In December, I asked readers “What are your museum questions?” One colleague, Andrea Jones, emailed me to say that she has been thinking about questions around “community need.” That email grew into an exchange between the two of us, that turned into this post. This is very much the beginning of a conversation. Andrea and IContinue reading “What is the relationship between “community need” and museums?”
Category Archives: Museum Administration
What data do we use to define success?
On Tuesday we are hosting a cocktail party for major donors – people who, over the 15 years of building the PlayHouse, have donated $5000 or more. The goal of this event is to thank them for what they helped us to create. I am struggling with my brief presentation to them. What information orContinue reading “What data do we use to define success?”
When are education materials good marketing materials?
Two museums are planning a joint marketing campaign around the theme of “exploration.” Both museums promote exploration as part of their mission; one has an upcoming exhibit on the theme of space exploration. The campaign will include a brochure, joint ticketing, and a social media campaign. Early on in this collaboration, the museums need toContinue reading “When are education materials good marketing materials?”
What does good staff training look like?
At the PlayHouse, we brought on two new managers this week. These managers are responsible for supervising front line, daily operations – things like opening and closing registers, making sure the museum is ready for visitors when we open, and toys and exhibits are cleaned and sanitized at the end of the day, and throughoutContinue reading “What does good staff training look like?”
How do you celebrate the program and not the check?
I often think about how goals are, or should be, powerful guides in museum work, in particular in program design and refinement. But lately I have been thinking differently about goals, and about how the wrong goals can corrupt the work we do. In particular, I am thinking about this in the context of jobs whereContinue reading “How do you celebrate the program and not the check?”
Should Museums Celebrate the Holiday Season?
A few weeks ago, I walked into the Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum to find floor staff creating a clever string of “lights” made of construction paper and cardboard tubes. They wanted to hang it from our tree – a big, fake oak tree that sits just inside our lobby, and is one of the first thingsContinue reading “Should Museums Celebrate the Holiday Season?”
How do museums in small cities gain and wield soft power? Interview with Ngaire Blankenberg
Ngaire Blankenberg is Director, Europe and Principal Consultant at Lord Cultural Resources, where she has worked for the past eight years. Lord Cultural Resources is one of the largest consultancies specializing in museums and urban cultural planning. Ngaire is the co-editor of the book Cities, Museums and Soft Power. Can you define “Soft Power” forContinue reading “How do museums in small cities gain and wield soft power? Interview with Ngaire Blankenberg”
What do Stories Do? Interview with Lane Beckes
A few weeks ago I shared a post questioning whether storytelling was an appropriate or useful format for museums exhibitions. This post received a number of comments, including people suggesting that stories evoke emotions, and that emotions are important for learning. In order to better understand how stories work, I interviewed Lane Beckes, Assistant ProfessorContinue reading “What do Stories Do? Interview with Lane Beckes”
Can what museums choose to exhibit or promote define the character of their cities?
Lately, I have been thinking about the relationship between museums and cities, and how museums support or impact their cities. As part of this exploration, I picked up Gail Lord and Ngaire Blankenberg’s recent book, Cities, Museums, and Soft Power. This book explores questions of cultural capital, and the ways in which museums wield power. The book makesContinue reading “Can what museums choose to exhibit or promote define the character of their cities?”
Should exhibits tell stories?
This is a post I have been trying to write for a long time – over a year. I’m still struggling, so bear with me. There has been a great deal written over the past few years about museums and storytelling. Storytelling was the theme of the 2013 Annual Alliance of Museums conference. In a 2014Continue reading “Should exhibits tell stories?”
Museum Questions 