Visual Literacy and Importance of Imagery in Interpretation (Graphics/ Data/ Blog)
Early man likely shared stories orally. These stories would eventually become text. But, images probably came before written text. While the exact purpose of these visuals remains unclear, certainly one can assume that the original audience was able to garner meaning from looking at the images. This is not surprising if you think of life. …
Engaging Interpretation (Blog/ Graphic)
Truly inclusive museums center visitors in their practice. In order to do this, they make sure that the idea that they offer through interpretation balance the desires and needs of museums and visitors. Ideally, they include elements of the collection object and its history in ways that are relevant to the visitor. The graphic, however, …
Interpretation, Content, and the Use of Text in Museums
Interpretation is a word used in the museum situation to denote the function of creating information about collections. Most often this sector deals with text read on walls, like labels and panels. The term for me isn’t quite right. It sounds like you are translating between audiences, implying the need for an intercessor. I do …
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The Inclusive Museum : The Ideal State of Being for a Museum
The Japanese concept of Ikigai has been rolling around the Internet. The graphic describes when you are in the ideal state of being by balancing various states of work, life, meaning, and hope. The concept is either aspirational or depressing depending on your circumstances. The image did get me thinking. The museum has two …
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Are Museums Writing for Today’s Audience? Looking at the Changes in Literacy & Knowledge-Creation in Society
When our visitors walk into their museums, they will have already consumed a great deal of information and fast at a rate of, on average, 23 words per second. Over the course of a day, people read an average 105,000 words. They walk into your museum, only to use text to find the bathroom, learn about …
Museums have a Problem with Fun (Data)
Museums need visitors. Anyone who flips through an annual report or glances on a website can attest to that fact. But, how do you get them there? You entice them, of course. But, how do you do that? I can share how I did that. When I used to run programs, I would try to …
Cost-Benefit Analysis of Docent Programs (Data Template)
How can you quantify and assess the relative benefit of staff teachers to docents? Not easily, truthfully. This is a fuzzy math problem, at best. But, before I lay out some ways to consider this, let me offer some useful thoughts and questions to help you on your path. Mission-Driven & Client-Driven Most, if not …
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Exhibition Cocktails or Why Museums Need User Experience Designers
I admit that I am biased. I am a trained User Experience Designer. But, you don’t have to has an M.S. to know that visitors come to museums for experiences. Now, we could get into a debate about the type of experience. Sitting quietly in a gallery is a type of experience. We often think …
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5 Steps to Better Community Conversations
Community conversations can be instrumental in the growth of an organization. However, they can also be an organizations down fall. These 5 steps can help anyone participating in an conversation, particularly those in power positions or from an organizations. Honor People’s Perception We all filter the world through our experiences. Therefore, everyone’s perception of reality …
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Intersectionality & Museums
Intersectionality, coined in 1989 by legal historian Kimberlé Crenshaw, highlights the fact that the many factors of being human, including race, gender, and religion, overlap in important ways. These points of overlap, or intersection, are often positions of oppression. Think of race and gender. In American society, the position of power in race is whiteness …