Inclusive Interpretation Tips #museums
In my recent #MuseumNext Talk, I spoke about trust. Trust isn’t something you offer blindly. It takes practice and effort. In museums, in order to include visitors into the trust equation, we need to up the game on our interpretation. We need to move from anonymous authority to informed communicator. This requires some major shifts …
Trust the Revolution
Museums need a revolution of trust. The word trust is a common one in the museum field, embedded in mission statements and uttered by venerable directors. However, in both instances, museums use the word most commonly in terms of their holdings. Museums keep collections in trust for people. Spend a moment considering that language. Museums …
Making Equity Happen — One Man at a Time
The thing about privilege is that, if you have it, you likely don’t notice it. Privilege is when you gain benefits in society for being part of the dominant group. Privilege is easier to notice when absent. When you are the dominant position, the world is defined by your group. You might not have the …
What if I’m Burned Out? Counteracting Workplace Burnout
There are days when all of us feel a little tired. But, sometimes, you find yourself dead-tired day after day and the thought of going into work makes your brain feel like it’s going to short-circuit. The former might just be garden variety tiredness, but the latter sounds like burn out. With the real possibility of working …
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What Flow and Transcendent Design Mean for Museums #CX #UX / On Yayoi Kusuma
Kusuma Yayoi has been on Instagram accounts big and small over the last year. Her exhibition Infinity Mirrors has been selling out faster than THE concert of the year. Her work has been hailed as “the perfect art experience for the social-media age.” Kusuma’s work has become coupled with the national addition with self-promotion and …
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Inclusion-Centered Leadership
Inclusion occurs through considered actions. Leaders play an important role in transforming the ethos of inclusion from words into actions. That said, often, inclusions practices are translated into large actions, like requiring diversity training or implementing diversity hiring policies. Those are like bringing in the right ingredients for a great feast. If you don’t deal …
Truth and Tales in Museums
On August 14, 2003, I found myself standing at the Great Lakes Science Center chatting with a Chinese master printmaker stanchioned within the exhibition when the overhead lights flickered and went black before the emergency lights went on. I was supposed to be ducking out of work to attend a family wedding with my soon …
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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Inaction is an Action: #MuseumsResist is a better One
I had the extreme pleasure of being part of this year’s MuseumCamp hosted by Nina Simon at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History. For those who are unaware of this program, it’s sort of a hybrid museum conference, personal growth program, and summer camp smushed into three days. Intense would be a useful …
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Drawing to Help Construct Meaning
Drawing is a dividing word. For some people drawing highlights their weakness. Few people it turns out can draw like Michelangelo without practice–not even Michelangelo. Artists are trained. They practice their craft. No one is born drawing. If you can get past your hesitation about drawing out of the equation, drawing can be an incredibly …