We decided to scour the first 6 months of EID twitter posts (June-Dec. 2020) and put together two sample grab-bags. This represents a small selection of inspiring projects that we thought were worth sharing across and among interpretive disciplines. Our intent is to stimulate curiosity, generate new ideas and provide you with additional resources. We hope these tweets act like a beautiful display of fireworks periodically eliciting some ooohs and aahhs within your cranium.
In keeping with the medium of Twitter you will see article headings with highlights accompanied by cursory synopses and minimal analysis. The idea is to whet your appetite so you click on the article heading and read more.
Tweets Showcasing STRATEGIC CHANGE
A bold move to reimagine & restructure Old Salem that boosts inclusive relevance, elevates the visitor experience & integrates interpretive site assets while pursuing financial sustainability. EID applauds this experience-driven strategy. This article by CEO Franklin D. Vagnone gives a frank assessment of the institutional deficiencies that were discovered, including the profound reconsideration of the core museum experience. “Merely tweaking a system that is out-of-date and dysfunctional will inevitably fail. First, we transformed the executive leadership team, expanding it from a group of four to a group of twenty to represent every division in the organization and it is vastly more diverse in terms of gender, race, and economic status.”
credit: Old Salem Gardens and Museums
Curating During a Pandemic: A Lesson in Democracy and Fresh Air – AASLH
Great example of an embodiment of values and fulfillment of mission to connect stories of the past with contemporary experience. This museum takes a bold interpretive step to the side and embraces platform more than presentation. Kudos to the Baltimore Museum of Industry team.
Digital Tools for Pandemic Times – American Alliance of Museums (aam-us.org)
Centre for the Future of Museums blog delves into digital solutions for three challenges museums are facing during the pandemic. "To set useful goals...museums need to identify what the public wants in terms of digital content, what they actually use, and what the museum gets in return." It is imperative to know your goals for using digital strategies & touchless tech, or benefits may not outweigh costs. Are you thinking long-term benefits? The article sheds light on these by demonstrating facility value, cultivating gratitude for facility work, priming future visits, and generating revenue.
How a love of visiting museums grew into the world’s most downloadable museum app. An app which identifies two million digitised artworks across 160 museums worldwide has recently raised £1m in investment. This will take the evolution of the platform from an app-first experience into a multi-channel offering that supports online arts education and eCommerce. Their ambition has always been to re-frame the use of smartphones as engagement rather than distraction. EID loves the name Smartify and its application for artworks – however the expansion potential is phenomenal for the heritage landscape. It’s COMING!
Tweets focused on FUN
Have lots of fun exploring this series of images on this website that are guaranteed to brighten your day and inspire you to try something novel at your facility. These are just 2 examples of many insightful & often humourous/uplifting urban-based signs that interpretive facilities could learn from.
credit: Miguel Marquez
credit: Miguel Marquez
Museum FAQ -- Can Museums Get Serious About FUN? - YouTube
Over the past 2 years Paul Orselli of the POW workshop has created a treasure chest of video interviews called Museum FAQ, with amazing people in the field (what field?). This is just one example I tweeted (there are so many more on his web site). Perhaps it isn’t the be all & end all, but fun is the glue of a mission- based experiences. Research is shared indicating a worthy offering needs to be wrapped in fun - a release of joy. Fun keeps visitors engaged.
Museums all over the world submitted their finest fannies. “For every classy ass, a humble bum. For every cute glute—well, you get the idea.” EID bottom line: opportunities to share collections around the world using a common concept abound so let's start collaborating - let's get crackin' and come up with some erudite experiences. Don’t be afraid of any rebuttal-just do it.
credit: artnet
Tweets with a novel PERSPECTIVE
Wobbleland | The New Children's Museum (thinkplaycreate.org)
Wobbleland offers children age 0-4 a chance to explore a giant kitchen sink of creative sculptures that include: Avocado Teeter-Totter, Cantaloupe Slice Rocker, Watermelon Boat, Crawl Through Cheese Slice. Does your play area reflect your interpretive story? Do you generate a WOW from your visitors? Are you missing an opportunity to reinforce your site messages?
British Galleries | Primer - The Metropolitan Museum of Art (metmuseum.org)
“There’s a revolution in your teapot.” "Design is never just about what we see...(it's) about people, politics, and power." Explore this engaging web site allows you, the reader, to delve deeper into content “behind the images.” Packed full of thoughtful, clever wording and engaging section titles like “Every price tag tells a story” (Don’t it - sorry, couldn’t resist my Rod Stewart addition-British gallery & all). Objects show promise beyond “formality and frills” when stories are untucked and "objects having borne witness to revolution of all kinds" provide "a window on our world today."
credit:MetMuseum
Planet Word: The World's First Voice Activated Museum | SEGD
SEGD is a multidisciplinary community creating experiences that connect people to place. Their recent innovative project, Planet World, personifies the word “phygital” where touch and tech merge. Planet Word projects a WoW and is devoted to “…the power, beauty, and fun of language and to showing how words shape the human experience.” In one gallery you can paint a digital canvas to reflect word meanings or visit a magical library where books come to life. Planet Word’s founder and CEO, Ann Friedman, proclaims “… at Planet Word, a museum built on ideas and not a collection, visitors don’t just receive information, they talk back to most of the exhibits and receive responses!”
Earth Speakr is an artwork. It invites kids to speak up for the planet and adults to listen to what they have to say. Earth Speakr was started by artist Olafur Eliasson who, in 2019, was named UNDP Goodwill Ambassador for climate action and the sustainable development goals. This intriguing, thoughtful, and stimulating site reflects on the power of imagination and provides a channel to hear the voices of children connecting to nature. Earth Speakr speaks the 24 official languages of the European Union and can be accessed throughout the world.
credit: Earthspeakr
See behind the scenes at Sudbury and the Museum of Childhood with the National Trust - YouTube
Not only a captivating promo video guaranteed to bring a smile to your face, but also a novel hopscotching tour guide with a smashing ceiling display. Have you ever thought of using a precocious child to promote your heritage site? Join seven-year-old Mo as we visit the Museum of Childhood, finding her favourite toys and peeking into all the best hiding spots.
Tweets based on LEARNING
Spatially Gifted Students—Future Architects and Engineers—Are Being Overlooked in Schools | Edutopia
Here’s another reason for incorporating right and left brain approaches to interpretation and the design of visitor experiences. Though they have the potential to excel in many fields, we’re neglecting a large body of students with a unique set of skills.
credit:Edutopia
How to Integrate Loose Parts Play in a Preschool Program | Edutopia
Caution: Do NOT leave design solely to professionals & steal the fun from people who innately want to shape their vision of the world. With applicability waaay beyond preschool (we know that is where we learn everything anyways…) the design of interpretive spaces can draw from this advice. Too often we create spaces with restrictions rather than with possibilities. It’s important that visitors get a chance to play with aspects of their learning environment. The article draws on thoughts from architect Simon Nicholson and Reggio Emilia founder Loris Malaguzzi.
Stay tuned for next week’s compilation: showcasing advocacy, innovation, and storytelling.