What could be more compelling than asking visitors to tell stories of their relationships with their own dogs? When I was first approached by California Science Center about providing a Storykiosk for their traveling exhibit, I knew it would be a hit. And looking at the review server for the installation, I see hundreds of heartfelt stories confirming this… I had the pleasure of visiting the installation a couple weeks ago at its current...

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It’s a pleasure to connect with Georgetown University Law Center, one of the nation’s leading law schools, as the school celebrates its 150th year in 2020. As noted in previous blog entries, anniversaries present a special opportunity to reflect on the past and envision the future through stories. We created an anniversary package for Georgetown Law, including a year- long Storykiosk rental to be used at multiple events, our...

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I’ve been meaning to write about this for a while now (as in, nearly seven years) — about the luncheon presentation at the AAM museum conference where Jason Jay Stevens attacked me with a stick. He came at me a few times — head on, then behind my back. It was a setup, and we had a plan. We were co-presenting as featured speakers at the annual National Association of Museum Exhibition (NAME) lunch. Attendees at this luncheon...

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Sometimes you have to travel far to find the things that are most obvious and most relevant to you. This last week, I traveled to Bardufoss Norway, north of the Arctic Circle, to consult with Midt-Troms Museum, which includes a coalition of a dozen or so local history museums and a new children’s museum — the first children’s museum in Norway in fact. And in those travels, I found the Museum and its director Lisa Bostwick...

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There’s a lot packed into the title of this blog post, I know…Here’s the rundown: 42 Design Fab and I created a StoryBike to record stories at the Fresh Paint Springfield mural art festival celebrating the transformation of downtown Springfield MA. The day included nine murals and their artists, family paint activities, music, local craft beer, food trucks, and a ton of enthusiasm from community members. An amazing event, and...

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It seems empathy has been in short supply as our culture grapples with fear and anger fanned for political benefit and portable devices that divide our attention. Are there ways museums can facilitate more empathy in our daily lives? Children’s museums have been grappling with this question for years, and emerging are some exhibit techniques — as well as whole exhibits themselves — focusing on empathy. At the recent...

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