pressure trick.

Saturday night ended with a smashing party courtesy of our hosts, The Tech Museum of Innovation.  (where we saw The Tech's newest exhibition, Body Worlds Decoded.)

Sunday morning dawned with an interesting experiment, The Distributed ASTC Conference.  This was a live conversation with speakers in San Jose, as well as four Science Centers in the Middle East on the topic of how truth and science have intersected and diverged over time --- a true mix of technology and society!  I applaud ASTC for giving new formats like this a try.

Sessions on Sunday continued a broad range of tech and public-focused topics including STEM Community Partnerships, The Power of Narrative, and Using Role-Playing Games to Build Community Disaster Resilience.

I was fortunate to moderate a set of "Flash" (10 minutes or less) Sessions on "Public Engagement with Scientific Methods" showing creative ways to help communities engage with scientists and data.  One of the presenters, Rik Panganiban from the California Academy of Sciences, provided this helpful link for tips on setting up a Science Game Jam at your museum.

Another new Conference approach this year was a "Side Talks" area set up near the registration desk where session presenters or conference attendees could sign up for blocks of time to discuss current topics of interest with like-minded attendees.  Our Flash Talks presenters moved to the Side Talks area with many attendees from our session to continue the conversations.  I think once ASTC Conference attendees get used to the idea of Side Talks, some very fruitful conversations will happen here. (As we all know, the learning happens outside sessions as well!)

On Sunday afternoon I was delighted to be one of the presenters on panel on Digital Exhibit Fails & Wins.  A great range of wins and fails were shown, but I was struck by three commonalities in all the "winning" examples of digital exhibits and interfaces discussed:

1) Testing and iteration with visitors produced the best digital exhibits.

2) Digital exhibits that promote interaction and conversation are the most popular and memorable.

3) Novel/Surprising Interfaces. (Think non-screen and iPad approaches.)

Dave Patten from Science Museum London shows a slide with the Queen's
Security Detail trying out a new interactive before a Royal opening ceremony.

As is often the case at conferences, there are so many good choices for sessions that you can't get to all of them.  That was certainly my problem on Monday the 23rd.  While I enjoyed the session I attended on "Creative Ways to Engage the Public with Climate Change" (see resource links in the image below) I also would have wanted to attend "Happy Birthday Frankenstein!" about using the 200th anniversary to explore the science and the world behind the classic book, as well as "Closing the Play Gap for Social Change." (Can any ExhibiTricks readers who attended these sessions share some thoughts in the "Comments" section below this post?)

The Closing Keynote Session on Monday provided a dialogue on how Science Centers can better serve their communities and what that really means.  I was especially struck by the challenges presented by Emily Dawson's research (as she Skyped in from the UK.)  

Check out Emily's Twitter account, and also her paper "Social justice and out-of-school science learning: Exploring equity in science television, science clubs and maker spaces."

Emily Dawson Skyping in from the UK

One of my favorite sessions on Monday was headed up by Tom Rockwell of the Exploratorium and dealt with the notion of "hybrid" organizations.  Tom brilliantly illustrated the audience discussion as a wireless microphone was passed around.  (You can see the end results below.)

I managed to finish up my ASTC trip to San Jose by zipping over to San Francisco to see the Exploratorium and SF MoMA before my redeye back to New York.  It was great to see some of the exhibit developers and "shop rats" while at Explo, and none more so than the ever-enthusiastic and resourceful Tom Tompkins who shared one of his latest finds, nullschool.net with me.

Did you attend #ASTC2017?  If so, feel free to share some of your own thoughts and takeaways in the "Comments" section below!

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Museum + Exhibit + Design Inspiration: Cavalry 360°

Architecture studio NEON created a site-specific installation called Cavalry 360° at the Chesters Roman Fort, in the north of England. The piece (pictured at the top of this post and in the YouTube video at the end) is a large circle in which visitors can stand and hear the simulated sound of 500 cavalry horses galloping, as a reminder of the armies stationed at Hadrian's Wall in the 2nd century. 

One thing I especially like about the sculpture is that it uses wind energy to function. Comprised of 32 wind turbines, each of which has three arms with cups to catch the wind and power hundreds of "mini beaters," to create the sound of equine hoofs in a constantly changing pattern. The beaters are arranged to mimic a "Turma," a term in Latin term that refers to a Byzantine cavalry group of 30 horses.  Visitors experience the beaters working at differing speeds as the wind rises and falls – and hear the sounds of horses galloping or trotting. 

English Heritage commissioned Cavalry 360° in the hopes that the unique kinetic piece, placed in the remarkable historic setting along Hadrian’s Wall, will be both thought-provoking and fun. It is designed to connect the viewer with the environment, to invite people to look through the work at the landscape beyond, and to pick up the sound on the wind.

Mark Nixon, who owns NEON, explained that the installation is meant to make people consider the Roman conquerors who rode over the land almost 2,000 years ago:

"This was an incredibly ambitious and challenging brief that called for a project that would retell the story of the Chester’s Cavalry in a way that would be engaging and exciting as well as drawing a new audience to the fort. The challenge of describing something that was no longer physically there, the Cavalry - and acknowledging the way the horse changed mankind’s relationship to the landscape were key to our approach for the commission. Like written fiction, we were excited to offer a half description of the subject as a means of evoking the imagination of the viewer to fill in the gaps. The horse as a creature evokes a wide range of visual and audial motifs that gave us a rich palette from which to draw on.”

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One Way to Address the Museum "Pay Problem" (TODAY!)

Although many museums and not-for-profit organizations have underpaid (and it could be argued, undervalued) their staff for years, there has been a recent flurry of online articles bemoaning this fact --- including here on the ExhibiTricks blog, at AAM's Alliance Labs blog, and at the Nonprofit: AF blog.

"Why all this sudden interest?" you may ask.  "Nobody goes into museum or non-profit work for a big payday."

That's true, to an extent, but deliberately inadequate pay contributes to the museum world's lack of diversity, and, for organizations that like to place their high-minded social credentials front and center, it is just downright demeaning and unfair to hard-working staff not to pay them a living wage.

So what to do?  (Besides the usual rationalizing and hand-wringing and pearl-clutching so common in the non-profit world?)

HERE'S MY SIMPLE SUGGESTION: Refuse to publish help wanted ads from museums and other cultural institutions that do not list clear salary ranges in their job postings, or from those organizations that offer unpaid "internships."

That's it.

Personally, if I ran the circus, I would also not accredit such organizations or let their representatives present at professional conferences, but let's start with baby steps and something simple(r) to implement.

If you'd like the museum world to start cleaning up its classified ads, and by extension its pay problem, then I urge you to email and speak with the leaders of every museum organization you know.  I've listed a few organizations and their leaders (with links to their emails) below to get you started.

You could just write something like: "As a member concerned with fair pay and diversity in the museum field, I ask you to stop accepting job ads that do not list clear pay ranges or ads for unpaid internships."  (Feel free to cut-and-paste this text directly into your own email.)

I am disheartened that we are losing emerging and diverse members of the museum profession because of poor pay and bogus unpaid work situations.  So let's stop hiding and rationalizing and start doing something.  I've just sent emails to everyone listed below, won't you join me?


PLEASE EMAIL THESE MUSEUM LEADERS

American Alliance of Museums (AAM):  Laura Lott

New England Museum Association (NEMA): Dan Yaeger


UPDATE: Hooray! ASTC, ACM, and AASLH all now require salary ranges on job postings!

But AAM and NEMA still do not, so contact Laura Lott and Dan Yeager and ask them to "catch up" to the rest of the museum world.



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Where Can You Find Fake Dirt? The Great Big Exhibit Resource List!

Developers and designers often need to track down unusual (or very specific) items to create museum exhibitions or commercial displays.

That's where The Great Big Exhibit Resource List comes in!

What started out years ago as a project for an ASTC Conference session, has now blossomed into an ever-growing and evolving set of resources organized by categories like "Fake Food", "Hardware", and "Glow-In-The-Dark Stuff".  (As a matter of fact, I just added some new entries this week.)

Blacksmith tools?  No problem!  Specialized plastic boxes? Sure!  Giant sequins for an air exhibit? Click the link!

Click on over to The Great Big Exhibit Resource List to explore the possibilities yourself.  (If you have suggestions for additions to the list, feel free to drop me an email.)

And while you finding the exhibit supplies of your dreams in The List, also check out the FREE Exhibit Resources page on the POW! Website.  There you'll find downloadable articles and resources on donor recognition and other museum/exhibit/design topics covered here on the ExhibiTricks blog.


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The Value of Museums: New Research Findings from Susie Wilkening

Susie Wilkening is a super-smart museum researcher, so I asked her to share some of her recent findings with ExhibiTricks readers:

"Museums are the glue that holds together families, culture, and communities." – a respondent from 2017 Annual Survey of Museum-Goers

What is the role of museums in American society?

For me, that is the ultimate question. Nine words that include what we, as museums (including science centers, zoos, etc.), do, and why what we do matters. Nine words that leave open the possibility that we are crucial to our society having a thriving future … but also the possibility that we don’t matter at all. Nine words that guide my thinking, questioning, and research.

To begin to tackle this big question, I’ve been busy fielding both broader population samples as well as my 2017 Annual Survey of Museum-Goers.   

And what did I find? Some tidbits:

Life stage matters. It isn’t everything, but it tells us a lot. For instance:

·      Young adults without children are rather omnivorous in their museum-going habits. They just are not that attached to any one museum. They are also struggling to connect with their communities.

·    Parents with young children are the most likely to be visiting museums (and to be members). But we lose 2/3 of them as regular museum-goers by the time middle school rolls around. That’s a problem.

·    And older adults are the least likely to visit museums … yet museums could play pivotal roles in their health and wellbeing as they age.

Museums matter … to some:   

• • Museums benefit society. They broaden horizons, cultivate understanding, connect people and places.
  • Museums benefit individuals. They spark curiosity, improve quality of life, further education, and are a place of family memories. There’s also data that museum-goers have better life outcomes as well … even when educational attainment is controlled for.
  • Museums can play a critical role in social justice. Museum-goers share that museums have helped them see different perspectives and viewpoints, promoting tolerance and understanding.

Why that “to some” comment before? We fail when it comes to equal access. My data underscores the privilege that is inherent in proactively seeking out learning opportunities. The privilege of having time, energy, and money to visit a museum, visit a library, or take a hike in the woods. That doing those things is worth the investment of time, energy, and money … an assumption not all can afford to make. Until we truly live equal access, and benefits are spread more evenly across society, we are reinforcing a system of inequality. And that is an issue of social justice we must do something about. (I’ll be sharing more about this on The Data Museum later this fall.)

As I look to the research agenda for 2018, it is clear to me that there is a need to probe these issues more deeply. To assess how museums can help develop stronger communities. To staunch the losses we see among families. To contribute to the health and wellness of older adults. And to do much more to change the lives of more individuals for the better.

That means continuing to measure how and why we matter, but also changing our messaging to appeal to the extrinsic motivations most individuals have around learning. A pragmatic approach that celebrates our impact and increases our perceived value to more individuals … something I think we can all agree is necessary in these interesting times.

After all, my research tells me that we have already made a difference for millions of museum-goers. It’s time to do more.

If this work has whetted your appetite, visit  The Data Museum for weekly data releases, or Wilkening Consulting’s resources page for printable Research Releases and infographic Data Stories.  To learn about upcoming webinars (including one in October on the 2017 Annual Survey of Museum-Goers) and future research releases, sign up for Susie’s newsletter.

Finally, your museum can also participate in the 2018 Annual Survey of Museum-Goers, contributing to that necessary broader research in the field while benchmarking your audience’s engagement and demographics.

Susie Wilkening is the principal of Wilkening Consulting, a research and Knowledge Curation firm focusing on the role of museums in society.  Susie has nearly 20 years of experience in museums, including over ten years leading custom projects for museums as well as fielding groundbreaking national research on behalf of the museum field.

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Why I Left The Museum Field: A Guest Post By Claire Milldrum

I've been noticing a growing number of young professionals choosing to leave the museum field, so I asked one of them, Claire Milldrum, to share her thoughts on the subject in this guest post:

Normally, I write over at the Female Gaze, but after writing a couple pieces there about museums, I was asked, basically, why I left the field. This is not an uncommon question, as I was once a diehard intern and researcher.

I left the Gallery, Library, Art, and Museum (GLAM) field because I decided I was very tired and deserved a lot more than was available to me. I also stand by a belief that it was a brave decision for me, as I left behind all that I had trained for. It is also, in my opinion, difficult to stay when things get tough and to work against the odds to stake a claim that you may often want to abandon. To do something scary, anything scary, is to resist the human urge to do what is easiest.

I left the field in theory poised for success. I had been lucky enough to learn from many wildly intelligent, driven and passionate people who gave me excellent insider advice at how to game the system. I had been accepted to top grad schools in Library Science, and at one of them, a guaranteed student work job in my subfield.

So when I am asked why I left, I always will say I was priced out of competition. I had reached my (un)reasonably high tolerance for giving away my labor through volunteering and internships. I miss the field, and wish deeply I could be entering graduate school in a week or two. Yet, had I committed to either school, I would graduate over $120,000 in debt after considering the all-in cost and all scholarships available to me. I would also be facing a serious job gauntlet, maxing out at $40,000 in entry level pay available to me.

After two years of the grind of the service industry, coupled with great but massive underemployment in the field, and a history of overworking to survive undergrad, I was done. I was done groveling for the hope of some full-time job that I’d have to fight tooth and nail for to make sure it someday became permanent.

In leaving, I made the right decision. I am now about 8 weeks into a job that allows me to accomplish the following: paying off my undergrad loans, save for retirement, do work that helps people, and only work 40 hours. Also, this means I can finally see a dentist. These things should not seem exceptional to anyone, but in the museum world they have become some impossible thing.

To get here, to get to the point where I can buy a bottle of rose and velvet chokers for a Charmed viewing party without any financial shame, took me ditching what I love. It took raging, sobbing, holding back tears while working. It was as bad as my worst breakup and I wish it on no one. It is also why I refuse to listen to those who dare tell me that a prestigious degree (I went to Wellesley College), negotiating pay, more work experience, or that I need to stay because I am supposedly woke. I owe no one anything, but I was owed more respect and honesty through the entire 7 years I tried to make it work.

We all deserve more, and we need to demand it. Until the MFA, DIA, Met, MoMA, and Smithsonian institutions pay their interns a living wage, do not effectively demand graduate degrees for entry work and focus on true diversity in hiring, nothing will change. Until those places that can afford to buy masterworks actually start managing their expectations of what an underpaid and overworked staff can do, I am not here for them or their apologists. If those large institutions adjusted their behaviors and took the high ground, the entire industry would change. If they want to lead the field through new educational programming and innovation in curatorial work, they better do it also for all the people that make it happen.

In summary, I left because I picked my humanity over the objects.

POST AUTHOR BIO: Claire Milldrum is that person in your class that is always amazed by something. She is enthralled by the positive social outcomes of arts and is trying to learn how best to encourage those kinds of changes. Once in the museum field, she now works in non-profit finance and community development. Photography is her main focus for its capacity to capture the world we know while leaving a record for people who will not know our faces and names. She also loves a good cookie and biking.


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