Last week I attended “InterActivity,” the annual conference of the Association of Children’s Museum (ACM). This was my first ACM conference, and I learned a great deal from presenters and colleagues. I was impressed by the organization of the conference, ACM staff’s attention to the needs of each conference attendee, and the challenging questionsContinue reading “What is the role of museums in educational change?”
Category Archives: Museums and Cities
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?”
What role do museums play in a small city? Interview with Patrick Urich
Patrick Urich is the City Manager of Peoria, Illinois. As City Manager, he is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day activities of the City of Peoria, including the budget and all city departments and employees. What role do museums play in Peoria? Museums provide cultural vitality to a community of our size. They provide an experienceContinue reading “What role do museums play in a small city? Interview with Patrick Urich”
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”
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?”
Museum Questions 