You may have already seen this fantastic video of the United States Air Force Band’s flashmob at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, but here it is again. I love this performance, but I’m also incredibly biased. First, it’s taking place in a museum – what’s not to like? But, more importantly, these are…
There are a lot of beautiful ways to get yourself seriously injured in Iceland: volcanoes, glaciers, geysers, cliffs, and pieces of fermented shark on toast. I was lucky enough to experience almost all of them (not the shark, because ewww), and I was repeatedly surprised at how minimal and unobtrusive the caution and instructional signs…
Ask ex-pats about the differences between America and Germany, and customer service will be on the list. For those used to the American model, where polite staff and friendly transactions are expected and the customer is always right, the German approach can leave something to be desired. In fact, when I surveyed some of my…
There have been some fantastic conversations about museums, visitors, and empathy happening online lately (see here, here, here, and here). These are compelling discussions, looking at the ways museums demonstrate compassion, and the reciprocity and generosity that can exist between institutions and visitors. And they’ve left me thinking more about the role that asking plays in…
Even when you’ve dressed inconspicuously, perfected the art of watching people out of the corner of your eye, mastered the skill looking like a student working on a school project, and basically become the awesome-sleuthy offspring of James Bond and Harriet the Spy… There will still always be one security guard who hasn’t met you,…
I’m in the process of designing plan for a museum doing visitor evaluation for the first time, and to paraphrase Sister Maria, I’m starting at the very beginning: audience demographics. But, is it a very fine place to start? I already have an educated guess about who this museum’s visitors are. I’ve seen museums like…
…that babe, of course, being Colin Firth. From his appearance on Inside the Actors’ Studio: Anyone who has tried to speak another language will find, if you’re limited in that language, will find that you end up saying what you can rather than what you really want to say. And you start to circumnavigate the…
Just a quick reminder: the real thing is amazing. *image taken at the Freiburg Naturmuseum’s Vom Ei zum Küken (From the Egg to the Chick) exhibit.
Last month, Jaunty Dame (one of my favorite blogs on the interwebs) gave her answer to the question,“What books would you like to read that don’t exist?” and I’ve been thinking about the idea ever since. Her suggestions are excellent (YES to the George Martin book), and so is the question. I’d love to see a…
Phylogenetic trees. I love you almost as much as dichotomous keys…almost. Like most charts and graphs, phyogenetic trees aren’t big interpretive hits in museums. The fault isn’t that the information is boring – evolution is about as amazing and awe-inspiring as it gets (for this bio-nerd, anyway). The problem is that the information is too interesting.…
Museums Askew 