Last week, I flew to New York City and went on a museum-visiting spree. I visited seven museums over four days, immersing myself in art, taking notes and thinking about new ideas, meeting with colleagues, and re-establishing connections that are more tenuous now that I live 1000 miles away. Upon my return I found myself thinking, What…
This past week I attended a lecture by Professor John Jost of NYU on the psychology of political orientation. His presentation led me to wonder about museums and the psychology of cultural liberalism vs. cultural conservativism. How do we share new and progressive ideas with culturally conservative visitors? How do we even get them in…
Amy Hayes is the women’s softball coach at Bradley University, where she has lead her team to two championships in the last seven years. Her student-athletes have been recognized for every Bradley Athletic Department Award – 11 honorees in the last 7 years. I have been thinking lately about how a museum director or department head…
How can a museum truly be “for everyone”? What do strong community partnerships look like, and how far can they be expanded to support museums, community partners, and the people we serve? Think through these questions as the Community Outreach Coordinator at the Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum! And please share this information with strong candidates…
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 things…
This week’s post is by Amanda Nobis, a junior at Bradley University, and the first Research Intern at the Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum. This summer I had the opportunity to help form a collaborative relationship between the Bradley University Psychology Department and the Peoria Playhouse Children’s Museum. I was invited to join the staff of…
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 experience…
Last week I wrote about exposure as a goal for field trips, and readers debated whether exposure was passive. As I stated in a reply to this post, I don’t think exposure is passive for the visitor, but I do think that it can be a way for the museum to be passive, by abdicating responsibility…
Last week, in honor of Bastille Day, we opened the PlayHouse Art Room to the public with a flag-making activity. We saw a range of flags created by kids and parents. As I share them, imagine some music playing, something vaguely patriotic but from an imaginary or unknown country. There were French-inspired flags: There were PlayHouse…
Museum Questions is going on a six-week hiatus. It turns out that opening a new museum and producing weekly blog posts are a challenging combination. And really, between now and June 12th, I need to focus on getting the Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum open. This is a difficult decision, because there is so much out there…
YELLOW ERRTHANG DIS TIME!
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Being a mom is so much more than simply “being mom.” It’s about still knowing yourself, finding time for the people you love, the things you love and knowing you would do anything for those who call you mom.
Reflections on Museums, Programs, and Visitors
Reflections on Museums, Programs, and Visitors
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Reflections on Museums, Programs, and Visitors
Reflections on Museums, Programs, and Visitors
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Reflections on Museums, Programs, and Visitors
Reflections on Museums, Programs, and Visitors
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Reflections on Museums, Programs, and Visitors
"There is no cure for curiosity." ~Dorothy Parker
thoughts on museums, content, design, and why they matter
Museum Questions 