Are we talking about the same thing?

Step one in looking at civic engagement in museums - define civic engagement.

I dislike buzzwords. Strongly. So, when a word like civic engagement gets tossed around, I want to understand what it really means. And honestly, I'm not sure I do. Seems like for some museums, civic engagement is holding forums and talking about issues and current events. For others, its providing needed services, or serving as a liaison between community and social agencies. For others, its teaching about and celebrating diversity.

Which is making finding children's museums with a visible dedication to civic engagement pretty darn hard.

So, for now - reviewing the AAM work on civic engagement from 2002, along with Margaret Kadoyama's work and some other texts. Really need to hash this out before I start choosing my focus.

Final year, big project

It is officially my last two semesters of grad school. And, as I have 2 major projects and several minor ones breathing down my neck, I've been allowed to do an independent study in lieu of an internship.

I'm working on a survey of civic and community engagement in children's museums in the US. When I first started in CMs, there was lots of talk about "the new town square" and how CMs make kids into better citizens, etc. However, if one looks at the ACM Promising Practice awards for the past few years, you can see that civic engagement has given way to healthy eating and environmentalism.

Not that I have anything against healthy eating or environmentalism.

As is always the case, I ask too many questions. Rather than focus on my survey of what some museums are doing, I want to know why the focus shifted? Was it just too hard to engage communities? Did the funding dry up for these great programs? Or are they still happening under the radar?

Its no secret that funding for "green" initiatives and health related programming is abundant, but other funding is hard to find. Is this why? Its a sad irony that programs that focus on building responsible citizenry fall by the wayside because the current citizenry will only commit dollars to programs that advance their own products, services, or PR.

So, stay tuned for information on what IS happening. Museums that educate about their own communities, that serve small underrepresented groups, that empower the disenfranchised, and more. And please contribute. What does civic engagement in a museum mean to you?

How to get kicked out a museum

So, say you wanted to get kicked out a museum. Barring the normal ways (stealing, defacing property, bellowing obscenities, use of illicit substance, weapons, etc), what would it take? I ask because a young man was asked to leave the infamous Creation Museum last weekend. According to him, he was talking with his friends, mocking the exhibits, and was suddenly confronted by the museum security staff.

Admittedly, he was wearing a tee shirt that was deemed offensive. (Whether it was or not is not the point.) But, he did as others have done, turned it inside out and went about his visit. I was not present on this trip, and of course my own biases are coloring my opinion. It is possible that to one set of eyes, it was entirely justified. But, from most reports, the majority of what was happening was commentary on the exhibits. Mocking, yes. Loud, by some reports. But no one was swearing, no one was threatening, no one was defacing anything. The major issue seems to be the real or perceived discomfort that other visitors experienced.

So the question becomes - is mocking the content of an exhibit enough to get you kicked out? And how much does the context of the exhibit play into that? Is a museum that is afraid of ridicule and criticism doing any good? Is it ok to reprimand or expell one visitor for the comfort of another?

Situation 1: At a modern art exhibition, a PhD student is intently studying visitor reaction to an installation. His attention wavers when a family comes in and loudly begins mocking the work - "My 4 year old could do this," "This isnt art," and so on. The student tells the security guard that the family is ruining his visit.

Situation 2: A curator is about to give a docent tour of a natural history hall. After gathering a crowd, she notices a large group on their own tour, complete with leader. The other group is using the dinosaur display to discuss ways to teach creationism. The curator is afraid that this group will counter her information and upset her group.

Situation 3: A school group is visiting the the Holocaust Memorial. Another group there at the same time is discussing the exhibits and making comments that deny the holocaust and seem anti-Semetic. The group is not overly loud and is not being aggressive, but the children in the school group are trying to listen in. The teacher is very worried that some children might be swayed by their rhetoric. She informs a guard.

So, what do you do? Each situation is different, and context does matter. Is it different for a private institution vs. a pubilc one? Where do we draw the line between allowing discourse and censoring speech? Is free speech a right in a museum?

Me? I get it. The Creation Museum is much like the group in Situation 3. The families involved were worried that their children would overhear the rhetoric and suddenly become "eeeevil atheists" (muauhahahahah). I understand. It makes me sad, but I understand. I hope that other museums see this incident and take heed. A truly educational organization allows for discourse and disagreement. It embraces multiple viewpoints and helps people winnow out their own truth. It does not proselytize and it does not censor. Yes, even if a Holocaust denier is giving a tour of the Holocaust Memorial - a good educator uses that as an opportunity to teach.

The sad thing is, AIG could have used this moment for good, but instead, they showed that they really are preaching to the choir, and they have no need for any of the rest of us.

I fail

So, I didn't make it to any museums while on vacation. We spent the week sick, which was less than fun, but also resting, which was fun.

2 more weeks until the end of the semester, then AAM, then exhibits closing, then Tut. Busy times.

On the fun side, I get to attend parts of Museums and the Web this weekend, thanks to an unused registration! So, yay! And, I'll be touring Nina Simon (www.museumtwo.com) and Kevin Von Appen (Ontario Science Centre) around here on Sunday. I always love getting to share my museum with other professionals. So, yay!

Also, have been brewing a new website/bloggy thing with a colleague. We keep having conversations that go like this:

Me: "It would be so cool if we could do what we wanted."

Her: "Yeah, we should start a museum."

Me: "What would it be? The museum of cool?"

Her: "No, the museum of AWESOME, only it would be OSOM - because that is how awesome it is!" (PS, this goes back to a super great crayon drawing a friend's kid did)

So, what would be in a museum of Awesome? I figure that there are enough awesome things in museums around the country to fill a museum and then some. So, I'm collecting experiences, for a virtual museum of OSOM. If you have some, send em my way!

Heading on Vacation

So, I'm taking a week off work. A WEEK!! Probably the last vacation I'll get this year, so I'm going to try to make it count. I'd really have gone for longer if it weren't for class. But, oh well.

While I'm there, I'm hoping to finally get to see the Ringling Museum. I'll be posting about it. So stay tuned.

Also heading to Philly in a few weeks for AAM. What should I go see? Keep in mind that for much of the time I am captive to the exhibit hall...but I can try. And, sounds like we are playing Assasins again. I was the last to fall last time, thanks to my awesome skillz and amazing body guards. But man, yet another conference with death lurking around the corner.

Talking in the dark

On Thursday, I was fortunate to get a chance to attend a special seminar led by Tammy Borman about dialogue in museums. She had us participate in dialogue, rather than just listen about it (instructors, take note!) and we all came to some interesting conclusions about what it means to dialogue in a museum. 

One thing that was brought up was having a space for dialogue in a museum. I have a great interest in how the physical space affects learning, and so I have been really thinking about this. If physical space is a barrier to cognitive learning, it must surely be a barrier to deeper levels of understanding that are generally brought about by dialogue.

So, when the comment was made that dialogue can happen anywhere, I had to have a think. In a very broad sense, yes, dialogue can happen anywhere. If people are comfortable with the idea of dialogue, then they can dialogue in a car, in an uncomfortable room, even over the phone or Internet. But for relative strangers, in a space that already brings about feelings of discomfort (as museums often do), physical discomfort can limit a willingness or even ability to unpack feelings and get deep.

I titled this post as I did, because the whole conversation brought to my mind a specific memory. My freshman year of college, I vividly recall having a "kiss and tell" session with my girlfriends. One of those "let's talk about sex" moments that all young adults have at some point. Some of us knew each other well, some of us were practically strangers, and the conversation was a bit embarrassing for most of us (we were shy and pretty damn naive). So, we turned out the lights. Suddenly, the comfort of not having to see the people you were addressing made it seem that much safer to share. It was a silly moment, but really helps me understand why I feel so strongly that physical comfort is important to dialogue. This isn't to say that I think dialogue is space-dependent, but I think that certain levels of comfort must exist, and that additional comforts make this sort of conversation much easier to have.

More on this later, I'm sure. But how about you? Do you think that dialogue can be affected by physical space?

Recessions, museums, art and Etsy

A comment on the last entry, plus recent work stuff and a story on NPR, all combined to get me thinking about the recession. Well, when do I not think about the recession - I have friends getting laid off, groceries cost way too much and I started clipping coupons for the first time since college.

There's been tons of talk about how the recession is impacting museums. In the 90s, during the last big recession, museums were in their boom period. We were expanding rapidly, building like crazy and growing at insane rates. (I can say "we" even though I was in high school and planning to be a doctor at that time.) However, lately we have seen museums hit hard by the economy. Most of the problems owe to the HUGE hit our endowments have taken. 

Conventional wisdom dictates that endowments are good. They are a steady stream of support and get you through the rough times. But, they are a bit like privatized social security. In a good market, they swell and grow and we build and build. In a bad market, our endowments wither away. The Indianapolis Museum of Art publishes the current size of its endowment online. They have lost $100 M in the past year. For perspective, thats about 1/3 of the total. That's huge.

And so, because of this, budgets are being slashed. Boards and directors are having to make tough decisions about staffing and exhibits. We are using volunteer labor for exhibits. We are using salaried people to do OT work. Luckily, we have not yet had to let go of staff, but we are officially the only large museum in Indianapolis to avoid layoffs.  

So, that's the bad news. Here is the good news. It's PACKED here today. I mean, crazy busy. Our attendance has been up - well up on many weekends. Its not yet Spring Break here, and we are already feeling the crowds. I think there is something to be said about the "staycation" effect - if you aren't taking the fam to the beach for Spring Break, why not come to the local museum? But...last spring, gas prices were creeping near $4 a gallon, and we didn't see this. I think there may be something more happening. 

So, what does this have to do with Etsy? Do you know Etsy? Its GREAT! Its online, one stop shopping for artsy crafty homemade items - clothes, vintage pieces, jewelry, you name it. And, in a time when retail is not so hot, and boutique stores are closing left and right, Etsy is doing quite well. I am not an economist, and I don't know if this is a reason, but I'll try.

I think (I think, I don't know, its my blog, I can op-ed) that when people are faced with declining income, a devalued dollar, and economic malaise, we want a return to simpler times. We made hats for the holidays - to great success. People are growing veggies (seed sales are up) and making their own sauces and salsas. My sister and I are going to learn to make jam and can food. Its not as much about being cheap as about putting value into things.

The items on Etsy are handmade - they are unique and there is a value beyond cost in them. Someone worked on this item. Someone put love into it. That may sound silly, but I really do think there is something to this.

So, back to museums. Why do I think museums will recover quickly? Or at least weather the storm? Because there is a value to museum visits above and beyond the price of admission. The people here inject their work with love and passion. And I truly believe that visitors see that. 

Museums need to get back to what they are - authentic places for a real experience. We've moved too far towards being fast food - we need to get back to being a sit down place, or better yet, a local diner. A place you feel comfortable just hanging out. I hope we can get there - I think we are getting closer. I think that the slow crumble of some larger institutions will, like large trees falling, make way for other sprouts to grow. 

I've rambled. I should really do these in one sitting, but ah well. :)

Until later!

Um...wow.

So, two kitty cats teach us about museums. Honest, scathing, cruel and wonderful. Probably overly general and a little mean, but it's a really good look at the museum as a temple.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaFbmuEUdwI

I wish I knew how to embed video, but trust me, this link is worth clicking on. The title of the report: "The Creation of Value: meditations on the logic of museums and other coercive institutions." 

Wow.

Where have I been?

I'll tell ya where, up to my eyeballs!

Three weeks ago, give or take, we were presented an opportunity to display some pretty killer artifacts from a major movie studio/property. Major. I'll spill as soon as the release is out.

So of course, we said, you betcha! We can do this! And then the caveat...marketing wants it for spring break. Which is in 3 more weeks. Seriously, spring break starts 2 weeks from Friday. We are installing a 400 square foot exhibit, complete with graphics, mounts, text panels and custom case work - in 3 weeks. Did I mention its not a traveller, but we are creating it from scratch?

So, in the course of about a month (from final decision to opening) we will have gone from rough sketch to finished show. Insane.

Part of me loves this stuff. Guerilla style exhibit design/production: borrowing cases from other museums (who know the pain of these "opportunities"), enlisting local fraternities for heavy lifting, writing labels in days rather than months.  Its great, because I think you get a fresh and creative exhibit - one that hasnt had the life edited out of it. I've seen developers spend weeks on a 50 word panel, tweaking it just so...then start over after they see the layout. With this, there is no time. Every member of the team has to make command decisions and just do it. Its like Project Runway meets museums. We make it work.

But, here is the downside. I know the team. I know every member and their work and ethic. I know that this exhibit will rock. It isnt overly interactive, but seriously people, 3 weeks! It's going to be beautiful and cool and families will ooh and ahh. And we will be able to say, yep, we did that in 3 weeks.

And then next year, we will have the same problem, and we will have PROVEN that we can do it in 3 weeks, so we will have no recourse to say "its impossible." Damned if you do, damned if you don't, eh?

So, anywho, just wanted to share what's up at TCM. I'll be posting more soon - upcoming topics: social media pitfalls and plusses, life with Barbie, local layoffs and meeting with area CEOs for class. All interesting things.

Can museums survive the economy?

Sad reminders of the times we live in have recently flooded my inbox. First was a plea from ACM, asking that we remind Congress that spending for NEA, NEH and IMLS in the proposed stimulus package is not "waste" as so many people want to assume. It saddens and angers me when I hear politicians complaining about the "wasteful spending" on arts programs. Do they forget that museums employ nearly a quarter million citizens? And other arts and library programs employ even more? Or do museum jobs seem less important than other jobs? Why is it that museums continue to be seen as an "extra" for society, rather than a necessity?

The second reminder just hit the Museum L list today. A plea from a manager on how to go about eliminating positions (our favored euphemism for layoffs) when she has never done so. Followed by a slew of emails with advice because they have either recently laid off staff, or recently been laid off. I don't know about you, but I was unprepared for the idea of museum layoffs, especially in the numbers I have seen. I have heard from several colleagues who have been prepping their CVs, just in case. And several whose museums have laid off staff. We've avoided that so far, but I'll admit, I worry.

AAM has created a forum to help museums navigate this scary time. http://www.aam-us.org/survivalguide.cfm 

Breaking News: Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) has introduced an amendment to prohibit any funds in the economic stimulus bill from going to any museum. The language of the amendment, (Amendment No. 175, as filed) is, "None of the amounts appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used for any casino or other gambling establishment, aquarium, zoo, golf course, swimming pool, stadium, community park, museum, theater, arts center, or highway beautification project, including renovation, remodeling, construction, salaries, furniture, zero-gravity chairs, big screen televisions, beautification, rotating pastel lights, and dry heat saunas."

Personally, I'm a bit peeved at the implication that funds would go to zero-gravity chairs, tvs, or saunas. All of these businesses, casinos included, employ people - people who need jobs. They bring dollars to the economy. Why do we continue to see this as wasteful spending? Have we learned nothing from the collapse of big Wall Street? THAT is wasteful spending - money for the arts is not.

Call your senator NOW to tell them to vote NO on Amendment 175

Just for fun!

So, I've become a Twitter-aholic. I check it throughout the day, and love posting silly things. I kept wondering, how can our museum use Twitter in a fun way.

Well, leave it to Nina Simon to come up with a great guide! She created a wonderful post about using Twitter well. (I tend to think that Twitter is the powerpoint of social networking - a soon to be overused tool that will result in too many institutions doing the same thing) 

Anyway, she posted that she'd love to see a Twitter feed about the funny things that visitors say in museums. Now, two of my other obsessions are Post Secret and Overheard in NYC. So, what a chance to combine! So, I've created a secondary account - https://twitter.com/OverheardMuseum - to post those to. Looking at ways to make this communal. Maybe by AAM or Museums and the Web we can all be posting away!

Happy 2009!

Wow, back at work and things are moving! Not sure what possessed me to close two exhibits on the same day, but its a bit of a juggle. Thankfully, the Stagehands are great, the OMSI tech is super, and our team is always awesome, so I can rest assured that all is well.

I tend to be one of those people who makes resolutions and keeps them for about a week. Lose weight, quit drinking pop, stop biting my nails, etc. So, we'll see how this one goes, but I am going to try to post to this blog more this year. I won't have my Critical Approaches class as an outlet for museum-y thinking, and this year may prove to be very interesting for me.

So, what does Sarah's year hold?

Opening TCM's newest traveler - an interesting chance to be both vendor and client. It's always gratifying to see your colleagues hard work realized.

A new welcome center and a new permanent exhibit - in light of a recent project on space and comfort in museums, I'll be interested in how the new space works for us.

A revision of our holiday exhibit - how do you do a holiday exhibit that includes Santa but isnt about Christmas? And, can two Catholics, a non-descript Theist, a Jew and two Atheists create a holiday show? We'll see, eh?

A soon to be announced exhibit that has me tickled pink. :)

And Tut. Oh Tut. 

This will be our first blockbuster exhibit experience. Its been fascinating so far, looking at the machine of the blockbuster. I'm looking forward to posting on the process and what I am learning.

I'm also planning to visit some big exhibits this year, including the Harry Potter exhibit in Chicago. Look for reviews as I can. Its always difficult for me to do a real review of an exhibit, especially one that we might be bringing in - or one created by a company we might want to work with. I'm trying to work on being honest yet positive. 

That's all for now. Happy New Year everyone!