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.