Revisiting lessons learned from "Free to be You and Me"

Free to Be You and Me Foundation
has information on all things related
to the album, TV show, and movement.

Yesterday at my local library, while searching for kids' CDs that wouldn't drive me to road rage in the car, I came across an old favorite from my childhood, "Free to Be You and Me." It had been years since I'd heard any of the songs, but after briefly scanning the playlist, I immediately wanted to share it with my daughters. After all, these songs helped shape my identity and sense of self back in the '70s when I was their age.

I remember my parents playing that vinyl record for me over and over again, at my request, and together they taught me not be afraid of being myself, or following my dreams. As I listened to each of the tracks I recalled the childhood joy those songs and stories brought me, but as an adult I heard them through older, yet new, ears. As a woman, professional, wife, and mother, I thought about how the meaning had changed. Still, it is hard to believe that the album turns 40 next year when so many of its lessons continue to resonate today.

An informal poll of a few of my girlfriends confirmed my suspicion that many of us were influenced by Marlo Thomas and her upbeat songs casting off tired stereotypes. The 30- and 40-something moms and dads of today, who fill your museum galleries and classes with their children are likely products of this "free to be you and me" generation. Are there lessons in the album for museums who serve this audience? Here are a few I found.

My dad's birthday, April 3, 1977.

1. "Parents are people... They used to be kids." Moms and dads had a life before kids, and while most of us are intimately aware of this fact, it's important to remember parents when planning programs and experiences aimed at children. Sure, parents want their kids to have a great time, but if there is a little bit of smart, funny, and interesting content for the adults who brought the kids, those grown-ups are probably going to want to come back to your museum again. Sesame Street, while not a museum, is a great example of children's programming that sneaks in a bit of humor for the adults in the audience, and what parent doesn't love Sesame Street?
2. "Ladies first" was already passe in 1972. That is to say, if most of your programming for women is aimed at ladies who like starched cotton dresses, finger sandwiches, and luncheons in the middle of the day, you are missing an opportunity to connect with the next generation of power women. Try hosting a book club, or girls' night out event, like the ones hosted by the Cincinnati Museum Center focused around their latest exhibit. Perhaps, plan a "Toddler Thursday" like the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, and add some content for the moms too. In any case, accept that today's "ladies" often put their families and careers first, and when they get free time, they want to connect with others, not be the youngest woman in the room by 20 or 30 years.
3. "Don't dress your cat in apron... People should [do] what they like to, a person's a person that way." Museums often try to unnecessarily control visitor outcomes and experiences, but people are happiest when they can drive their own experience and make their own meaning. Everyone is different and no two people will experience the same exhibit or program in exactly the same way. Attempt to make your visitor interactions open-ended experiences that give people a chance to engage your content in a way that makes them comfortable and allows them to draw their own conclusions. 
4. "Some kind of help is the kind of help we all can do without." You know what I'm talking about. The unreliable volunteer you can't count on, but who expects to have high-quality projects to occupy his or her valuable time. The trustees who think they know how to do you job better than you. The donor who would really like to give you money, but only if you sidestep your mission for a special interest pet project. I wish I had simple, one size fits all solutions for these and other common scenarios. I don't. Just a comforting reminder that we all run into help that really isn't, and from there we smile, nod, say thank you, and let our conscience and experience be our guide. 

If you remember this classic album from your childhood, check it out from the library and listen to the songs again. It is wonderful! See if it doesn't spark those childlike impulses to create something new, try something no one has tried before, dare to dream big, and not worry about what other people think you ought do with your time. 

History, politics, and the role museums play: Starlee Kine examines this interplay in her piece for "This American Life"

MuseoBlogger seen here eagerly awaiting a
call from Vail's Colorado Ski & Snowboard
Museum in reply to her offer to work for lift tickets.

As I am on vacation this week, living my dream, schussing through the Sierra Nevada mountains at Heavenly in Lake Tahoe, I am posting an audio segment I heard last month on This American Life. Listen, enjoy, discuss amongst yourselves, and I will catch you all next week, when I'm back at my laptop in Cleveland.

On January 14, 2011, in Episode 424, This American Life brought us "Kid Politics." Following Ira Glass's brief prologue centered around a documentary film by Weijun Chen, entitled Please Vote For Me, we hear Act I, "Trickle Down History." This brilliant piece by Starlee Kine about a middle school class' trip to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum includes reminiscences of her own class trip to the Nixon Library as a child. Ms. Kine's take on the museum education programs, interactive exhibits, and educator/facilitators in the galleries is both hilarious and insightful. Ask yourself, what are we teaching school groups in our galleries? Is there politics at play in the education curriculum at your museum?

Are hospitals becoming the new museums?

A Cleveland Clinic staff member walks past
Whispering, by Jaume Plensa.

Recently, I have had many occasions to visit two of the finest hospitals in the United States, located right here in Cleveland, University Hospitals Case Medical Center and the Cleveland Clinic. As an art enthusiast and museum advocate, I was struck by both the quantity and quality of the artwork exhibited throughout these enormous hospitals.

A child at the Cleveland Clinic delights
in front of a computer video installation
by Jennifer Steinkamp.

Far from the drab hotel-variety artwork one might expect, the art was engaging, diverse, sometimes comforting, often contemplative, and in a few cases playful.

Open Red Pyramid, 1996. Cast glass
sculpture by Stanislav Libensky and
 Jaroslava Brychtova at University
Hospitals Case Medical Center.

From what appeared to me to be a giant framework organ hanging from an atrium ceiling, to a radiant orange glass sculpture set in a quiet corner bathed by natural light, I was consistently surprised by the intentional and inspired placement of the art in these hospital buildings. Insightful labels, appropriate lighting, and even an audio tour (at the Clinic Clinic) rounded out the museum-like experience afforded to patients and visitors. Who was working behind the scenes to make all of this possible?

At the Cleveland Clinic, the nation's #1 heart 

hospital, BlueBerg (r11/01) by Inigo

Manglano-Ovalle was based on the shape
of an iceberg, but is reminiscent of a

three-story heart.

There must be curatorial staff? After a bit of research, I discovered that each of these hospitals has a distinguished art department, and both were recognized in 2010 with one of the highest honors in Cleveland, the Cleveland Arts Prize. Mickie McGraw, one of the other prize winners, founded an art therapy program and runs the Art Studio at MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland's third major hospital. Now, I was intrigued-- fine art of every flavor, commissioned pieces, high-quality interpretation, changing gallery spaces, and award-winning programs-- are these hospitals becoming the new museums?

Cleveland Soul, 2007, by Jaume Plensa,
Cleveland Clinic.

Consider a few factors working in favor of the hospitals.

Accessibility:

-no gallery admission fees

-long visiting hours make for extended gallery hours

-buildings are necessarily designed for visitors with many special needs

Money:
-enviable acquisition budgets

-funding specifically available for art therapy
-shared pool of dedicated patrons, as aging art enthusiasts and collectors become regular health care consumers and visitors

Research:
-collaborators on exhibits, education, and projects involving the human body, mind, and spirit

- vast collections, professional curatorial staff, and a clear institutional mission

Art department staff installing a temporary
exhibit in a hallway gallery at University
Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland.

I am not suggesting that museums are going to be replaced by hospitals any time soon. Certainly, I don't think that will ever happen. Rather, the question I want to answer is what can we learn from these incredible hospitals about making our visitors' experiences more meaningful?

What can the Cleveland Clinic Art Program or Cleveland Clinic Arts and Medicine Institute teach museums about connecting people and the arts? Can these hospitals help museums find new ways to build lifelong relationships that engage our audiences, turning consumers into advocates and patrons? Are there programs provided by the Society for the Arts in Healthcare that could benefit museums, or could organizations like the American Association of Museums find potential partners in programming and advocacy, even new members in the SAH?

Dissolving the Hardness of Ego, a soft
sculpture made of hand-dyed wool
felt by Jennifer Nocon. Cleveland Clinic.

As the American public becomes increasingly dependent upon our hospitals to care for a virtually unlimited supply of illnesses, ailments, and syndromes, many people, like it or not, may find these health care environments becoming a necessary "third place." Meanwhile, drug companies and medical insurers reap ever larger profits amassing tantalizing wealth, a potential source of funding for hospitals seeking to expand collections that soothe the soul. While it is unlikely that museums will shut their doors because the health care industry is taking all of their visitors, museums would be wise to look at what our hospitals are doing right.

In light of the recent opinion pieces by Arianna Huffington and Alain de Botton, both widely and I believe rightfully criticized by museum professionals, could it still be possible that there remains a need to preserve those contemplative spaces in our galleries? If we don't, do we risk being out-museumed by our local hospitals? Look, I am not afraid of losing the Cleveland Museum Art to the Cleveland Clinic, or University Hospitals, but then neither the Museum, nor I, won a Cleveland Arts Prize last year.

What kind of arts programming does your local hospital offer? Do they have a world-renowned collection of their own? Have you checked it out? Tell me what you think by sharing your comments below.

All photographs were taken by the author during several trips to the Cleveland Clinic's Main Campus and University Hospitals Case Medical Center in 2010. 

Keeping it real: observations from a kid-centered visit to the Natural History Museum

Outside with Charles Herndon' s Venus from the Ice Fields

I spent the better part of four hours today at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History with my two young daughters. After breakfast I let my not quite two year-old determine the day's adventure. Given a choice between the Zoo, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and CMNH, her answer was "dinosaurs," so off we went. As is often the case, I was struck by several things about the way my children explored, consumed, and internalized experiences, information, and exhibits during their visit.

First off, you should know that I worked at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History for over four years, so I am very familiar with the museum, its programs, and collections. Also, because the museum is our family favorite, my children have been attending regularly quite literally since they were born. This makes them something nearing age-appropriate experts on the different areas and exhibits at the museum. That said, the girls still delight in picking their journey through the galleries, encountering new finds and old favorites along the way.

Today, as usual, I let them choose our route through the museum, starting in Kahn Hall with the traveling exhibition Wild Music: Sounds and Songs of Life. This was our first visit to the temporary exhibit, so we were eager to try out the many interactive experiences offered inside. OBSERVATION #1: My kids aren't keen on headphones. I cannot be sure whether this lack of enthusiasm was due to their ages (almost 2 and almost 4), their comfort level with headsets sized for adults, or their frustration with the fact that I couldn't simultaneously hear what they were hearing and therefore couldn't share in their experience. Unlike my children, I recognize the convenience of employing headphones in a large exhibit filled with auditory experiences and the important role they play in reducing ambient noise. However, to all of you exhibit designers out there, remember that wherever you offer one set of headphones, you limit the collaborative group experience and hinder connections between visitors.

I must add that the individual headphone sets in Wild Music were offset by the number of group-friendly listening stations where sound was piped through external speakers. There was even a free-standing jam room where loud sounds could be freely explored and enjoyed by anyone willing to brave the noise.

From Wild Music we traveled downstairs to the Discovery Center where my kids always enjoy hands-on experiences related to content presented throughout the museum. The girls each have their own favorite games, activities, and stations in the "Disco Center," but I was delighted to see that they gravitated toward a few new activities first. OBSERVATION #2: My kids like to play the same games at the museum as they play at home, just in a different context. In the center of one of the child-sized tables was a clear plastic tub filled with common, everyday objects buried in "strata" made of different colored beans, grains, and ground corn cobs. The tub was the centerpiece of an activity illustrating the principles of stratigraphy, historic deposition, and archaeological discovery. Cards were stationed around the table inviting children (and adults) to conduct an "I spy" type scavenger hunt for objects buried in the tub, asking them to determine which objects were the oldest, and even encouraging them to draw conclusions from the items they observed. My kids loved this game! We regularly play "I spy" in the car, and my eldest daughter's favorite library books are from the I Spy series. Since the staff very thoughtfully used photos of the objects on the cards instead of a list of words, both of my nonreaders were able to participate equally in the hunt.

Another new activity stationed nearby the archaeology tub was a pottery reconstruction puzzle. Two foam plates were covered in some unknown durable coating (I couldn't figure out what it was, but it worked well), then painted to look like terra cotta. One plate was the sample form, and the other was broken into potsherds, which children could reassemble to reconstruct the "ancient" vessel. Both of my girls are puzzle nuts, so this activity was almost as popular with them as the pre-existing dinosaur and human body puzzles they enjoy on every visit to the Disco Center. I love puzzles too, and this simple activity was proof positive that you don't have to spend a lot of money to create a fun and valuable learning opportunity. Be creative!

When we finished playing in the Discovery Center, it was time for lunch, so we headed to The Blue Planet Cafe. OBSERVATION #3: Moms are happiest when there are healthy choices on the menu for everyone in the family. I'm pleased to report that not only was the food in the museum's cafe tasty and pretty healthy, but it was also very reasonably priced and amply portioned for sharing. I bought lunch for all three of us for less than $10. Not too shabby, and when when mama's happy... Well, you know the rest.

Old Bear at the entrance to the Perkins Wildlife Center & Woods Garden.

The second half of our visit involved visiting the natural history museum hot spots, namely the dinosaur hall and the outdoor wildlife center. Like most other toddlers and preschoolers, my daughters are big fans of cuddly little animals, and extinct megafauna, so these two areas of the museum are guaranteed winners. Generally, just strolling past the eagles, bobcats, and raccoons on our way back to the otter pond is enough to start them squealing with excitement. Unfortunately, we hit the animals at nap time today, so many of the more charismatic wildlife residents were tucked away in corners snoozing. Fortunately, the dinosaurs in the hall of prehistoric life always show up, and of course today was no exception.

Artfully mounted Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops horridus fossil casts appear engaged in a battle for the ages and dominate the center of the hall. These guys are show-stoppers, and on most of our visits a couple of spins around the perimeter provide ample stimulation without much interpretation, but today was different. OBSERVATION #4: My preschooler is now really interested in computer interactives. Touchscreens located at staggered positions around the T. rex display have been there since it was installed two years ago, but Nora never paid any real attention to them, until today. Perhaps now, after a year of preschool, and less than a month from her fourth birthday, she is ready to be more in control of how she consumes information in the exhibits? Or, perhaps she's only just grown tall enough to see the screen on her own. Whatever the reason, she couldn't get enough of diving a little deeper into the details. There was only one problem, all of the juicy details needed to be read aloud to her, as she is still a couple of years away from reading them on her own.

Are you developing an interactive program for your next exhibit? Consider adding a game-track for preschoolers and early readers, replacing written text with audio and pictures. After all, why go to the trouble and expense of producing a computer program full of type, when you could just add another text panel for a fraction of the cost? Get the most bang for your bucks; make sure your interactive is truly interactive, and also appropriate for multiple age groups.

It's common knowledge that if you want to gain valuable insight about how your programs and exhibits are (or are not) reaching your visitors you should walk the floors with a couple members of your target audience. Sure it's common knowledge, but with endless meetings, special projects, and new initiatives, it is hard to make it a common practice. Do your museum a favor and schedule some time this week to tag along on a tour, or take a casual stroll through the galleries. You may be surprised at what you observe and learn in those halls you have walked so many times before.

USS Midway Museum's family audio guide sticks with visitors

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of spending two days aboard the USS Midway Museum in San Diego. As part of my preparation for an exhibit evaluation project, I spent almost four hours taking the audio guided tour of the entire ship in order to gain the valuable perspective of an uninitiated first-time visitor. Upon receiving my headset I was told about the brand new family audio tour, which debuted at the Museum just a few weeks prior to my visit. I expressed a particular interest in this tour, which was developed specifically to engage kids and adults simultaneously, and the docent explained that I was welcome to sample the new guide along my journey whenever I encountered a green numbered audio stop.

I began my tour as many adult visitors would, typing in the appropriate yellow numbers and receiving the carefully crafted and duly informative messages aimed at a mature museum audience. However, after listening to only three of the stops on the family tour, I found myself typing in the green numbers first at combined stops, postponing the adult tour, and listening to it as I made way along the passageway to the next stop. What was the significant difference, and why were the family stops so much more compelling to me?

In essence the strength of the new family audio tour lies in several key principles I believe are critical for any successful museum narrative:

1. Keep it short: most of the family tour recordings seemed to last less than a minute and a half.
2. Make it personal: a friendly sailor character personified the experience, developing a familiar rapport between the visitor and the guide, while also allowing an insider's look at life onboard the Midway.
3. Make it authentic: appropriate sound effects, attention to subtleties, and little details described in intimate spaces piqued the visitor's interest and instilled a desire for more.
4. Don't get too technical: the emphasis was on how men lived and worked aboard the Midway, and the importance of that work, not on the specifics of how the work was accomplished.
5. Less is usually more: with markedly fewer stops along the tour, the visitor did not grow as overwhelmed by infinite details, instead the pace was steady, but manageable.

The USS Midway's new family tour works because visitors are treated to a first-hand accounting of the history of the ship, but are not expected to disembark as experts. The pressure to retain great amounts of information is replaced by a casual initiation into the ranks of those who served. Looking back on my experience, I find that I can easily recall numerous memorable stops on the family tour and convey the significant take-away message from each, but I have only a few such take-aways remaining from the adult tour. It was too much information, delivered in rapid-fire succession and unfortunately not as much of it stuck.

In relating my experience with the tour audio guides onboard the Midway, I am reminded of the keynote address delivered this past May by Susie Wilkening of Reach Advisors at the Ohio Museums Association's annual conference. Susie reported initial findings from Reach Advisors' survey of over 40,000 museum-going households across the country. In talking about the most memorable and profound museum experiences described by survey respondents, Susie used the term "sticky." The longest-lasting museum encounters were sticky moments when memories were being formed in the minds of young visitors.

Naturally, most museums want to create opportunities for children and their families to have these sticky experiences together within the context of their own particular content. In my opinion, the USS Midway's new family audio tour creates exactly this kind of sticky opportunity. There is a remarkable space to explore, a personable character guide, and a wealth of history and objects to share. I certainly fall well outside of the seven year-old average age for sticky memory creation, but the Midway Museum's family tour will stick with me for years to come. It will be interesting to see if evaluation of this new educational program identifies the same kind of information retention in other visitors, both kids and adults, but that's a study for another day. Stay tuned.

The Pinky Show takes a look at the how and why of museums- very funny!

For any of you out there who have not yet seen the Pinky Show's take on museum administration, here is a hilarious and perhaps frighteningly accurate portrayal of the traditional role and function of museums in society, according to Kim the cat in her video essay The Creation of Value: Meditations on the logic of museums and other coercive institutions.

Can we crowdsource a museum studies course? Of course!

Who's ready to crowdsource a class for next fall? Raise your hand!

Crowdsource. Yes, it's a buzzword these days, but it is also a truly great idea. For those of you who need a working definition, here is mine.

Crowdsourcing: outsourcing a problem or set of challenging tasks generally assigned to one person to a large group or segment of the population in order to gain multiple perspectives, capitalize on group experience, and engage new audiences.

This is not the official definition, but it acknowledges the main concept and practical applications of the idea. Given the current interest in all things related to the concept of crowdsourcing, including its application in museum practice, could we apply these principles to the generation of a brand new college course in exhibition development and design?

The photo above was obviously taken at the University of Michigan, my alma mater, outside of the "Big House", home to one of the largest regularly-assembled crowds. The course in question is being offered in the Museum Studies program at Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio, home to a much smaller crowd, but fortunately here is a situation where size really doesn't matter. Ideally, the concept of crowdsourcing does not discriminate based on the relative size or status of the organization posing the question, but merely offers up the wisdom, experience, and panorama of viewpoints held within the larger group.

Today, we have an opportunity to prove the concept to young people preparing to enter the museum field. Beginning in August I will be teaching a new course in exhibition development and design at Walsh University. I am currently compiling my ideas for lectures, projects, texts, and specific content to present throughout the semester. As part of my effort to highlight fresh and relevant theories and approaches to museum exhibition, I intend to address the need for greater audience engagement and participatory experience within museum environments. One of the texts I intend to use is Nina Simon's The Participatory Museum, which brilliantly describes the process for creating these intentional spaces.

Pushing the participatory envelope just a bit further, I thought I would engage my own audience for ideas and input. What topics and/or experiences would you include in this course were it yours to develop? So far, the Department Chair has only given me a course title (which I immediately, if unofficially, altered to broaden the scope of the class) and a time slot. Other than these two basic parameters, I am free to construct the course as I choose, designing a curriculum that prepares college juniors and seniors to plan, prepare, produce, and install compelling museum exhibits for our 21st Century visitors.

Putting to work the theory that many minds are better at solving a problem than just one, I am asking for your help. Post your top 5 topics not to be missed in an exhibit development course. Help me help you! Together we can design a course that adequately prepares the next generation of museum professionals for service in your institutions.

Speed camera issues tickets you'll want to receive- The Fun Theory strikes again

Several members of my family, myself included, have recently been nabbed by automated speed cameras and issued painfully pricey tickets for our infractions. Since I have not posted an installment from Volkswagen's The Fun Theory project lately, I thought I would share this prize-winning idea: a speed camera lottery machine.

It's a very cool concept. Admittedly, the actual implementation would be somewhat impractical, but giving drivers a carrot for obeying the speed limit, instead of a stick if they are caught ignoring it, seems like a much better societal norm. Watch the video below and see if you don't agree that you'd slow down just to receive this kind of ticket in the mail.

What is your museum giving up for Lent?

Yesterday began the Christian season of Lent, the six weeks leading up to Easter. For Christians, Lent is a time of introspection, resolution, and moderation-- a time for positive change. Traditionally, it has also been a time when believers give up some comfortable indulgence, at least until the Easter Bunny arrives.

Here's an idea, what if instead of giving up your morning Starbucks, or late-night sweets, you pledged to help your museum give up some of its comfortably self-indulgent practices over the next six weeks?

My list of five habits your museum could lose for Lent:

1. Starting new initiatives or designing programs without first checking in with the museum's strategic plan. Instead, be sure that your efforts will not only support your mission, but also make progress toward meeting specific objectives.
2. Ignoring popular cultural trends/events that could otherwise build valuable connections for your visitors. For example, with two weeks of Olympic competition taking place, geography, science, math, weather, history, and cultures could easily be highlighted and give your content a contemporary spin.
3. Not recycling in your cafe. I continue to be amazed by the number of museums where recycling receptacles are not provided for guests in the cafe. Let us be leaders in doing the right thing for our planet.
4. Giving today's students the same tour you have given for the last 15 to 20 years. Most of us are only too happy to point out the differences between the youth of today and the childhood we knew ourselves. If kids are so different today, why are many museums still dragging students through the same tired school tour that was already old when I took it twenty-some years ago?
5. Forgetting the little things families need for a successful museum visit. As we move toward spring break and the increase in family visitors it always brings, take a spin through your museum and make sure that the galleries, cafe, and restrooms are prepared to make families welcome and comfortable during their stay. See my post "Is your museum family-friendly? Really??" for details on how to maximize your impact with minimum effort.

With just a few changes over the next 6 weeks your museum can head into spring with a fresh sense of commitment to serving your audience with authentic experiences and attention to detail. So, what are you giving up for Lent?

Image: No Cupcakes magnet from Zazzle.com

More behavioral innovation from the folks at TheFunTheory.com

As promised, TheFunTheory.com has posted a new video in their series of interactive studies in fun. The Bottle Bank Arcade is the latest of Volkswagen's creative attempts to get people to do the right thing by making it much more fun than the alternative. They make it look so easy!

I know from my own experience in exhibition development that a fun and meaningful museum interactive is not always easy to create, but here's a little inspiration toward finding new ways to add a little more fun into our galleries and public spaces.

The Fun Theory: museums take note, fun makes a difference

The Volkswagen company has a come up with an incredible new website featuring videos of behavioral experiments in fun. In the short videos we observe people making simple decisions in everyday circumstances, such as whether to take the stairs or the escalator, and whether or not to throw their trash in the appropriate bin. At the beginning of the videos we witness the less desirable behavior, but a remarkable transformation occurs when the element of fun is added into the equation.

Museums, here are two great examples of the value in employing the fun-factor when trying to engage our visitors. Watch the videos below and be sure to check in periodically at www.thefuntheory.com as the experiments continue.