Off to Columbus for ASTC 2012

The annual gathering of the international science center clans is coming up in Columbus, Ohio for the ASTC (Association of Science-Technology Centers) conference.

I'm happy to be attending the conference and presenting on one of my favorite topics: Prototyping!  

If you're in Columbus for the ASTC Conference, be sure to mark your calendar for Sunday the 14th starting at 2:15 p.m. in Rooms C123-125 of the Convention Center.  I'll be part of a rollicking session entitled:

Do You Want to Touch Me There?

From the conference program:   “Prototype” is a slippery term, but the “down and dirty” physical nature of both the prototyping process and products are essential.  Join an eclectic group of passionate exhibit makers for this showcase to examine hands-on prototype examples followed by a group discussion of practical ways for creating good prototyping experiences."

C'mon,  it's worth going to this just for the Session Title alone!

My session "show and tell" will focus on both the low-tech (Be an Office Supply Ninja!) and high-tech (Using physical computing interfaces like MaKey MaKey) aspects of exhibit prototyping.


I'll also be kicking off a cool new "Pop-up Maker Space" project in Columbus with Brad Larson of Brad Larson Media and Jim Polk of Canstruct.  We'll be showing off some fun new ways that your museum can tap into the Maker and DIY movements sweeping the planet.   (Sneak peak in the photo at the top of this post!) Your visitors will make cool projects, share their ideas, and continue creating at home with our Pop-up Maker Space exhibits and materials!  Come visit Booth 812 in the ASTC Exhibit Hall for more info and a free project to play with at home.


Last but not least, I'll be doing my best to post conference updates via Twitter (@museum_exhibits) and a conference wrap-up when I get back home.  So stay tuned!




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Inspirational Reads (for Museum Exhibit Designers)

There's something satisfying and wonderful about reading and gathering inspiration from an author's ideas, and then finding that your own work and thoughts has been influenced in the process.

Here are a few books that have stuck with me over the past few months, that I'd like to commend to your attention:

One such inspirational read is The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.  It's a great book that has nothing directly to do with museums, but, in a way, everything to do with the way that the objects, experiences, and social interactions possible in magical settings (like museums!) can not easily be recreated in other ways. Highly recommended.


The next two books capture the power that particular objects, or the ways through which particular objects are created, have over our imaginations and memories.  Each of these books also opens the windows into the very messy processes by which the neat finished products came to be  --- something I wish museums could show us more of.

The first book, Strapless by Deborah Davis, despite its deliberately provocative title, captures the fascinating story of one particular piece of art --- John Singer Sargent's "The Portrait of Madame X" (pictured at the top of this post.)  Davis delves into the complex interactions between artist, model, and societal attitudes, and how they caused a tremendous scandal, that, on its face, seems a bit ridiculous now.

I've always loved this Sargent painting, so it was fascinating to find out about the stories behind its creation.


The second book, in this process-oriented vein, is  Windows on Nature by Stephen Christopher Quinn. It is an exploration of the historic dioramas at the American Museum of Natural History --- how they were created, and how they continue to resonate with modern visitors and exhibit designers alike.   It is gratifying to learn of the deliberately low-tech artistry that continues to mesmerize museum visitors of all ages.

There are hundreds of beautiful photographs that show the specific locations that inspired particular dioramas as well as in-process shots showing the many diorama artists at work.  (It's also a little scary to see the photos of famous biologist, artist, and taxidermist Carl Akeley all bandaged up after being attacked by one wild animal or another on his various collecting expeditions!)


The last book is a science-oriented volume that captures the spirit that I'd like to find in every Science Museum or science-related exhibition.  The book is Stiff by Mary Roach. Starting with an unlikely subject for a book: human cadavers (hence the title) author Roach takes us for a spin through such topics as organ donation, funeral homes, and "The Body Farm."

Throughout her book, Roach acts as the reader's surrogate, asking the kinds of questions we might like to ask (if we had the nerve) and presenting the information on such potentially icky and morbid topics, in a highly readable, and at times hilarious, manner.  While all along the way helping the reader to understand the science buried (sorry!) within each topic.  She accomplishes this gracefully and without boring the reader, or worse, making them feel stupid --- a neat trick given the complexities of the subject matter.   Mary Roach would be an interesting person to work with on a science exhibit!  (She also has written a number of other best-selling science books on subjects ranging from sex to space travel.)


I hope these books might give you a little inspiration on your own museum/exhibit/design practice.   Feel free to share any books that might have inspired your own work in the "Comments" Section below.
 

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Quick Take: Finding The Spider

Did this ever happen to you?  You're at a zoo (or aquarium, or nature center, or museum ...) and you're trying to find a cool animal inside the tank or enclosure --- and then get frustrated because, try as you might, you can't see the darn thing that's supposed to be inside!

I saw a neat and simple (not to mention cheap!) solution to this problem recently inside the Spiders Alive! exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York.

The approach that AMNH takes (as you can see illustrated at the top of this post, and below this paragraph) is sticky notes!  Well, sticky arrows specifically.  It's easy and it's changeable (when the spiders move, docents or staff can move the arrows.) I can totally imagine printing larger (or slightly more elegant) arrows onto cling vinyl for larger enclosures at zoos or aquaria as well.

From a recent conversation with Museum staff, my understanding is that the arrows were originally placed on the spider tanks to help the folks who feed the arachnids to find the beasties more easily.

Staff at AMNH soon realized that the arrows made the exhibition experience better for visitors so they kept the arrows on the spider displays and have been using them ever since.


If you're in NYC in the near future, the Spiders Alive! exhibition is worth a special trip  (as you can see from my daughter's smiling face!)

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Worth A Special Trip: Children's Museum of Phoenix

Details and personality. Those are the two common threads that ran through my mind as I recalled my recent visit to the wonderful Children's Museum of Phoenix. You can tell that the people who work here and the people who visit here really love their museum.

So without further ado, let me take you on a little photographic tour and point out some of the details that really make this a museum "worth a special visit."  You can see many more photos of my Phoenix visit (and lots more of my own exhibit work photos!) on the Paul Orselli Workshop Flickr page.

As you might be able to tell from the photo at the top of this page, the Children's Museum is located in a historic renovated school building that once housed the Monroe School.  (Interesting bit of trivia: the artist Jackson Pollock attended this school when he was a child.)

I love museums that renovate and redefine existing buildings. Instead of starting with a "blank slate" (construction wise) everyone from architects to exhibit fabricators involved in a renovation project really has to enter into a sort of creative dialogue with the challenges and realities of the old space.  (Of course I'm biased since I've worked in museums that were once Victorian houses, fire stations, and historic aircraft hangars!)

A museum visit really starts from the time you park the car and enter the front door --- and here the museum starts off with a nice message by using solar panel structures in their parking lot:

and a BIG welcome as you approach the front door:

As soon as you swing past the large open admissions desk area you are struck by this huge, honking cool climbing structure:

 

It's funky, and like many things in the Museum it doesn't completely and immediately reveal itself to you. There are lots of questions that pop up as your eyes whiz around the structure, like "What's that flying bathtub over there?"

But of course the best way to find out is to get in there and start exploring! The Climber, like the vast majority of exhibits and activities in the Museum, really breaks down age barriers --- so kids (and adults!) of all ages really mix it up together and have fun.



Speaking of fun, which other Director of Exhibits do you know that has a real swing in her office (That's Nancy Stice showing off some of her non-traditional office "furniture."

It's clear (even down to the level of simple signs) that the Museum has a fun spirit, and doesn't take itself too seriously.  Here's a door sign on a currently unused classroom space:

and the toilet seat and faucet pipe signs that mark the restrooms:

The museum has also deliberately placed lots of comfy chairs around their spaces (instead of minimizing or eliminating seating as many museums do!)

A last nod regarding details --- check out the metal bead chain "water" running out of the faucet in this role-play area:

And last, but not least, in the Museum's "Art Studio" kids (and their adults!) can paint this cool rocket ship:

The activity is so popular, and such thick layers (artistic strata?) of paint build up over time that the museum has to "switch out" rockets and chip off the layers of paint (to be reused and recycled for making jewelry and other projects!)

All those little touches, and attention to detail, really add up at the Children's Museum of Phoenix. The sum total of those details and touches also send an important message to visitors: "we are having fun here and we want you to have fun here, too!"  And who could ask for more than that from a museum?



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Kid In The (Exhibit) Candy Store

As my daughter and I were wandering around the local drug store recently, I found some exhibit and prototyping inspiration:

Krank Pops!

Honestly who knows why some candy/toy designer wanted to create "An Action Lollipop" (with Sound Effect!) but both my daughter and I thought Krank Pops were cool and bought some.

After we got the Krank Pops home (and my kids ate up the lollipop part) we ended up with this:

a cheap and easy rotary crank mechanism to play around with for simple prototypes and exhibit ideas!   I certainly could whack something like this together myself, but there's a certain satisfaction in finding ways to repurpose familiar objects in unfamiliar ways.

One thing I often realize when I'm inside a drug store, or hardware store, or automotive parts store, or office supply store (see my previous post on becoming an Office Supply Ninja!) is that clever little ideas for prototype materials or exhibit design and development solutions often pop up in unexpected places.

So keep your eyes open for those unexpected finds  --- and don't forget to stop for the occasional Krank Pop!



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The "New" AAM?

Whatever.