Museum 2.0

JUNE 25, 2014

Two years ago, we mounted one of our most successful participatory exhibits ever at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History: Memory Jars. Over three months, about 600 people filled mason jars with personal memories and put them on display. People were spending a long time working on them. He puts it on the wall. What was it?

Participatory 52

Participatory Evaluation Project Museum 52

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

MAY 7, 2010

Nina has written a fantastic book engagement called The Participatory Museum. A third argues that the project won’t be truly participatory unless users get to define what content is sought in the first place. How can you describe user participation in a shared language that helps your team make the right decision for your project?

Model 98

Model Activities Active Activism 98

sgEngage

JANUARY 10, 2024

Datamaking, as an aspect of knowledge building , can even contribute to civic engagement and participatory democracy. When equity is prioritized, the question of data is extended to include what data can help us to notice barriers and opportunities of greater access and inclusion. These are opportunities for meaning making.

Data 100

Data Knowledge Philanthropy Policy 100

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

FEBRUARY 14, 2020

She noted that you want your data to be representative of real people. She went on to say less predictable: “ People think that social change organizations should go slow and carefully. We deserve the best people and tech. I learned about the People + AI Guidebook. Well, screw that. We should move the fastest.

Google 95

Google Design Impact Participatory 95

Museum 2.0

SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

This exhibition showcases collectors from throughout Santa Cruz County--people with collections from animal skulls to dryer lint to priceless historic flags. This exhibition represents a few big shifts for us: We used a more participatory design process. Without further ado, here's what we did to make the exhibition participatory.

Participatory 44

Participatory Museum History International 44

Museum 2.0

MARCH 3, 2011

In 2009 , students built a participatory exhibit from scratch. Thirteen students produced three projects that layered participatory activities onto an exhibition of artwork from the permanent collection of the Henry Art Gallery. When activities were not facilitated, people were often too timid to interact.

Participatory 51

Participatory Arts Audience Museum 51

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

SEPTEMBER 27, 2019

Emerging Leaders Playbook Toolkit -The toolkit includes highly practical meeting facilitation “recipes” to help build skills in managing self, teams, and organizational culture.The facilitator agendas are designed for beginner or novice facilitators. The facilitation methods are participatory.

Facilitation 86

Facilitation Skills System Change 86

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

JANUARY 5, 2021

Using rituals as part of our professional work is one strategy that can help. Rituals are routine and intentional activities that carry meaning. My New Year’s rituals help me let go of things in my professional work that can open the door to positive change and growth. I’ve shared My Three Themes below.

Journal 148

Journal Reflection Facilitation Technique 148

Qgiv

JULY 10, 2023

Whether your donors are transactional or high value (including mid-level and recurring donors) or participatory (like event participants and volunteers), building healthy relationships with them today—and retaining them—recognizes the responsibility we all have to our constituents, our communities, and, ultimately, to ourselves.

Storytelling 75

Storytelling Donor Cancer Guidelines 75

Museum 2.0

OCTOBER 18, 2011

We decided to approach the label-writing for these boards in a participatory way. We put up the following label along with a pedestal with post-its and pencils: We're writing a description* for these surfboards and we need your help. Understanding what you think helps us think about how we display our collections.

Participatory 48

Participatory San Diego Museum History 48

Museum 2.0

FEBRUARY 4, 2016

The key question is, every step of the way: how can you invite people beyond yourself to help make this step better? This is the question I ask myself anytime I'm working on something with a participatory intent. How can people--staff, volunteers, community members--help make this project better?

Participatory 20

Participatory Question Work Artist 20

Museum 2.0

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

I'm finding myself really enjoying fundraising because it is fundamentally about inspiring people to participate--and to do so in a way that is significant both for the organization and for themselves. As a designer, I'm always trying to ensure that participatory activities, however casual, impact both the participant and the organization.

Participatory 39

Participatory Practice Fundraising Relationship 39

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

JANUARY 19, 2017

As a long-time trainer, professor, and teacher, I feel strongly that interactive learning activities – going beyond the death by Powerpoint Lecture – is the key to retention and application for participants. Your room set up can support your instructional activities that engage participants or get in the way.

Lecture 91

Lecture Classroom Experiment Learning 91

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

JULY 1, 2009

When I talk about designing participatory experiences, I often show the above graphic from Forrester Research. Forrester created the “social technographics” profile tool to help businesses understand the way different audiences engage with social media (and you can read more of my thoughts on it here ). Consider a mural.

Participatory 50

Participatory Experiment Museum Teen 50

Museum 2.0

OCTOBER 29, 2010

This question is a byproduct of the reality that most participatory projects have poorly articulated value. When a participatory activity is designed without a goal in mind, you end up with a bunch of undervalued stuff and nowhere to put it. It's not just a personal activity; it's an opportunity to be part of something.

Participatory 48

Participatory Music Project Video 48

Forum One

DECEMBER 15, 2021

Within Forum One, and among the mission-driven organizations we work with, I sense that more people understand that accessibility isn’t a box to check, but rather an integrated part of project design and delivery. Maybe that made a whole new set of people more empathetic to the idea of accessibility. We can’t connect. Focus on content.

Accessibility 71

Accessibility Goal Virginia Audience 71

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

SEPTEMBER 10, 2019

My style of teaching is participatory; I don’t lecture with PPT endlessly and involve the audience. However, when I have participants that also include physically disabled people who are wheel-chair users, have limited mobility, or blind, I make accommodations to be inclusive and, especially avoid being ableist.

Detroit 77

Detroit Instruction Instructional PPT 77

Museum 2.0

DECEMBER 3, 2014

I saw how participatory techniques were working in diverse museums around the world. What may be culturally-determined, however, is HOW people want to participate. In different countries, I''ve noticed broad trends in how people feel most comfortable sharing their voice. Is that activity an opportunity or a threat?

Culture 49

Culture Participatory New Zealand Museum 49

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

OCTOBER 26, 2006

" Taking it a little deeper, organizations should not go in the other direction - and be strategic in friending people. Another point of intersection here for me is Henry Jenkins recently published 72-page white paper " Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century. More here ). *

Participatory 50

Participatory Teen Vlog Mashup 50

Museum 2.0

DECEMBER 29, 2009

It's my "artistic rendering" of one of the most inspirational participatory projects I know of--the Bibliotheek Haarlem Oost book drops. To do this, the library didn't create a complicated computer system or send people online. She said that it gave them a good understanding on what the people in the neighbourhood like to read.

Participatory 40

Participatory Project Library Netherlands 40

Museum 2.0

DECEMBER 14, 2011

It was Friday, a few hours before the drawing activity, and my colleagues were worried that it would be too challenging for people to draw the icons and landmarks selected. They wanted to drop the activity. These are both busy people, and while they are very artistic, neither is a crack drawer.

Participatory 43

Participatory Classroom Help Artist 43

Museum 2.0

MARCH 16, 2009

When I talk about designing participatory experiences, I often show the above graphic from Forrester Research. Forrester created the “social technographics” profile tool to help businesses understand the way different audiences engage with social media (and you can read more of my thoughts on it here ). Consider a mural.

Participatory 44

Participatory Experiment Museum Teen 44

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

FEBRUARY 8, 2018

Going beyond content delivery, I also use a lot of participatory and hands-on learning techniques to help students gain a deeper understanding. Circles without tables, just chairs helps promote group discussion. Having a large enough space so people can move around and self-organize into small groups also promotes peer learning.

Learning 84

Learning Classroom Classes Student 84

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

AUGUST 20, 2014

There are a lot different styles, philosophies, and techniques for facilitating groups of people. Check out the International Association of Facilitator’s Method database which contains more than 500 entries. Participatory Gatherings. It helps people process complex thoughts. Strategic Dialogue. Any many more.

Facilitation 121

Facilitation Technique Chart Method 121

Museum 2.0

JUNE 10, 2015

And so, one of the most successful, accidental, and fraught participatory projects of the past decade comes to an end. No one planned the love locks, but their success is rooted in the same principles that make all the best participatory projects work: it requires no instructions beyond its own example. Nor are they historic.

Participatory 20

Participatory Project Artist Instruction 20

Museum 2.0

OCTOBER 1, 2014

They designed a participatory project that delivers a compelling end product for onsite and online visitors… and they learned some unexpected lessons along the way. We imagined an cart at the farmer’s markets where people could record stories. These really informed the project, and helped get the word out about the gallery.

Museum 43

Museum Story Project Design 43

sgEngage

MARCH 27, 2023

Foundations and grantmaking organizations are trying to untangle some of the world’s messiest problems: homelessness, food insecurity, climate change, and the rights of people who are often overlooked, to name a few. That’s where participatory grantmaking comes in. What is Participatory Grantmaking?

Participatory 72

Participatory Trend Community Grant 72

Museum 2.0

APRIL 7, 2009

Which of these descriptions exemplifies participatory museum practice? But the difference between the two examples teases out a problem in differentiating "participatory design" from "design for participation." In the first case, you are making the design process participatory. In the second, you make the product participatory.

Participatory 27

Participatory Design Difference Museum 27

Museum 2.0

OCTOBER 15, 2009

Over the past year, I've noticed a strange trend in the calls I receive about upcoming participatory museum projects: the majority of them are being planned for teen audiences. Why are teens over-represented in participatory projects? If your activity is compelling because it involves gimmicky new technology, it's not a good activity.

Teen 24

Teen Participatory Experiment Museum 24

Museum 2.0

APRIL 20, 2009

I’d never attended before and was impressed by many very smart, international people doing radical projects to make museum collections and experiences accessible and participatory online. The people at Museums and the Web are on the forefront of web-based innovative museum practice. You join the Brooklyn Museum’s posse.

Participatory 35

Participatory Museum Web Indianapolis 35

Museum 2.0

JULY 23, 2014

But not enough people care about it anymore, and the museum is fading into disrepair. Many people would look at the world''s oldest mechanized silk mill and say that the core content of the museum is silk. Everyone in the community helping out. Imagine a historic site. It has an incredible story. What do you do? It''s serious.

Museum 53

Museum Product Participatory Community 53

Museum 2.0

SEPTEMBER 4, 2012

This simple participatory project invites visitors to contribute their own small objects in little alcoves in our bathrooms. But people have participated in completely different ways. People like participating, we take them seriously, and they take us seriously. The participation is almost 100% on-topic and appropriate.

Museum 47

Museum Difference Examples Participatory 47

Museum 2.0

SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

Visitors bond and bridge through participatory experiences at MAH. Assess and Respond to Community Assets and Needs If you want to activate community engagement in your programs, you first need to work together with your communities to determine their diverse needs, assets and interests.

Museum 49

Museum Program Participatory Community 49

NTEN

NOVEMBER 4, 2014

Last year, NTEN Community Champions helped to raise over $36,000 to help support the NTEN Community Challenge , which helped to enhance NTEN''s program accessibility, including sending over 50 people to the 2014 Nonprofit Technology Conference (14NTC) and the 2014 Leading Change Summit (14LCS) with scholarships.

Donation 64

Donation Impact Share NTEN 64

Museum 2.0

SEPTEMBER 18, 2013

Granted, I live in an increasingly narrow world of people who are exploring these topics and want me to work with them, but I still learn a lot from the questions and struggles I hear from colleagues and people who comment on the blog. Why should institutions engage with people in this way? The Museum 2.0 Yes and no.

Museum 45

Museum Question Participatory Evaluation 45

Museum 2.0

JANUARY 16, 2013

This past weekend, in conjunction with our exhibition about Ze Frank's current participatory project, A Show , we hosted " Ze Frank Weekend "--a quickie summer camp of workshops, activities, presentations, and lots of hugging. Then again, Saturday was hardly normal at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History.

Reflection 43

Reflection Community Museum Participatory 43

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

JANUARY 5, 2018

During the first week of January , I use the quiet time for three New Year’s rituals that help me prepare for the year ahead and identify professional growth areas. I’ve used these rituals for over a decade and found them helpful. These help guide my professional learning and improvement and maintaining good habits.

Professional 0

Professional Finland Journal Reflection 0