Connection Cafe

MARCH 6, 2020

H er thoughts on personal facilitated experiences (PFEs) being the most remarkable way to connect with an audience are still influencing us. . to the Gibbes and sparked an ongoing conversation there about how to create more accessible programming. . Robert Gilmor , Jr.”

Arts 47

Arts Culture Celebrate International 47

Museum 2.0

MARCH 12, 2014

I recently read the BERI report on bilingual labels in museums and was blown away by its findings. in Applied Social Psychology and has evaluated and researched informal learning experiences in museums and other visitor institutions for over 20 years. is a controversial topic, and the same is true in museums.

Intergenerational 53

Intergenerational Museum NSF Facilitation 53

Museum 2.0

MARCH 4, 2015

This week marks five years since the book The Participatory Museum was first released. Across the museum field, the questions about visitor participation have gone from "what?" I thought the pinnacle of participatory practice was an exhibit that could inspire collective visitor action without facilitation. and "why?" to "how?".

Participatory 20

Participatory Museum Empowerment Facilitation 20

Museum 2.0

OCTOBER 3, 2012

But Vi doesn't work in a science museum. Beth Harris and Steven Zucker, who are well known in museums for their excellent Smarthistory website and podcasts. the way the best museums do. Does this mean Khan Academy is competitive with museums? She would be the best science center educator ever.

Learning 55

Learning Free Museum Online 55

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

APRIL 4, 2010

He is Deputy Director for the Contemporary Jewish Museum , and an expert in using social media in a museum setting. Participants design and launch a social media experiment that helps them improve their practice and share learning with one another. Most importantly, I need a good facilitator for each table. I said yes.

Social Media 94

Social Media Reflection Learning Social 94

Museum 2.0

MARCH 3, 2011

What I Learned Part 1: Facilitation is Powerful When I taught this class the first time, I put a real premium on the idea of designing participatory activities that were visitor-driven and required minimal or no facilitation. When activities were not facilitated, people were often too timid to interact.

Participatory 51

Participatory Arts Audience Museum 51

Forum One

FEBRUARY 19, 2024

This Black History Month, we reflect on the strategy work that our team does through our partnership with the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture —much of which centers around expanding access. And for those who have, they quickly understand that the Museum has much more to offer than can be absorbed in a day.

History 73

History Accessibility Museum Award 73

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

FEBRUARY 18, 2016

They become a source for journalists to quote, have conversations with professional colleagues, or directly engage with stakeholders. One of the best personal brands that I’ve seen on Instagram from a nonprofit leader is Thomas P Campbell the CEO of the Metropolitan Museum. He is curating the experiences he shares.

Personal 50

Personal Create Photography Museum 50

Museum 2.0

MARCH 21, 2011

This expresses itself most powerfully in museums when we talk about building relationships with visitors over time. But museums are one-night stand amnesiacs in the relationship department. But museums are one-night stand amnesiacs in the relationship department. This is terrible, both for the visitor and for the museum.

Relationship 46

Relationship Museum Game Personal 46

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

APRIL 9, 2013

Last week I was in Chicago to facilitate a session about leadership and social media as part of Knight Digital Media Center’s Digital Strategy for Community Foundations and Nonprofits. Says Jim Canales, CEO of the Irvine Foundation, “In my experience, I have found that by engaging on twitter, I have actually saved time.

Social Media 124

Social Media Adopt Time Media 124

Museum 2.0

MARCH 10, 2008

Thank you to Susan Spero and all the folks at JFKU and Left Coast Press for starting a highly stimulating conversation this weekend at the colloquium on Museums and Civic Discourse. There were, as we say in the museum business, some good aha moments. There were, as we say in the museum business, some good aha moments.

Museum 20

Museum Site Facilitation Participatory 20

Museum 2.0

MAY 13, 2015

Visitors in front of the African Elephant Diorama at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHMLAC photo) This guest post was written by Karen Wise, Vice President, Education and Exhibits at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. “I Familiarity may breed contempt in some contexts, but apparently not in museums.

Los Angeles 20

Los Angeles Museum History Artist 20

Museum 2.0

MAY 19, 2016

For example, when we held community meetings about the development of a new creative town square next to our museum, a group of middle/upper-class moms talked about not feeling safe downtown. You should have a credible and understandable offer, alongside your ask of their time, experience, and expertise. Child care. Free tickets.

Build 35

Build Community Museum Participatory 35

Museum 2.0

OCTOBER 6, 2017

The Museum 2.0 I went alone, sent with a blessing from my boss at the International Spy Museum. All those hallway conversations people say are so valuable? As Museum 2.0 The first training I went to was on Public Narrative, led by master facilitator Sarah El-Raheb. What do I take from these experiences?

Training 21

Training Train Conference Learning 21

Museum 2.0

SEPTEMBER 11, 2013

This week''s guest post is written by Julie Bowen, VP of Experience and Engagement at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa. Years ago, I was running a workshop at a conference introducing a creativity technique to museum professionals. But it would never work in my museum because my boss would never go for it.”

Place 52

Place Museum Environment Problem 52

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

FEBRUARY 8, 2011

Last week, I facilitated an interactive keynote in Seattle at 2011 Tech for Good Leadership Summit sponsored by Microsoft Community Affairs , in partnership with NPower Seattle. By all accounts , the event held the space for peer learning. The full group discussion allowed people at different levels to share their experiences.

Knowledge 97

Knowledge Seattle Social Media Measure 97

Museum 2.0

JUNE 1, 2010

You can join the conversation in the blog comments, or on the Museum 2.0 Like many museum and library professionals, I am enamored of the idea of cultural institutions as “third places” – public venues for informal, peaceable, social engagement outside of home or work. This is the only post written by me, Nina Simon.

Place 41

Place Discussion Culture Museum 41

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

OCTOBER 26, 2010

Last week, I had the pleasure of facilitating a Networked Nonprofit and Social Media workshop at the Independent Sector Annual Conference “ Forging A Stronger Future Together &# in Atlanta. Interesting to discover a line from the book, “Social Media is a contact sport, not a spectator sport&# was a conversation driver.

Blackbaud 93

Blackbaud Conference Reflection Atlanta 93

Museum 2.0

MARCH 12, 2009

On Sunday April 5, I’ll be conducting a collaborative experiment with 15 intrepid University of Washington graduate students, and I’d like to invite you to join in from your own hometown. The experiment requires you to go to a public space and do three things: Talk to a stranger. Spring is here and it’s time to talk to strangers.

Design 20

Design Experiment Seattle Social 20

Museum 2.0

DECEMBER 28, 2006

has gone on to build other games and tutorials, but their bread and butter is the crafting of honest, successful "interactive conversation interfaces." What's an "interactive conversation interface"? Jellyvision has now released a list of Jack Principles on Interactive Conversation Interface design. It reacts when you move.

Interaction 20

Interaction Game Conversation Guidelines 20

Museum 2.0

JANUARY 7, 2015

I''m entrenched in a project to build a creative town square in Santa Cruz connected to my museum. When we lose the public space that facilitates it--active sidewalks and thoroughfares--we lose the simplicity of anonymous collisions. But Jane Jacobs showed me there are lots of different ways to experience togetherness.

Museum 20

Museum Learning Public Contact 20

Museum 2.0

JUNE 6, 2012

This post is the third and final in a series of reactions to Blueprint , a book chronicling the rise and fall of the Dutch Museum of National History (INNL) in 2008-2011. How is the exhibit living on at the museum and what is it like to take over someone else’s project? We’d like to share some thoughts and ideas in this guest post.

National 27

National Netherlands Museum History 27

Museum 2.0

APRIL 15, 2015

But I couldn''t fully imagine how a museum or an arts center could embody it. The result was a true experiment in designing the future--right here, right now--with artists and planners and civic leaders at the helm together. Put the most disruptive, loud, or provocative experience in the right of way, and people can''t help but notice.

San Francisco 20

San Francisco Arts Design Marketing 20

Museum 2.0

APRIL 2, 2014

In his thoughtful preface to this project, I reconnected with five lessons I''ve learned from participatory projects in museums and cultural sites. In my experience, the best participatory experiences are as constrained and clear as possible in the invitation offered, and as open-ended as possible in the outcome generated.

Participatory 52

Participatory Arts Music Learning 52

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

MAY 20, 2010

This post summarizes the content I shared in my presentation and offers some reflection on the conversational keynote. I started my talk with a story about why I liked Twitter: It allows me to connect with people in my professional field and have a great conversations or ad hoc collaborations that improve practice.

Social Media 115

Social Media Media Social San Jose 115

Museum 2.0

JANUARY 18, 2008

This week marks one month of live activity for the Tech Virtual Museum Workshop , a collaborative, online platform for exhibit development. For me, it means spending a lot more time facilitating idea generation and communicating with others than being an independent creative agent. A month ago, I invited you to join this project.

Museum 20

Museum Virtual Tech Second Life 20

Museum 2.0

SEPTEMBER 24, 2019

This month we’ve been thinking about “What is a museum?” (I'm I’ve been visiting museums my whole life. Does that make me the best judge of museums? People are the defining characteristics of museums. I’ve worked with and at plenty of museums that can sometimes feel empty. I'm not alone there.

Museum 36

Museum Place Life Ohio 36

Museum 2.0

JULY 22, 2008

A platform for museum staff to serve as facilitators of safe spaces for difficult conversations? The Living Library was conceived in Denmark in 2000 as a way to engage youth in dialogue about ending violence by encouraging people to meet their prejudices and fears in a safe, fun, facilitated environment.

Library 20

Library Model Museum Europe 20

Museum 2.0

MAY 9, 2008

There's a tag applied to many Museum 2.0 Posts under that tag tend to examine non-museum things, from malls to games to ad campaigns , and draw some design lessons for museums from their foreignness. What aspects of that socialness are desirable in museums (and how might we mirror buses or trains to promote them)?

Participatory 20

Participatory Design Museum Childhood 20

Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

AUGUST 12, 2009

Photo by Bradlauster Note from Beth: One of the things I love about blogging is the conversation in the comments because it always leads to understanding, insights, and learning. About three months ago Beth Kanter wrote about the Crowdsourcing of Vision at the Smithsonian Museum. Jon Husbands is a Listener, watcher and facilitator.

Aggregator 82

Aggregator Model Leadership Method 82

Museum 2.0

OCTOBER 19, 2009

They edit the conversations into radio shows, which are then made available as a podcast (you can listen to episode featuring me, #89: Museum Secrets, here ). The conversations are often long--20 minutes or more--and Mercedes and Zachary only get to the question at the end of a meandering conversation with the guest.

Reflection 20

Reflection Museum Podcast Participatory 20

Museum 2.0

MAY 29, 2009

Two weeks ago, I conducted a participatory exhibit design workshop with staff at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Between the giant squid brainstorming and experimentation, I gave a talk to the larger Smithsonian Institution about multi-platform museum experiences. The slides are also available for download.

Slides 20

Slides Process Video Open 20

Museum 2.0

MARCH 18, 2015

There are lots of great science museum resources, but not where these kids can walk after school. Part of this is practical: you can''t facilitate making and tinkering for 30 kids if you have to hand them everything they need. Any big museum has barriers and limitations to full community ownership. Really interesting.

Green 20

Green Interview Share Community 20

Museum 2.0

JUNE 27, 2008

But the VSA has taken an intentional approach to these structured conversations with the goal of putting the (arguably) best part of conferences—the side conversations and hallway discussions—front and center. This is the cocktail party, the hallway conversation, a structured time to meet and talk. Why are they doing this?

Studies 20

Studies Associations Houston Museum 20

Museum 2.0

NOVEMBER 20, 2008

When I talk about the hierarchy, I use the theoretical construct of an issue-based museum exhibit. At level one, the museum preaches to visitors about the issue. At level two, the visitor has some interactive experience (pushing buttons, etc.) Free2choose is a perfect example of the limits of a level three experience.

Poll 22

Poll Interaction Museum Social 22

Bloomerang

FEBRUARY 1, 2022

We’ll start with a few key trends in philanthropy that will ground our conversation. So we have three key goals for our conversation this afternoon or morning depending on where you are. And really appreciate the opportunity to share my experiences on the frontlines working on these campaigns with all of you here today.

Leadership 62

Leadership Fundraising Gift Slides 62

Museum 2.0

JUNE 25, 2007

I spent Saturday in beautiful Monterey, ocean pounding outside the window of a conference room, where about 40 museum folks were pondering a question more elusive than the origin of the waves: can museums change the world? In two months, 10,000 visitors sent postcards (and fortuitiously, the government acted in favor of protection).

Model 26

Model Action Congo Museum 26