Have Fun - Do Good

JANUARY 16, 2009

I think about how hesitant I was to become an artist, because I didn't see role models, and even to this day how hard it is for me sometimes to find peers who are women of color, because of how systematically they are pushed out. I'm an artist and an institution builder. The kind of art I do is art that gets engaged into the public.

Artist 40

Artist Digital Arts San Francisco 40

Museum 2.0

MARCH 21, 2012

How do you help visitors know what they can and cannot do in your museum? Most museums have this figured out: they have signs, they have guards, they have cases over the objects. And this works pretty well in science museums, where designers talk about "hardening" exhibits to withstand the more aggressive touchers among us.

Museum 49

Museum Artist Arts Denver 49

Museum 2.0

JUNE 10, 2010

I spent last week working with staff at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA) on ways to make this encyclopedic art museum more open to visitor participation across programs, exhibitions, and events. The rules are clear: anyone who lives in Minnesota and considers her/himself an artist can contribute one piece.

Participatory 46

Participatory Museum Arts Artist 46

Museum 2.0

JULY 7, 2010

As Peter wrote: If someone enjoys Arts Event A because it’s social, informal, energetic, fun, and hip, why should we expect her to also enjoy Arts Event B if B is individual, formal, quiet, serious, and traditional (at least in its presentation, if not artistically)? Dias de las Muertos or Chinese New Year to attract new audiences.

Audience 40

Audience Museum Oakland Participatory 40

Museum 2.0

JUNE 17, 2010

This morning, I gave the keynote address for the Washington Museums Association annual conference. It features lots of museum-based examples. But in this post, I wanted to highlight a goofy little (non-museum) project that inspires me in its simplicity and openness to mass collaboration. It's called One Million Giraffes.

Collaboration 34

Collaboration Museum Project Minneapolis 34

Museum 2.0

NOVEMBER 6, 2007

Created by video artist Wendy Clarke, and eventually part of the Exploratorium's collection, the Love Tapes project features visitors of all kinds sharing their personal experiences of love. The visitors adopted the content and empowered the museum to go further. It's nice to see visitors and museums switch roles like that.

Voice 20

Voice Museum Discussion Music 20