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. Museums see open-ended self-expression as the be-all of participatory experiences. Why aren’t more museums designing highly constrained participatory platforms in which visitors contribute to collaborative projects?

Participatory 50

Participatory Experiment Museum Teen 50

Museum 2.0

MARCH 4, 2015

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. Since 2010 I have seen, again and again and again, how valuable human facilitation is to the participatory process.

Participatory 20

Participatory Museum Empowerment Facilitation 20

Museum 2.0

MARCH 16, 2009

When I talk about designing participatory experiences, I often show the above graphic from Forrester Research. Museums see open-ended self-expression as the be-all of participatory experiences. Why aren’t more museums designing highly constrained participatory platforms in which visitors contribute to collaborative projects?

Participatory 44

Participatory Experiment Museum Teen 44

Museum 2.0

NOVEMBER 7, 2010

I had a healthy second life as a slam poet, and I loved the world of artists and performance. At the big one, I worked on a small project with teens to design science exhibits for community centers in their own neighborhoods. In 2004, Anna was the Director of Exhibitions and Programs at the International Spy Museum.

Museum 52

Museum Boston Participatory Job 52

Museum 2.0

APRIL 18, 2012

A group in their late teens/early 20s were wandering through the museumwide exhibition on love. At the adjacent table, my colleague Stacey Garcia was meeting with a local artist, Kyle Lane-McKinley, to talk about an upcoming project. When I walked by the first time, the teens were collaging and Kyle and Stacey were talking.

Community 42

Community Teen Build Social 42