Post on 21-May-2015
description
The AccidentalKnowledge Integrator
Talk Organization
• Where I work?• What do I do there?• How did I end up in exhibits?• Reality and theory• Why I do the work
Where I Work
• Waterloo Region Museum (WRM)• Located in Kitchener• On Homer Watson Drive, near 401
WRM – The Village
• Opened in 1957• Living history village• Checkered history…
– "Worst to first"
• Interprets life in 1914• Mostly authentic
buildings• Use a mix of artifacts
and reproductions inside them
WRM – Curatorial Centre
• Opened in 1995• Office space• Collections storage
– 45, 000 objects– Previously in barns,
attics, and cellars…
• Conservation labs• Fabrication shop and
design studio added in 2009
WRM – Museum
• Opened in 2010• Exhibits opened
late 2011 and 2012• Largest community
museum in Ontario• Tells the story of
Waterloo Region– 12, 000 years ago to
today
• 70, 000 visitors
WRM – Amenities
• 20, 000 sq ft of exhibits• 105 seat theatre• 3 class/meeting rooms• Food service• Gift shop• Wifi• Patio• Fully accessible• LEED Silver certified
What do I do there?
• Curator of Exhibits…???• Not a good description• I am not a content expert on local history• I do not spend my time actively working
with the collection
What do I do there?
• Curator of Exhibits…???• Not a good description• I am not a content expert on local history• I do not spend my time actively working
with the collection
What do I do there?
• Content research• Visual research• Audience research• Exhibit design• Content development• Interactive design• Prototyping• Fabrication• Text writing• Digital media• Video production
• Cost estimating• RFPs• Project management• Fabrication supervision• Grant writing• Installation supervision• Construction
management• Hiring and firing
What do I do there?
• Have now been involved in about $100 million in projects– 20+ exhibits of varying sizes and
budgets– 2 museum construction projects
How did I end up in exhibits?
How did I end up in exhibits?
How did I end up in exhibits?
How did I end up in exhibits?
How did I end up in exhibits?
How did I end up in exhibits?
How did I end up in exhibits?
How did I end up in exhibits?
How did I end up in exhibits?
How did I end up in exhibits?
How did I end up in exhibits?
How did I end up in exhibits?
• I always enjoyed drawing and graphic arts• I was constantly doodling all over everything
How did I end up in exhibits?
• So, there I was @ 17 years old– Like creating things– Liked drawing– Liked making replicas– Had a fondness for museums
• Now what?!?!?!• Serendipity intervenes
How did I end up in exhibits?
• A high school classmate in Germany left to go to Carleton… …to study Industrial Design
• "What's ID?"– Drawing, engineering, materials, human factors – wow!
• I arrived at Carleton's ID program 2 years later• After 4 (well, 5) years, drawn most to
– Design theory– design management– empathy for end users
How did I end up in exhibits?
• I joined the Army Reserve while at Carleton– It's the "family business"…
• Learned a lot of useful skills:– Anticipating and adapting to changing circumstances– Systematic assessment of problems before jumping into
solutions– "Project" planning, coordination and management– Efficient communication, including concise mission
statements– Constantly developing contingency plans– Acceptance of and comfort with ambiguity
How did I end up in exhibits?
How did I end up in exhibits?
• 3 Years later, grad school• An article in Museum News
– about a Museum Exhibition Planning and Design program passed my way
• 8 months later I was at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia
Reality meets theory
• First job at the Canada Museum of Science and Technology in Ottawa
• 3 years doing "audience research"– Watching visitors using exhibits and interactives– Prototyping hands on activities– Measuring and modeling the success of exhibits and the
museum– Trying to make exhibit outputs match the theory– "Exhibit as learning machine"
• Learned a lot about visiting a museum or exhibit from the visitors' point of view
Reality meets theory
• Planners and designers ignored or dismissed the results
• "As an employee of (protecting the innocent) who has worked with kids, parents and educators for two decades, I thought I had a clear view of what an “ideal” visit to the Museum should look like. Now that I have a child of my own, I realize that this idealized view, while well-intentioned, was (to be honest) not-quite-realistic. "
• This is incredibly common amongst museum professionals
• It is simply unacceptable• We don't know or acknowledge our own
theory
Issaquah Salmon Hatchery
Issaquah Salmon Hatchery
Soundbridge
Heroes, Heartthrobs & Horrors
Connecticut Valley Furniture
Connecticut Valley Furniture
Connecticut Valley Furniture
History is All Around Us
History is All Around Us
Making Waves
Making Waves
BCM Expansion
KidStage
The Common
The Common
Children of Hangzhou
Children of Hangzhou
Peep's World
Peep's World
WRM – Long Term Gallery
• 15, 000 sq ft• "What Makes Us
Who We Are?"
Schedule
Team Process
Concept Development
Artifacts – Case Layout
Community Involvement
• Wagon cover – public involvement to sew it
Community Involvement
• Wagon cover – prototypes and sewing
Installation
Installation
Installation
WRM – Temporary Gallery
• 5, 000 sq ft• Changing exhibits• By WRM and rented• "Unconventional
Thinking"
WRM – Coming of Age
• 2, 500 sq ft• Long term
temporary• Teenage life 1920s
to today
Why I do the work
Why I do the work
Why I do the work
Why I do the work
Why I do the work