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I''ve now been the executive director of the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History for three years. When I look back at some recent projects that I''m most excited about (like this teen program ), I realize that I had very little to do with their conception or execution. Participatory work can be very labor-intensive.
While we used to have a Director of Education who managed this, we’ve recently restructured our Community Programs department to have a Youth Programs Manager (the brilliant Emily Hope Dobkin), who oversees all experiences that visitors 2-18 have with the museum. Most school tours are for intact groups—a single class or grade.
You''re in for a treat, with upcoming posts on creativity, collections management, elitism, science play, permanent participatory galleries, partnering with underserved teens, magic vests, and more. I''m equally amazed when a comment comes in from a MAH member as I am when one comes in from an Australian opera director.
Elaine Gurian once told me there are two ways for institutions to innovate: they can be so small that no one notices them, or they can have a director who is willing to put his/her neck on the line for the innovation. Maybe the director is obsessed with “company secrets” and you’ll never be able to share behind-the-scenes work.
At the big one, I worked on a small project with teens to design science exhibits for community centers in their own neighborhoods. In 2004, Anna was the Director of Exhibitions and Programs at the International Spy Museum.
When I watch the videos teens created at the Exploratorium and post on YouTube, I see the aspects of the exhibits they thought were most important to share with their classmates. The experience, the director commented, was so painful that they would never repeat it. Or a specific question or idea about how to do it well?
The people were of all ages--moms with babies strapped to their fronts, six year-olds using skillsaws, pre-teens building robots, teenagers doing homework. I sat down with Emilyn Green, Executive Director of the Community Science Workshop Network , to learn more about their history, design, and engagement strategy.
The recent flurry of restrictions that has sent teens fleeing? Tags: participatory museum visitors. When you think of MySpace, what is the first thing that comes to mind? The irritating design? The bizarre obsession with "adding" friends? Or is it the stalkers? Even I find myself buying into the paranoia.
That's what I found myself wondering again and again in the too-short hour I spent with the director of Temple Contemporary, Rob Blackson. Every other year, they convene TUPAC, a group of 35 outside advisors, including teens, college students, Temple University professors, artists, philanthropists, and community leaders.
I've written before about the difference between participatory processes and products , but this question of frameworks and sensibility is more broadly applicable to community engagement strategies. In fact, I find that participatory products are often more likely to reflect a formal sensibility than their traditional counterparts.
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