Museum 2.0

MARCH 18, 2015

A couple months ago, I visited a Community Science Workshop for the first time in Watsonville, CA. The people were of all ages--moms with babies strapped to their fronts, six year-olds using skillsaws, pre-teens building robots, teenagers doing homework. At that time, we expanded to Watsonville , where strawberries come from.

Green 20

Green Interview Share Community 20

Museum 2.0

DECEMBER 14, 2009

The end of a conference is often a time of great enthusiasm quickly followed by a gaping maw of inability to act on that enthusiasm back at work. Third, you need to align your idea with institutional culture. Or maybe education staff are not willing to engage real-time visitors in dialogue around controversial issues.

Project 22

Project Museum Teen North Carolina 22

Museum 2.0

JUNE 12, 2012

It made me think in ways that I haven't before about the relation of art--as expressive culture--to democracy. It is multi-disciplinary, incorporates diverse voices from our community, and provides interactive and participatory opportunities for visitor involvement. Note: you can view these photos of the exhibition on Flickr here.)

Participatory 51

Participatory Museum Blackboard Game 51

Museum 2.0

SEPTEMBER 21, 2016

Looking closer, I saw that each seat had its own handwritten label, telling the story of the Philadelphia cultural institution from which it originated. It is unfinished, unassuming, and whimsical, and at the same time, deadly serious. You don't have time to convene the community. They were charming, but puzzling.

Process 20

Process Share Philadelphia Arts 20

Museum 2.0

APRIL 6, 2011

Let's say you spend a year working with a group of teens to co-create an exhibition, or you invite members and local artists to help redesign the lobby. Community processes are both exciting and time-consuming. In many cases, once the final project is launched, it's hard to detect the participatory touch.

Participatory 48

Participatory Process Museum Children 48

Museum 2.0

AUGUST 3, 2009

The article suggests that museums have previously served one community--"traditional" museum patrons who are white and elderly--and must now be relevant to several other communities that are diverse in cultural, educational, and socio-economic backgrounds. Community centers don't ask you to cough up a $20 every time you come to hang out.

Community 22

Community Museum San Diego San Francisco 22

Museum 2.0

MAY 16, 2007

The recent flurry of restrictions that has sent teens fleeing? By the standard set by a culture that judges MySpace as dangerous, perhaps these in-person interactions are even MORE dangerous. We do that with staff all the time. Tags: participatory museum visitors. The irritating design? Or is it the stalkers?

Museum 20

Museum Myspace Facilitation Social Network 20

Museum 2.0

MAY 8, 2013

Single-speaker lectures languish while lightning talks featuring teen photographers, phD anthropologists, and professional dancers are packed. And so, while we continue to acknowledge that specific communities have particular assets and needs, we spend more time thinking about how to connect them than how to serve each on its own.

Museum 55

Museum Social Arts History 55

Museum 2.0

JULY 23, 2013

Any job with the word “coordinator” in it sounds like you might spend your time sorting socks into pairs. School programs fall within this landscape, and our goal is not to see them as completely separate from the other work we do with youth—Kid Happy Hour, family festivals, teen program—but on a continuum. I know, I know.

Program 39

Program Museum Work History 39

Museum 2.0

FEBRUARY 7, 2011

You have a great time. Museums and other venues are offering special programs for teens, for hipsters, for people who want a more active or spiritual or participatory experience. For myself personally, this gulf rears its head every time I go to a live music concert. What will it take for you to do it again?

Arts 50

Arts Museum Music Calendar 50

Museum 2.0

MARCH 30, 2016

We invite diverse locals to share their creative and cultural talents with our greater community at the museum. Teens advocating for all-gender bathrooms. Does community participation work for big cultural destinations too? We have the opportunity to build relationships with community members over time. You get the idea.

Community 20

Community Museum Local Participatory 20

Museum 2.0

FEBRUARY 24, 2011

I was talking this week with Mark Allen, the founder of Machine Project (an alternative arts space in LA), about different models for community engagement in cultural institutions. And other times, when I'm focused on opening up access and opportunities for audience members to partner with staff, I'm talking about framework.

Voice 42

Voice Los Angeles Denver Museum 42