Enjoyed the ASTC reception last night at the Bishop Museum — and how could I not? A Hawaiian luau, with food (including the mysterious poi, top notch live music both traditional and contemporary, and a few strong mai tais). But what struck me from a museum perspective is how well the institution as a whole integrates the disparate domains of culture, science, and spirit. The historic building houses the more cultural exhibits (including...
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Here we come to the topic that launched me into this fascinating career: uses of technology that encourage compassionate awareness of other cultures. It’s the bridge that carried me from Harvard Ed School to Boston Children’s Museum, through the Teen Tokyo and Kids’ Bridge exhibits.experience is an essential part of the exhibit. This experience, and the stories that come out of it, I think are the link sought after in so many...
Read MoreI was struck this year at Museums and the Web by the quality (and quantity) of technology-facilitated programs for family audiences at museums in the U.K. Having grown as a staffer in the children's museum community here in the U.S., I've often wondered what we can learn from examples over the ocean. Now we have some nice models. Shelley Mannion and Lorna O'Brien presented work they are doing at the British Museum and the Victoria...
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I’m back, with jet lag, from the StoryKiosk installation in “CSI: The Experience” in Dublin. The installation is part of the popular exhibit developed by the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History a couple years ago, now on its parallel tour through Europe. Very interesting to see how museum exhibits can fan their way out into other public venues beyond museum walls. In Dublin, the exhibit is running at the Ambassador...
Read MoreSome time ago I posted thoughts about potential use of Twitter in cultural exhibits (and had some good conversations with Shelley Mannion about her very interesting work with the Tibetan teens in Switzerland). The ability to quickly compare experiences among cultural groups seemed promising. I've continued to play with Twitter, and had an interesting experience this morning when I was in Harvard Square. I posted an entry about looking at...
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“Torn From Home,” the exhibit on refugee life developed at the Lied Discovery Children’s Museum, opened last week, and I’m pleased to have developed a StoryKiosk installation for this groundbreaking exhibit. Visitors experience walking through a refugee camp, and at the end they record their reflections on the experience. It is a challenging topic: visitors generally come to museums to learn and enjoy their time together...
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