What Do We Do Next? Thoughts on German Museums and Syrian Refugees
How can local German museums best support, engage with, and document the arriving Syrian refugees?
Should You Make Space For Controversy?
What happens when museums create space for others to talk about controversial issues?
Guest books – Making Your Visitors Work For It
When I was in Iceland last year, I noticed a pattern with the guest books I was signing. As I visited museums and cultural sites I saw plenty of standard guest books – the ones on tables, the ones next to exits. The standard guestbooks usually had standard entries – names, hometowns, “Great museum,” “What…
Adding To The List Of Things You Can’t Do In Museums…
The news has been full of articles this week about the new niche market of dinosaur erotica. While I’m not here to judge, I do suspect the (speculated) realities of dinosaur mating aren’t nearly as steamy as what’s being written. My turn on’s include being smart, sensitive, and having a cloaca, said no woman ever.…
Exploring Transparent Engagement- Inspiration From German Customer Service
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…
Empathy And The Art Of Asking
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…
Shaving The Woolly Mammoth
From last night’s episode of Bob’s Burgers: “Carpe Museum.” I suspect Bob’s Burgers has some former museum workers on their writing staff. They know our world too well. Visitor Motivation: The Sands from Exotic Lands exhibit is my favorite. Last year, when I got home, there was sand in my crack. It was hands-on learnin’…
“Masterpieces Serving Maximum Sentences…”
In the days of yore (aka, grad school), a friend and I made a list of museum references and representations in popular culture. The movie list was pretty large (and frustratingly stereotypical – we all don’t wear tweed, you know): Indiana Jones, Night at the Museum, Bringing Up Baby, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The DaVinci…
Museums Askew 