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The Participatory Museum, Five Years Later

Museum 2.0

This week marks five years since the book The Participatory Museum was first released. I thought the pinnacle of participatory practice was an exhibit that could inspire collective visitor action without facilitation. Over the past four years, I''ve been running a small regional art and history museum in Santa Cruz, CA.

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Voting on Art and its Surprising Consequences

Museum 2.0

What happens when you let visitors vote on art? Let's look at the statistics from three big participatory projects that wrapped up recently. Each of these invited members of the public to vote on art in a way that had substantive consequences--big cash prizes awarded, prestige granted, exhibitions offered.

Arts 47
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Goodbye Consulting, Hello Museum of Art & History!

Museum 2.0

As of May 2, I will be the executive director of the Museum of Art & History at McPherson Center in Santa Cruz, CA (here's the press release ). Because of the increased workload I expect in the months to come, as well as the likely possibility that we will start a Museum of Art & History blog, I'm lowering my Museum 2.0

History 55
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Yes, Audience Participation Can Have Significant Value

Museum 2.0

I can't say that any one experience--working on a collage with other visitors, swinging on a hammock, discovering a participatory display for pocket artifacts in the bathroom--directly contributed to increased attendance and giving. They all have in concert, and they build on each other.

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Quick Hit: My Work with the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History

Museum 2.0

I've now been the Director of The Museum of Art & History in Santa Cruz for two months. Her mission in her blog has been to rebrand the experience of going to a museum, chasing away the old ideas of a quiet temple of tweedy art appreciation by generating new ideas of what a museum could be.

Museum 31
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Ze Frank Takes Over (My) Museum

Museum 2.0

I get excited about a lot of things in my work at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History. Ze Frank is a participatory artist who creates digital projects that are explicitly about creating and enhancing authentic interpersonal connections. This 2010 TED talk is a good introduction if you haven't experienced his work before.

Museum 45
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IP Tidbits

Zen and the Art of Nonprofit Technology

Home About Me Subscribe Zen and the Art of Nonprofit Technology Thoughtful and sometimes snarky perspectives on nonprofit technology IP Tidbits August 18, 2005 Here are a few tidbits I’ve come across in the Intellectual Property arena in the past few days. This is very cool. It’s definitely a thing to watch.