A few months ago, I sweet-talked (in very poor German) my way into a behind-the-scenes tour of a local museum. As a staff member was showing me around, he mentioned that the collection space was roughly divided into two zones. Zone 1 housed the “valuable” items - the pieces that get put on display and used by researchers. Zone 2…
When I began as the Curator of Interpretation with the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery in 2008, my first project was Soapstone Prairie Natural Area. 28 square miles in northern Colorado, Soapstone was purchased by the city of Fort Collins to be a park and conservation area. Along with its attraction as a natural space,…
Because no matter how big you make the first one, you’ll probably need four more. For a more gorgeous use of arrows, see how Double Portrait at the Philadelphia Museum of Art did it right. Now that’s how you add more arrows.
I had planned on publishing “Tips for Developing Multi-Language Labels: Part 2” today, but a last-minute museum contract has me writing limericks* about cows instead. *Don’t worry, museum-in-question, they’re not all limericks. Here’s hoping you like knock-knock jokes, too.
If you follow me on Twitter (cough…shameless plug…cough), you know that I recently spent a day in Switzerland, swimming in the Rhine. Or floating in the Rhine. Whatever. There was some kicking involved, so it totally counts. Have you done this? You should do this. It was heavenly to drift down the river, and so…
In July, the Freiburg Naturmuseum is opening “Wald,”a new children’s exhibit about the Black Forest. To give visitors a preview, the museum turned an empty programming space into a sneak peek gallery, showcasing the ideas, plans, and pieces that inspired and informed the new exhibit. From vintage photographs of old biology exhibits to the first,…
How do you share your museum’s data? Charts? Lists? Memos? Newsletters? Why don’t you turn all that delightful data into an infographic and… Organize your information in logical and attention-grabbing ways Simplify how you define and describe yourself Embrace color! Share the results of a survey in a new way Market an upcoming event or…
How do people see images of your institution? Your website? Promotional flyers? Other people’s vacation photos? Are the images ordinary? Beautiful? Edgy? What mood, tone, and attitude do they convey? Is it the one you want? What if you design a museum lookbook and… Show off your museum from a new angle? Use evocative images to…
How do you tell your community about your exhibits? Are you opening a new exhibit? Do you have an existing exhibit you want more people to visit? What if you create an exhibit trailer and… Preview your new exhibit to the world? Re-envision and remind visitors of the great exhibit you already have? Make something busy and exciting? Quiet…
I’ve been to a lot of quiet museums lately. Is your museum quiet? Does it need to be? What if you… Create soundscapes in your spaces? Urban sounds? Nature sounds? Other languages? Play music in the galleries and exhibits? Different styles on different days? Create harmonious experiences? Create cacophonous experiences? Create musical audio tours? No…
Museums Askew 