Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Making the Museum
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Testing the Right Thing at the Right Time, with Jessica Sickler | 29 Sep 2026 | 01:11:14 | |
Why can’t we just ask our visitors what they want? Why bother evaluating our design ideas? Which type of evaluation is the biggest bang for your buck? Why is “timing and tracking” a great way to find out if your exhibition works? What is the “button-mashing code?” Jessica Sickler (Principal, J. Sickler Consulting) discusses “Testing the Right Thing at the Right Time” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: Lego, dinosaurs, and Monets.
1. Reasons (plural) to evaluate in museums
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Jessica Sickler has spent 20 years as an evaluator, helping museum and education teams turn their questions and hunches about what's working into real evidence. As Principal of J. Sickler Consulting, she leads studies across the full arc of projects – from gauging visitor interest, to testing prototype ideas, to understanding what people actually take away from the experience. With training as a museum educator, classroom teacher, and in-house exhibit evaluator, Jessica approaches evaluation as a way to help designers and interpreters see their work through visitors' eyes. She holds an M.S.Ed. in Museum Education from Bank Street College of Education.
Making the Museum is a newsletter and podcast on exhibitions, written and hosted by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners:
The Evaluation Therapy Newsletter Jessica on LinkedIn Evaluation Firm: J. Sickler Consulting “When is it worth evaluating an exhibit?” Graphic & Article “Every step they take: Three things we’ve learned from Timing & Tracking” Article
Contact Making the Museum: Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: Email Jonathan Alger: C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio:
Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly email about exhibitions for museum leaders and teams. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: | |||
| Innovation Secrets of the Museum of Science, with Mike Horvath | 15 Sep 2026 | 01:13:29 | |
[ASTC 2026 Special] Science changes fast. How can science museums keep up? What’s a “technology toolkit”? Can one interactive turn into another? Can you do that same trick with a whole room? What about a whole exhibition? What’s “Wizard of Oz-ing”? Do constraints make for better design? How could museums work together to solve the challenges they all face? A special episode for ASTC 2026, where Mike will be speaking about this and more.
2. Transformative Technology Toolbox 3. The F.A.S.T. Table Project 4. The A.I.M. Initiative 5. The “Always On” Presentation Area 6. Changing the “Changing Landscapes” Project How to Listen: Listen on Apple Podcasts: Listen on Spotify: Listen at Making the Museum, the Website: Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor:
Michael Horvath began his museum career as a designer at the Museum of Science in 1998. Today, as Vice President of Exhibits, he leads exhibit development for the Museum, which welcomes more than 1.3 million visitors annually. Over the course of his career, Horvath has led the design of numerous high-profile exhibitions, including The Science of Pixar, which received the American Alliance of Museums' Excellence in Exhibition Award for Planning Process and the Association of Science-Technology Centers' Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Award for Visitor Experience. More than a decade after its debut, two versions of The Science of Pixar continue to tour science centers and museums around the world. He also led the design of Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination, which toured internationally for more than ten years and became one of the Museum's most successful traveling exhibitions. In 2005, while promoting the Star Wars exhibition, Horvath made national headlines when he threw the ceremonial first pitch at a Boston Red Sox game dressed as Chewbacca. The image was featured in Sports Illustrated and picked up by media outlets across the country. Fortunately for him, few people recognized the person behind the Wookiee costume.
Making the Museum is a newsletter and podcast on exhibitions, written and hosted by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners:
Mike Horvath: Mike on LinkedIn: Museum of Science, Boston: The F.A.S.T. Project (Flexible, Accessible Strategies for Timely Digital Exhibit Design): The A.I.M. Initiative (Alliance for Immersion in Museums):
Contact Making the Museum: Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: Email Jonathan Alger: C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio:
Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly email about exhibitions for museum leaders and teams. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: | |||
| The 9/11 Museum, 25 Years After 9/11, with Mark Wagner | 26 Aug 2026 | 01:20:19 | |
A very special episode of Making the Museum, for the 25th Anniversary of 9/11. The unique, unforgettable story of the architect who found himself on the 9/11 debris pile right after the tragedy, working for years to save artifacts for a museum he could only imagine. What do you do when your two largest museum artifacts aren’t there anymore? What is the “Bilbao Effect Upside Down”? How is architecture a stage for a story? Mark Wagner (Design Principal, Arts & Culture Sector Leader, Stantec) discusses “The 9/11 Museum, 25 Years After 9/11” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: bicycling to Paris, recovering musicians, and an angel in a green gown.
1. Cathedral Memories
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Mark Wagner, AIA, is a Design Principal in Stantec’s New York office and the firm’s Arts & Culture Sector Leader. With more than 30 years of experience, he has led the design of award-winning museums, cultural institutions, and civic projects from vision through realization. His practice focuses on experience-based design, exploring how architecture shapes memory, narrative, and human connection. Known for guiding multidisciplinary teams through complex cultural and technical challenges, Mark believes architecture can strengthen communities by creating meaningful public experiences. He advances this philosophy across Stantec’s global practice, championing design that enriches civic life through arts and culture.
Making the Museum is a newsletter and podcast on exhibitions, written and hosted by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners:
Mark Wagner: Stantec: The National September 11th Memorial & Museum:
Contact Making the Museum: Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: Email Jonathan Alger: C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio:
Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly email about exhibitions for museum leaders and teams. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: | |||
| Improving the Visitor Experience with Data, with Ryan Auster | 11 Aug 2026 | 00:59:26 | |
If we’re not studying our visitors, how can we fulfill our mission? What is a net promoter score? And what should a museum’s net promoter score be? How do you ask a survey question if you want a meaningful answer? What is capacity building? What is COVES, and how can people get involved with it? Ryan Auster (Manager of Learning Metrics, Museum of Science, Boston) discusses “Improving Visitor Experience with Data” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: OERs, excellent vs outstanding, and statistics 101.
1. What is visitor studies?
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Dr. Ryan Auster (he/him) is the Manager of Learning Metrics at the Museum of Science, Boston (MOS) where he serves as the Project Director of the Collaboration for Ongoing Visitor Experience Studies (COVES), a research initiative with 100+ museum members across the United States and Canada. Ryan has a passion for simplifying messy data, advocating for visualizations that tell stories to inform decision making and improve societal outcomes, and believes that collaborative projects make for stronger work. Before joining the museum field, he was a professional ski bum and an amateur long-distance athlete, but now he just chases his two young sons for physical activity.
Making the Museum is a newsletter and podcast on exhibitions, written and hosted by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners:
Ryan Auster: rauster@mos.org COVES: www.understandingvisitors.org Visitor Studies Association: www.visitorstudies.org Museum of Science, Boston: www.mos.org
Contact Making the Museum: Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: Email Jonathan Alger: C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio:
Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly email about exhibitions for museum leaders and teams. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: | |||
| What Museums Can Learn from Casinos, Theme Parks, Sports, and More, with Renée Hampton | 28 Jul 2026 | 01:08:00 | |
What could museums learn right now — from their competitors? What’s happening out there that museums should know about? How can museums compete with a sports venue that has 18,000 seats, each with its own interactive controller? What do IP, KPI, and F&B mean? What if museums went out and learned from theme parks, advertising, corporate centers … and even casinos?
Renée Hampton (Strategic Partnerships Manager, Electrosonic) discusses “What Museums Can Learn from Casinos, Theme Parks, Sports, and More” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: eye tracking, Donkey Kong, and Cirque du Soleil.
1. What sports experiences … can teach museums
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Renée Hampton is passionate about bringing creativity and multidisciplinary partnerships into the way organizations design and build experiential attractions across industries. As Strategic Partnerships Manager at Electrosonic, she collaborates with architects, interior designers, exhibit designers, fabricators, media producers, and technology partners to develop innovative technology solutions for institutions, owners, and operators. With a background spanning film production, real-time interactive media production, and experiential events, Renée combines creative and technical expertise with partnership strategy, project management, and business development. She is dedicated to building strong relationships that help create immersive environments connecting people with spaces, stories, and technology through the power of design.
Making the Museum is a newsletter and podcast on exhibitions, written and hosted by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners:
Renée via LinkedIn: Renée via Email: Electrosonic:
Contact Making the Museum: Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: Email Jonathan Alger: C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio:
Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly email about exhibitions for museum leaders and teams. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: | |||
| Make Space for Change (The New Book), with Femke Bijlsma | 23 Jun 2026 | 01:01:14 | |
How can exhibitions create positive change in the world? Why is play the key? How can we build trust with a community that doesn’t know us? Why should exhibition makers preserve their “beginner’s mind”? What can exhibitions do climate change, polarization and global conflict? How do we measure our impact? Femke Bijlsma (Partner, Kossmanndejong) discusses “Make Space for Change (The New Book)” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: un-discipline, Santa Claus, and eating the story.
1. Why Make Space for Change?
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Femke Bijlsma is a partner and content developer at Amsterdam-based design firm Kossmanndejong, creating immersive, narrative-driven spaces globally. Her work distinctively connects design with social goals, fostering meaningful inclusion and community empowerment. This approach shapes major projects like the Museum of the Mind, "Our Colonial Inheritance" at the Worldmuseum Amsterdam, and the UAE Pavilion for Expo 2020, alongside high-profile US work at the La Brea Tar Pits. Committed to positive change, Bijlsma co-founded the Refugee Company, chaired the Dutch Design Awards, and shares her expertise as a thought leader through regular international university lectures and workshops.
Making the Museum is a newsletter and podcast on exhibitions, written and hosted by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners:
Make Space for Change (New Book): Femke: Kossmandejong:
Contact Making the Museum: Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: Email Jonathan Alger: C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio:
Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly email about exhibitions for museum leaders and teams. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: | |||
| Liminal Space Research, with Dan Clevenger, Monika Smith, and Helen Ho | 09 Jun 2026 | 00:53:03 | |
Museum lobbies have a huge influence on visitor experience. But what makes a good lobby? What is a “liminal space” in a museum? How does research actually work? What does “peer-reviewed research” actually mean? What do researchers hope their outcomes will be? Which department of a museum is even responsible for the lobby, and all the other “spaces in between”? Dan Clevenger (Principal), Monika Smith (Principal), and Helen Ho (Senior Associate, Senior Design Researcher) from DLR Group discuss “Liminal Space Research” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Note: The "Liminal Space Research" project is in partnership with select art museum partners and cultural strategist Jill Snyder (Snyder Consultancy). Along the way: wonder, awe, gaps in the literature, and all the spaghetti you can throw at a cupboard.
1. DLR Group and the research team
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Dan Clevenger, AIA, LEED BD+C, Principal, Global Cultural + Performing Arts Leader, DLR Group. Dan Clevenger is an award-winning arts and cultural programmer, designer, and leader with more than two decades of experience across all phases of design and project development. His portfolio spans art museums, science centers, history museums, and natural history institutions, including the Heard Museum, Arizona Science Center, Chandler History Museum, C.N. Gorman Museum at UC Davis, the Sheldon Museum of Art at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and the University of Arizona Arts Master Plan. His work reflects a consistent commitment to institutions that strengthen their communities with purpose and longevity. Dan serves as a board member of the Western Museum Association and the Arizona State University Art Museum Creative Impact Board. Monika Smith, AIA, Principal, Cultural+Performing Arts Design Leader, DLR Group. Monika Smith brings a rigorous design craft to some of the most complex museum environments in the country. A senior designer with 28 years of experience in cultural facilities and historic preservation, she is known for technically demanding work across new construction, adaptive reuse, and landmark renovation. Her portfolio includes the Albany Museum of Art, Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia, Library of Congress Conservation Lab, and the Smithsonian Institution. Monika is a juror for the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums Buildy Awards. Helen Ho, PhD, EDAC, Senior Associate, Senior Design Researcher, DLR Group. Helen Ho helps cultural institutions make informed, community-centered design decisions. With more than a decade of mixed-methods research experience, she connects stakeholder engagement, post-occupancy evaluation, and evidence-based frameworks to outcomes that matter: visitor wellbeing, spatial equity, and long-term institutional impact. She translates complex community needs into clear design metrics and research-informed strategies that support meaningful, people-centered spaces. Helen holds a Ph.D. in Communication Studies from the University of Michigan. She is an EDAC professional and an AIA Associate Member.
Making the Museum is a newsletter and podcast on exhibitions, written and hosted by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners:
Dan Clevenger: dclevenger@dlrgroup.com Monika Smith: msmith@dlrgroup.com Helen Ho: hho@dlrgroup.com Jill Snyder: Snyder Consultancy The Cultural+Performing Arts / Museums Practice at DLR Group Strategic Research Partnerships Yield Museum Design Insights, at DLR Group Albany Museum of Art Adaptive Reuse by DLR Group Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery by DLR Group
Contact Making the Museum: Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: Email Jonathan Alger: C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio:
Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly email about exhibitions for museum leaders and teams. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: | |||
| “Building a Museum: This is Not a Manual” (the New Book), with Jamē Anderson, Monteil Crawley, Sarah Ghorbanian & Chris Wood | 19 May 2026 | 01:04:12 | |
How do you build a museum? How do you build the right project team? How do you engage with community? What does it mean to plan a museum? What does it mean to design a museum? How do you align your budget with your purpose? How do you build the story of your museum project? Jamē Anderson, Monteil Crawley, Sarah Ghorbanian, and Chris Wood from SmithGroup discuss “Building a Museum: This is Not a Manual (the New Book)” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: a one-year process that took ten years, a mystery fifth guest, and branching out to herbal supplements.
1. Why a book like this?
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Jamē Anderson is a vice president and director of SmithGroup’s national team of architects, planners, and engineers who focus exclusively on cultural capital projects. Her career is dedicated to cultural institutions, having held roles at the National Gallery of Art and Smithsonian Institution in addition to her tenure at SmithGroup. Monteil Crawley is a senior principal at SmithGroup and a leading expert in the design of museums and cultural facilities, shaping a unique design vision for each facility and institution. He has spent his career with SmithGroup designing prominent spaces and places that celebrate and reveal the history and culture of the United States. Sarah Ghorbanian is a principal at SmithGroup who specializes in the planning and project management of complex cultural projects. She is an expert at coordinating the intersection of architecture and exhibition design to create compelling, holistic, and engaging experiences for museum audiences. Chris Wood is a vice president at SmithGroup and leads the firm’s Washington, D.C., studio of design and engineering specialists devoted to cultural projects. He leads design teams for cultural capital projects of all scales and is a recognized expert in the planning and design of museums and collections facilities.
Making the Museum is a newsletter and podcast on exhibitions, written and hosted by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners:
The Book: https://www.smithgroup.com/buildingamuseum SmithGroup: https://www.smithgroup.com Jamē Anderson: Jame.Anderson@smithgroup.com Monteil Crawley: Monteil.Crawley@smithgroup.com Sarah Ghorbanian: Sarah.Ghorbanian@smithgroup.com Chris Wood: Chris.Wood@smithgroup.com
Contact Making the Museum: Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: Email Jonathan Alger: C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio:
Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly email about exhibitions for museum leaders and teams. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: | |||
| “Serious Fun” at First Americans Museum, with Shoshana Wasserman, Kimberly Rodriguez, and Bill Smith | 03 Feb 2026 | 01:18:21 | |
How do you design for all ages at the same time? What is “serious fun”? Does nature ever go out of style? How do you create content for both Native and non-Native audiences? What do education staff do when a gallery has no text panels? What are “Native sensibilities”? Why is Blue Deer blue? Shoshana Wasserman (Deputy Director) and Kimberly Rodriguez (New Media Specialist) from First Americans Museum, and Bill Smith (Principal, Storyline Studio) discuss “Serious Fun at the First Americans Museum” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: a 12-foot hawk, rotary phones, and Grandma Turtle’s Choctaw collar.
1. What is FAM?
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Shoshana Wasserman (Muscogee Creek/Thlopthlocco Tribal Town citizen) began with a vision to weave culture, education, and community into meaningful spaces. For over 20 years, she helped bring First Americans Museum to life. A founding team member and Deputy Director, she oversees operations, guest services, and the store supporting Native artists. As co-curator of the FAMily Discovery Center, she champions immersive storytelling, tribal collaboration, and joyful design—all anchored in her belief We Are All Connected. For 18 years, Kimberly Rodriguez (Muscogee/Oglala Sioux) has been part of the FAM journey—from name changes to documenting the site “from the ground to the mound.” A co-curator of two exhibitions and a proud member of the powerhouse Communications team, she blends professionalism with a Looney Tunes sense of humor. With deep pride in promoting the stories of 39 tribes in Oklahoma today, Kimberly brings heart, wit, and collaboration to everything she does—because like water, humor is life. Bill Smith, Principal of Storyline Studio, brings over 40 years of experience as one of the nation’s leading exhibition designers. Formerly partner and design director at West Office Exhibition Design, he led award-winning projects for history, science, and cultural institutions. In 2003, he founded Storyline Studio to further his creative vision. His work has earned accolades from the Industrial Designers Society of America, AAM’s CurCom, and the Society for Environmental Graphic Design.
Making the Museum is a newsletter and podcast on exhibitions, written and hosted by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners:
Shoshana Waserman: Kimberly Rodriguez: Bill Smith: First Americans Museum: FAMily Discovery Center: Storyline Studio:
Contact Making the Museum: Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: Email Jonathan Alger: C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio:
Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly email about exhibitions for museum leaders and teams. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: | |||
| What Is Sustainable Exhibition Design? with Douglas Flandro | 02 Dec 2025 | 01:09:49 | |
How can we make our exhibitions more sustainable — in every way? Where do we start? What can museum teams learn from sustainability advancements in architecture? What’s a “red list?” What is the difference between embodied and operational carbon? What does it mean to do “design for deconstruction?” And when can we all buy the upcoming “Sustainable Museum Exhibition Handbook?” Douglas Flandro (Exhibition Designer & Director of Sustainability, CambridgeSeven) discusses “What is Sustainable Exhibition Design?” with MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: museum egos, dark skies, and heat islands.
1. Embracing Imperfection
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Drawing on his background in theater and film design, Douglas Flandro is especially interested in sustainable exhibit design, new technologies, immersive experiences, experiential graphic design and hands-on interactive exhibits. He has designed exhibits and graphics for numerous science museums, children’s museums, nature and visitor centers, aquariums, and zoos. As the firm’s Director of Sustainability, Douglas leads CambridgeSeven’s Sustainable Working Group and has taught and lectured at AAM, ASTC, Parson’s School of Design, and the Rhode Island School of Design. He is the author of the forthcoming book, “The Sustainable Exhibition Handbook,” due to be released in the Spring of 2026.
Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners:
Douglas on LInkedin CambridgeSeven The Sustainable Exhibition Design & Construction Toolkit The Museum Exhibition Materials Pledge The Gallery Climate Coalition The Bizot Green Protocol The Climate Toolkit Living Future (ILFI) Red List of Worst in Class Chemicals Green Science Policy Institute Six Classes of Chemicals DarkSky International Terrapin Bright Green 14+ Patterns of Biophilic Design The Design Museum, "The Waste Age: What can design do?" https://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/waste-age-what-can-design-do
Contact Making the Museum Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn Email Jonathan Alger C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio
Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly professional development email for exhibition practitioners, museum leaders, and visitor experience professionals. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: | |||
| Inclusive Design Will Change the World, with Sina Bahram & Corey Timpson | 05 Nov 2025 | 01:05:38 | |
One in four people has a disability. Why aren’t we designing museums better for them? What is inclusive design? How does it relate to universal design, or the ADA? Which disciplines and departments have to get involved to make a museum truly inclusive? What happened when the military tried to design for the “average” jet pilot? If we design for better accessibility, are we designing for our own future selves? Sina Bahram and Corey Timpson (Principals, Prime Access Consulting) join host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss “Inclusive Design Will Change the World.” Along the way: curb cuts, multimodality, and the finance department.
1. What is Inclusive Design? How to Listen: Listen on Apple Podcasts: Listen on Spotify: Listen at Making the Museum, the Website: Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor:
Sina Bahram (President, Prime Access Consulting) is a blind computer scientist, consultant, researcher, speaker, mentor, and entrepreneur. He works with executive management, policymakers, engineering teams, content creators, designers, and others to promulgate accessibility and inclusive design throughout an organization. In 2012, President Obama recognized Sina as a White House Champion of Change. Sina and his PAC colleagues collaborate on creating digital experiences (web, app, embedded, projected, and more), immersive media, themed entertainment, capital builds, and any/all aspects of experiential design in order to welcome the widest possible audience. Sina serves on and chairs various corporate, research, and non-profit boards. Sina is a Mission Astro Access ambassador and recipient of a Thea Award. Corey Timpson (Principal, Prime Access Consulting) is an active collaborator and thought leader in the fields of inclusive design, digital media, and experience design within the cultural and themed entertainment industries. As one of the two principals of Prime Access Consulting, Inc. (PAC) Corey's primary focus is to facilitate the creation of inclusive, rich, and meaningful experiences that are welcoming to everyone. Among Corey’s previous positions, he was the Vice-President of Exhibitions, Research, and Design, and concurrently served as the Project Director, for the design-build of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights where his focus was on interpreting difficult knowledge and presenting it through an inclusive, multimodal, and transmedia storytelling approach. Corey’s design leadership has accounted for over 30 international awards in the fields of environmental, exhibition, and graphic design, digital and interactive media, digital systems design, film and linear media, and universal design. Corey serves as an Advisory Board member of Europe’s Best in Heritage and is a board member of the Portrait Gallery of Canada.
Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners: Links for This Episode: Prime Access Consulting (PAC): Mosaic (M4C):
Contact Making the Museum: Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: Email Jonathan Alger: C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio:
Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly professional development email for exhibition practitioners, museum leaders, and visitor experience professionals. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: | |||
| A Collaborative Approach to Exhibition Making (The New Book), with Emily Saich & Joey Noelle Scott | 08 Oct 2025 | 01:02:29 | |
Is there a better way to collaborate? What’s the secret to good feedback? How do you manage 40 people in a room? Are group facilitators ever truly neutral? Should you tell your teammates their responsibilities, or have them tell you? What’s a RACI chart? If collaboration is so important, why hasn’t there been a book about it — until now? Emily Saich (Vice President of Exhibitions) and Joey Noelle Scott (Director of Exhibition Projects) from the Monterey Bay Aquarium discuss their new book “A Collaborative Approach to Exhibition Making” with host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: post-mortems, “Yes And,” and cardboard kelp cutouts. Talking Points: 1. A book for creatives, facilitators, and problem-solvers How to Listen: Listen on Apple Podcasts: Listen on Spotify: Listen at Making the Museum, the Website: Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor: Guest Bios: Emily Saich has more than twenty years of experience leading exhibition development, design, prototyping, and fabrication of exhibitions and innovative visitor experiences. She has worked on several award-winning and influential exhibitions and managed projects for all types of museums and organizations, including science centers, natural history museums, children’s museums, public gardens, performing art centers, art museums, historic sites, zoos, and aquariums. Emily is vice president of Exhibitions at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where she leads vision and strategy for major exhibitions and guides collaborative teams through design and creation of visitor-centered experiences. Emily holds a Bachelor of Arts in studio art from California Polytechnic University, Humboldt, and a Masters of Fine Arts from Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University. Joey Noelle Scott is the director of Exhibition Projects at the Monterey Bay Aquarium where she leads teams that create innovative exhibitions that inspire conservation of the ocean. With 20 years of experience in educational and museum settings, she’s led a diversity of projects, including the creation of curriculum, professional development programs, digital products, and exhibitions. She’s built expertise in facilitation, program development, and project management with a particular focus on developing processes that support collaboration, creativity, and productivity. Her formal training includes a Bachelors of Science in genetics, an MA in education, and a certification as a Project Management Professional and LEED AP ID+C. About Making the Museum: Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners: Links for This Episode: How to Buy “A Collaborative Approach to Exhibition Making” (The New Book): Emily Saich on LinkedIn: Joey Noelle Scott on LinkedIn: Links for Making the Museum, the Podcast: Contact Making the Museum: Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: Email Jonathan Alger: C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio: Making the Museum, the Newsletter: Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly professional development email for exhibition practitioners, museum leaders, and visitor experience professionals. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: | |||
| Making the Medal of Honor Museum, with Bassam Komati | 09 Sep 2025 | 00:51:51 | |
Is a museum where experiences happen — or is the museum the experience? Can a museum be designed to inspire? What is the Medal of Honor? What role does a bold design idea have in making a project happen? Does the mission of a museum inspire the people who make it? Can everyone have a mission? Bassam Komati, AIA OEAB (Partner, Viñoly Architects) discusses “Making the Medal of Honor Museum” with host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: floating blocks, extra helicopters, and going above and beyond the call of duty.
1. What is the Medal of Honor?
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Bassam Komati, AIA OEAB, joined Rafael Viñoly Architects in 2006 and became a partner in 2019, contributing to major projects on four continents. He collaborated closely with Rafael Viñoly on conceptual designs, leading design development and coordination through digital and BIM platforms. As Partner-in-Charge of the National Medal of Honor Museum in Texas, he has led all phases since the firm’s 2019 competition win. His portfolio includes London’s Battersea Power Station Master Plan, NYU Abu Dhabi, and projects in corporate, commercial, research, and healthcare sectors. He holds degrees from Harvard University and the American University of Beirut and speaks internationally on architecture.
Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners:
Bassam Komati National Medal of Honor Museum Rafael Viñoly Architects
Contact Making the Museum: Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: Email Jonathan Alger: C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio:
Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly professional development email for exhibition practitioners, museum leaders, and visitor experience professionals. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: | |||
| Mission: Collaboration, with Barbara Miller and Danae Colomer | 18 Jun 2025 | 00:57:24 | |
What are the (top) secrets of better collaboration? Is collaboration like a game of ping pong? Or more like ballroom dancing? Is there a better way to disagree? Does having constraints make design ... better? How is an exhibition like a film? And what happens when your project feels — in this case, even literally — like “Mission: Impossible”? Barbara Miller (Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs, Museum of the Moving Image) and Danae Colomer (Director of Exhibition Management and Design, Museum of the Moving Image) discuss “Mission: Collaboration” with host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: zombies, skateboards, and messages that self-destruct.
1. A Moving Experience
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Barbara Miller is Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs at Museum of the Moving Image in New York, where she organizes exhibitions and directs the content of the Museum’s permanent collection of material culture related to film, television and digital media. Major projects at MoMI include The Jim Henson Exhibition; Deepfake: Unstable Evidence on Screen; and Born Digital: Pathways Towards Preservation, an Andrew W. Mellon-funded initiative to institute sustainable collection and exhibition practices related to digital media. Prior to joining MoMI in 2009, Miller's wide-ranging research and storytelling projects included work on the nationally broadcast PBS documentary American Roots Music, for which she earned an Emmy nomination. She holds a Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from New York University. Danae Colomer is an architect and exhibition designer with over 15 years of experience across museum, architecture, and film design. She is passionate about the power of storytelling and how it can be translated into physical space to create meaningful, immersive experiences. Originally from Spain, Danae discovered her passion for exhibition design at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. Since relocating to New York in 2009, she worked at Ralph Appelbaum Associates on award-winning museums worldwide. In 2021, she joined the Museum of the Moving Image as Director of Exhibition Management and Design. She holds a Master’s in Architecture from the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid and a Master’s in Exhibition Design from FIT in New York. When she’s not designing exhibitions, Danae explores the world through the curious eyes of her children — which currently means mastering the rules of soccer and decoding the unique language of skateboarding.
Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners:
Barbara by Email: Barbara on LinkedIn: Danae by Email: Danae on LinkedIn: Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI): “Mission: Impossible — Story and Spectacle” (Exhibition at MoMI):
Contact Making the Museum: Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: Email Jonathan Alger: C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio:
Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly professional development email for exhibition practitioners, museum leaders, and visitor experience professionals. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: | |||
| The Art of Choosing a Museum Architect, with Susanna Sirefman | 21 May 2025 | 00:56:47 | |
How do you choose the right architect for your museum? Is architecture about more than a building? Is architect selection about more than architecture? What is a design “brief”? Why are museum projects on “elephant time”? Are anonymous open design competitions a good thing? What comes after “good design is good business”? Susanna Sirefman (President, Dovetail Design Strategists) discusses “The Art of Choosing a Museum Architect” with host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio). Along the way: cello studies, Winston Churchill, and two lions named Patience and Fortitude.
1. Design excellence is a basic human right
Listen on Apple Podcasts: Listen on Spotify: Listen at Making the Museum, the Website: Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor:
Susanna Sirefman, President and Founder of Dovetail Design Strategists, draws from extensive knowledge of the latest design and building trends, providing her clients with unmatched access to both emerging and acclaimed talent in architecture. Trained as an architect at the renowned Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, England, Susanna’s deep knowledge of the field informs her ability to advise on design, synthesize architectural concepts, making architecture accessible to the public.
Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners:
Susanna on LinkedIn: Susanna by email: Dovetail Design Strategists:
Contact Making the Museum: Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: Email Jonathan Alger: C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio:
Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly professional development email for exhibition practitioners, museum leaders, and visitor experience professionals. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: | |||
| Think Like a Children's Museum, with Edwin Link | 07 May 2025 | 01:10:48 | |
What if every museum were more like ... a children’s museum? Why is play “agnostic”? Can you design an entire museum for every generation, all at the same time? How are children’s museums like (and not like) other museums? How did they get that way? Wait, could we make an entire exhibition out of nothing but cardboard boxes? What is “co-learning”? And why don’t more museum people visit … other people’s museums? Along the way: teaching artists, art teachers, and what we really mean by “caregiver.”
1. Children’s museums, then and now
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Edwin Link, M.Ed., serves as the Executive Director of Children’s Museum of Atlanta, where he applies his 18 years of experience in the nonprofit, arts, education, children museums, and youth development sectors. His experience includes developing and executing national initiatives focused on serving families in under-resourced communities, building community responsive experiences that create joy and wonder, building strategic partnerships, driving revenue to support strategic objectives, and identifying and implementing change management processes for operational efficiency.
Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners:
Edwin Link on LinkedIn: The Children’s Museum of Atlanta:
Contact Making the Museum: Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: Email Jonathan Alger: C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio:
Like the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly professional development email for exhibition practitioners, museum leaders, and visitor experience professionals. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips, and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: | |||
| A Museum Transformed with AI, with Kimberly Beaudin & Geoff Thatcher | 23 Apr 2025 | 01:06:56 | |
What can we learn from one of the most complex AI projects in any museum today?
What is the history of AI in museums? Can we add AI to our experiences without a complete renovation? How do you teach an AI about 775 different football teams? How can AI put visitors literally into a story? Is AI accurate enough for a museum? What about bias? Doesn’t AI take away jobs? And how do you specify exactly what shade of college football orange you want to an AI — if you can only use words?
Kimberly Beaudin (CEO, College Football Hall of Fame) and Geoff Thatcher (Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Creative Principals) discuss “A Museum Transformed with AI” with host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio).
Along the way: Hypercinema, Salvador Dalí, and net promoter scores.
2. History of AI in Museums 3. Adding, Not Redesigning 4. Putting Visitors in the Story: Cheerleader, Coach, Player 5. Accuracy, Inclusivity and Jobs 6. What We Learned 7. What Visitors Are Saying How to Listen:
Kimberly Beaudin is the Chief Executive Officer for the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame, one of Atlanta’s top attractions, and college football’s mecca. Beaudin joined the College Football Hall of Fame in June 2015 as the Vice President of Marketing and Communications. With over 20 years of experience in leading brand development and marketing strategy, she was later promoted to oversee the sales operations of the business in March 2016. In April 2020, Beaudin was appointed CEO of the Hall of Fame, making her the first female leader of the storied attraction. In her role as CEO, Beaudin focuses on strategic marketing initiatives, community and public relations, group sales and event sales as well as philanthropic development and partnership sales and activation.
Geoff Thatcher is an experienced creative director who excels at leading projects from concept to reality. These projects are most often about creating world-class experiences in corporate visitor centers, executive briefing centers, museums, theme parks and live events.Great experiences are distinguished by great story telling. Whether it’s interviewing executives about the future of health care in America, walking the Fort Worth assembly line of the F-35 Lightning II or listening to a seventh-generation Hawaiian play ukulele in her living room, it all begins with finding the story and translating it into memorable experiences. Geoff’s passion and experience in leadership development is ultimately about creating an environment where great work can get done together. About Making the Museum: Links for This Episode:
Kimberly by email:
College Football Hall of Fame:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoffthatcher/
Geoff by email:
Creative Principals: https://www.creativeprincipals.com/ Links for Making the Museum, the Podcast: Making the Museum, the Newsletter: | |||
| Creating Effective Museum Experiences, with Lynda Roscoe Hartigan | 26 Mar 2025 | 01:04:24 | |
What if the secret to better museums was … neuroscience?
How can museums inspire human creativity? How much media should be in a gallery — or should there be any? How soon should you get feedback on your exhibition ideas? Can museums help us all “escape the algorithm”? What does knitting have to do with visitor satisfaction? In this episode, we’ll learn some unexpected tricks of the trade from a renowned museum leader.
Lynda Roscoe Hartigan (The Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Executive Director and CEO of the Peabody Essex Museum) discusses “Creating Effective Museum Experiences” with host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners | The Exhibition and Experience Design Studio).
Along the way: standup comedy, Iris Apfel, and moon chairs. 2. Design is Critical — Use Media Wisely 3. Knit Experiences 4. Escape the Algorithm 5. Know Your Audience — Get Feedback Early 6. Consider the Neuroscience How to Listen: Guest Bio: About Making the Museum: Links for This Episode:
Lynda on LinkedIn:
Lynda’s Thesis: https://www.amazon.com/Grandma-Moses-Century-Jane-Kallir/dp/0300089279
Ansel Adams exhibition:
Escape the Algorithm, PEM’s latest ad campaign:
Neuroscience initiative: https://www.pem.org/about-pem/pem-initiatives/neuroscience-initiative
Art Pharmacy from Mass Cultural Council:
FutureMuseum (PEM will be hosting museum leaders for this event on May 28 and 29, 2025): https://www.museumbooster.com/future-museum
Links for Making the Museum, the Podcast: Making the Museum, the Newsletter: | |||
| Museum as Lab, with Ann Neumann | 11 Mar 2025 | 00:58:27 | |
What if a museum were more like a laboratory?
What if our exhibits were experiments? What if our galleries were more about questions, rather than answers? What if we didn’t fear failure as much? What if scientists, artists, and technologists all created exhibitions together? What happens when you edit an exhibit about editing DNA? Should every project have a post-opening contingency — in addition to the normal kind?
Ann Neumann (Director of Galleries and Exhibitions, MIT Museum) joins host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss “Museum as Lab.”
Along the way: circadian rhythms, robots, maritime paintings, and a huge spiderweb you can play like a musical instrument.
1. The MIT Museum
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Ann Neumann, Director of Galleries and Exhibitions at the MIT Museum, leads conceptual planning of museum exhibitions presenting MIT’s research, collections, and innovation in science, art, design and technology in the heart of the biotech corridor. Her focus is on the museum as an experimental test bed for ideas, conversations and experiences that reflect the critical issues of culture and society. She’s the recipient of numerous awards for her work and named a Blooloop Museum Influencer in 2024. Her experience developing museums and science centers in the US and internationally reflect a commitment to expanding the human experience and science understanding through interdisciplinary collaborations, visual communication and the built environment.
Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. MtM is a project of C&G Partners, the exhibition and experience design studio. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners:
Ann by Email: Ann on LinkedIn: MIT Museum:
Contact Making the Museum: Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: Email Jonathan Alger: C&G Partners | Design for Culture:
Liked the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly professional development email for exhibition practitioners, museum leaders, and visitor experience professionals. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: | |||
| Community Engagement Misconceptions, with Nu Goteh | 19 Feb 2025 | 00:51:18 | |
What if we're doing community engagement … wrong?
How long should the process really take for a museum or exhibition? What’s the difference between demographics and psychographics? What does it mean to “move at the pace of community”? Why do community engagement experts sometimes cringe when they hear the word “charrette”? And what exactly does “community” mean?
2. Moving at the Pace of Community 3. Engagement Isn’t Free 4. Finding Partner Organizations 5. Charrettes Are One Tactic (They’re Not a Strategy) 6. The Inherent Tensions 7. The Ice Cream Test
Nu’s Personal Website:
Deem Journal: @deemjournal (Instagram)
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| Playful Engagement, with Ed Rodley | 04 Feb 2025 | 00:58:41 | |
What if we combined immersion, emotion, storytelling — and games?
Talking Points: 2. The Magic Circle 3. Immersion 4. Emotion 5. Storytelling 6. Games and Play How to Listen: Listen on Apple Podcasts: Listen on Spotify: Listen at Making the Museum, the Website: Guest Bio: Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. This podcast is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners: Links for This Episode: Ed Rodley by Email: Liked the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly professional development email for exhibition practitioners, museum leaders, and visitor experience professionals. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: | |||
| Sculpting History, with Ivan Schwartz | 22 Jan 2025 | 00:57:34 | |
Can a statue change American history? How do we decide who gets a statue? What happens when you realize how many people deserve a statue but never got one? What’s the difference between a “forensic sculpture” for an interpretive exhibition, and one you’d put in a fine art show? Why are some museums just not complete without a bronze statue of the main characters? Are there “statues of limitations”?
Talking Points: 1. What is a “Forensic” Sculpture? 2. Sculptor as Visual Storyteller 3. How to Sculpt a President 4. A Phone Call from the Archives 5. Telling History Like It Is 6. Statues of LImitation
How to Listen:
https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/
Guest Bio:
Ivan by Email: ivan@studioeis.com
“Lest We Forget: Statues of Limitation” on Vimeo:
Email Jonathan Alger: C&G Partners | Design for Culture:
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| Secrets of Museum Display Case Design, with Stéphanie Bilodeau | 07 Jan 2025 | 00:55:50 | |
How do you make a museum display case disappear? This episode is a masterclass in museum display case design. To the untrained eye, museum display cases look like what you’d find in a gift shop. But under the hood, they couldn’t be more different — and they are 100% unique to the museum world. Secrets we’ll reveal: art envelopes, non-offgassing, air exchange rates, and how glass is never, ever just glass. How can a display case be sealed, yet also designed to leak? What exactly makes a museum display case conservation grade? How do those little packets of silica gel work? Stéphanie Bilodeau, (Director, Sales and Business Development, Zone Display Cases in Québec City, Canada), joins MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to reveal the “Secrets of Museum Display Case Design.” Along the way: reclaimed wood from Oregon, ordering a lot of insects, and falling in love with an industry.
1. What Makes a Display Case "Conservation-Grade"?
Listen on Apple Podcasts: Listen on Spotify: Listen at Making the Museum, the Website: Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor:
Born and raised in Québec City, Stéphanie has an extensive academic background in science, with multiple years of focused studies, including a specialization in entomology and a marketing certificate from Université Laval. She joined Zone Display Cases in 2011, drawn to the company’s collaborative and people-centered culture. Over the years, she progressed from Internal Sales and Project Management to Director of Sales and Marketing in 2018. Known for her energy and sociability, Stéphanie is highly skilled and passionate about supporting the various trades within the museum community. Her scientific expertise offers a unique perspective on artifact preservation, helping to showcase and protect cultural and historical treasures.
Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. This podcast is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners:
Zone Display Cases: Email Stéphanie Bilodeau: Stéphanie on LinkedIn:
Contact Making the Museum: Host Jonathan Alger, Managing Partner of C&G Partners, on LinkedIn: Email Jonathan Alger: C&G Partners | Design for Culture:
Liked the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a newsletter on exhibition planning and design — for museum leaders, exhibition teams, and visitor experience professionals. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe to the newsletter: | |||
| Story-Based Design, with Alan Reed | 03 Dec 2024 | 00:52:47 | |
Can a building tell a story? How do you design a glass wall to be ... mist? What if architecture, landscape, and exhibitions were all thought of as one thing? What changes when you etch barbed wire into a handrail? How can the floor plan of an entire museum relate to a nautilus shell? What does “A.D.R.O.I.T.” stand for? We’re going to find out, so notebooks at the ready.
Along the way: dendrites, neurons, Seminole history, and a famous mathematical sequence that goes 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13 … Talking Points: 1. What is Story-Based Design? 2. Do the Research 3. Define the Essence 4. One Experience: Architecture + Landscape + Exhibitions 5. Intuitive Wayfinding: A.D.R.O.I.T. 6. Materials Matter, Down to the Details
Listen on Apple Podcasts > Links to Every Podcast Service, via Transistor > Alan Reed, FAIA, LEED AP is President and Design Principal of GWWO Architects. Alan has focused his career on the planning and design of facilities that engage users, foster interaction, and enhance communities. Alan is a regular speaker on issues related to museum and interpretive facility design. He has spoken at numerous conferences, on many panels, and for many organization events including the National Association for Interpretation Conference, Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums Conference, Southeastern Museums Conference, and Building Museums Symposium. His work has been featured by Architectural Record and Metropolis, among other publications, and has received accolades at the national, regional, and local levels. Learn more about the creative work of C&G Partners >
Projects referenced: Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Welcome Center at Niagara Falls State Park Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center Cade Museum for Creativity & Invention George Washington’s Mount Vernon Ford Orientation Center and Donald W. Reynolds Museum & Education Center
Contact Making the Museum Liked the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly professional development email for exhibition practitioners, museum leaders, and visitor experience professionals. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. | |||
| Designing with Animals, with Jacqueline Bershad | 19 Nov 2024 | 00:56:24 | |
How would you design an exhibit — if an animal’s life depended on it? What is the number one reason people come to the National Aquarium? When should you take ego out of design? What is a “machine for living”? Which is right: “know-feel-do” or “feel-know-do”? (Hint: might not be the first one.) Why would an aquarium visitor want to hear from the people who take care of the animals? What happens when you float an entire Chesapeake wetland on top of the ocean, in the middle of Baltimore Harbor? How have kitchens and exhibits had a similar evolution? Jacqueline Bershad, Vice President of Planning & Design at the National Aquarium, joins MtM host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss “Designing with Animals.” Along the way: plankton, anemones, turtles, ducks, night herons, sloths, and rockwork sculpting geniuses. Talking Points: 1. Architecture with a Small “a" How to Listen: Making the Museum: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G Everywhere: https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/ Guest Bio: Jacqueline Bershad, Vice President of Planning & Design at the National Aquarium, is a licensed, LEED certified architect with 25 years of experience in the design of museums, exhibit experiences, zoos and aquaria. Her team is responsible for all capital improvement projects, experiential design, exhibit fabrication and operations. She represents the Aquarium at national conferences including AAM, MAAM, AZA and ASLA; has published on museum experience in national outlets; and was appointed by the Mayor to serve on Baltimore’s Public Art Commission. Jacqueline holds a Master’s in Architecture from North Carolina State University, Master’s of Science in Architecture from the University of North Carolina with a specialty in the design of public space, and a Bachelor’s in History from Wesleyan University. About MtM: Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. This podcast is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. Learn about the firm's creative work at: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com Links for This Episode: Jacqueline on LinkedIn Baltimore Floats an Artificial Wetland in Pursuit of a Cleaner Harbor - Bloomberg National Weather Desk Harbor Wetland National Aquarium Strategic Master Plan – Studio Gang Harbor Wetland — Ayers Saint Gross Evolutionary Thinking in Habitats® - CLR Design Links for MtM, the Podcast: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact Discover Making the Museum, the Newsletter: Liked the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly professional development email for exhibition practitioners, museum leaders, and visitor experience professionals. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with a one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, audience, budgeting, content, and project management. Subscribe here (and unsubscribe at any time): | |||
| Making a Memorial Museum, with Alice Greenwald | 29 Oct 2024 | 01:04:36 | |
How do you make an institution that's both a museum and a memorial — at the same time? How are exhibitions like theater? Is a museum a group experience, or a personal one — or is that a trick question? When is it time to trust your gut? Why is collaboration so important? When is a single milk can the most important object in a museum? How can one single, simple philosophy inform everyone’s work, from the curators to the team making mounts for the artifacts? How are the principles of making a memorial museum different from other types of museums — or are they so different after all? Alice Greenwald (Principal of Memory Matters, LLC, and past President and Chief Executive Officer of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum) joins host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss “Making a Memorial Museum.” Along the way: spackling, reverence, and what happens when a museum director leaves their office door open. Talking Points: 0. What is a Memorial Museum? How to Listen: Making the Museum: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G Everywhere: https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/ Guest Bio: Alice M. Greenwald is internationally recognized as a leader in the field of museum practice, with expertise in history, ethnic heritage, and memorial museums. Currently the principal of Memory Matters, LLC, providing strategic advice to museums, memorial projects, senior executives, and boards, she served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum from 2017-2022 and from 2006 to 2016, as the organization’s Founding Museum Director and Executive Vice President for Exhibitions, Collections and Education. Previously, she was Associate Museum Director, Museum Programs, at the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC. Alice serves on the boards of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative and the United Kingdom Holocaust Memorial Foundation and is a Trustee Emerita at Central Synagogue in New York City. She is First Vice President of The Lotos Club, and in January 2024, concluded her service as a board member of the International Council of Museums-US. She holds an M.A. in the History of Religions from the University of Chicago Divinity School, and a B.A with concentrations in English Literature and Anthropology from Sarah Lawrence College, where she delivered the commencement address to the class of 2007. About MtM: Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. This podcast is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. Learn about the firm's creative work at: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com Links for This Episode: Alice by Email: Alice at Memory Matters: National September 11th Memorial & Museum: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: Links for MtM, the Podcast: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact Discover Making the Museum, the Newsletter: Liked the show? You might enjoy the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a free weekly professional development email for exhibition practitioners, museum leaders, and visitor experience professionals. (And newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about new episodes of this podcast.) Join hundreds of your peers with an ad-free quick one-minute read, three times a week. Invest in your career with a diverse, regular feed of planning and design insights, practical tips and tested strategies — including thought-provoking approaches to technology, experience design, visitors, budgeting, content, and project management, to name just a few. Subscribe here (and unsubscribe at any time): | |||
| A New Community for the Exhibition Field, with Cybelle Jones, Steven Rosen, and George Mayer | 10 Sep 2024 | 00:40:19 | |
Is there an organization for the exhibition field? A new initiative is picking up steam.
The exhibition community in the US, some say, has recently gone from having “nearly one” professional organization — to none at all. That’s because of the unexpected 2023 dissolution of NAME, the National Association for Museum Exhibition, a group within the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). But now a new effort is rising at SEGD, an international organization headquartered in the US. It takes the form of a PPG, or professional practice group, specific to exhibition practitioners. How can everyone in the field access professional development and mentorship? What is the role of networking in a professional community? Should there be better standards for the field?
How to Listen:
Guest Bios:
Cybelle Jones is CEO of SEGD, a multidisciplinary community creating experiences that connect people to place. SEGD is a non-profit member organization focusing on education, innovation and design excellence by designing more equitable, sustainable, and user-centric environments. Prior to joining SEGD, Cybelle led numerous acclaimed design projects during her 25+ year tenure as Principal of G&A, including the National WWII Museum, the International Spy Museum, and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum. Cybelle is actively involved in various boards and has spoken on the field of experience design at AAM, the V&A, FIT, AIGA, AIA and MuseumNext.
Steven Rosen, President and Creative Director, Available Light: Merging performance lighting techniques with traditional non-theatrical environments launched Steven’s career and his founding of Available Light over 30 years ago. From Museum exhibits to immersive architecture to trade shows, the fun never stops—it helps that he works with some of the planet’s most talented lighting aficionados. The originality and grand scale of Steven’s award-winning designs are evident in many one-of-a-kind award-winning projects as: The Neural Climber interactive at the Franklin Institute, Ocean Hall for the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, the International Spy Museum in DC, and Chicago MSI’s U-505. He is passionate about supporting the lighting community.
George Mayer first joined Maltbie Associates in 1986 and was responsible for identifying new business opportunities, proposal writing, presentations, contract negotiation, and oversight of project management teams to ensure satisfactory fulfillment for permanent and traveling exhibits. From 2002 to 2009, George worked as the founding director of a new museum fabrication business for Art Guild, Inc., a nationally active trade show exhibits producer. In 2010, George rejoined Maltbie (now Kubik Maltbie, Inc.) as Vice President of Business Development. He retired from the firm in June of 2022.
Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. This podcast is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. Learn about the firm's creative work at: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com SEGD:
SEGD Membership:
SEGD Professional Practice Groups: https://segd.org/resources/introducing-segd-professional-practice-groups/
SEGD PPG Unveiling at 2024 AAM:
Cybelle:
Steven:
George:
Discover Making the Museum, the Newsletter: | |||
| The Client Side of Major Projects, with Amy Weisser | 27 Aug 2024 | 01:06:21 | |
“The client’s role is not to solve the problem — it’s to state the problem.” What’s the client’s perspective in major cultural projects? What are “client user groups?” What’s the difference between advocating for the client, and advocating for the project? How do you “inhabit your project?” How might a single gender-inclusive restroom project change an entire institution? Should every project have a “super contingency” in the budget? Amy Weisser (Deputy Director for Strategic Planning and Projects at Storm King Art Center) joins host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss “The Client Side of Major Projects.” Along the way: P.P.E., trusting the hiring decisions, and a 2,000-year-old Roman theory that still works today. Talking Points: 1. The Three-Legged Stool: Vision, Schedule, Budget
2. Client Advocate, Project Advocate, User Advocate
3. Museum Building Projects are Linear, Not Cyclical
4. All Projects are Transformational
5. Project Phases: Watercolors to Hard Hats
6. Disasters DO Happen
7. Build Your Values
Amy Weisser is Deputy Director, Strategic Planning and Projects at Storm King Art Center, where she incubates projects focused on strategic growth. Weisser has spent 30 years supporting cultural institutions undergoing profound development. Prior to Storm King, Weisser led exhibition development for the National September 11 Memorial Museum from 2005 to 2017 and helped open the contemporary art museum Dia:Beacon and the American Museum of Natural History’s Rose Center for Earth and Space. She has taught Museum Studies at New York University. Weisser holds a doctorate in Art History from Yale University. She is a co-author of Martin Puryear: Lookout (GRM/SKAC, 2024). About MtM: Amy’s Email:
Amy’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amysweisser/
Storm King: Storm King’s Capital Project:
Subscribe here: https://www.makingthemuseum.com | |||
| Scrappy PR for Museums, with Sarah Maiellano | 06 Aug 2024 | 01:04:59 | |
Can you get big press with a small budget? (Hint: Yes.)
For museums, small firms, and independent consultants, this episode is packed with literally dozens of ideas from a master of scrappy PR.
What is the #1 tip about PR, if you forgot all the others? How do you get a journalist’s attention? How do you get in the news without something new? Who should be your spokesperson? Is press actually about the topic — or is it about just being in the news? Once you get an article, what do you do with it? Do people still write press releases? How important is PR, anyway? (Hint: Very.)
1. Eight Story Ideas: Beyond the Exhibition a. New = News b. Humans are Interested in Other Humans c. Party Time d. Shopping! e. Localize It, Personalize It f. Education g. Newsjacking h. Money Money 2. Doing the Prep Work: Photos, Video, Writing, Talking Points, Spokesperson 3. Building a Media List 4. Maximizing Media Coverage
Equal parts creative and entrepreneurial, Broad Street Communications founder Sarah Maiellano’s superpower is discovering and telling stories. Sarah is an award-winning Philadelphia-based Public Relations professional and independent journalist. She serves Philadelphia area arts and culture institutions, with a focus on museums, and regional non-profits. Over the last 15 years, she has generated more than 3,000 stories about her clients. She’s a past board member of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association and is a frequent speaker at events and conferences, including the American Alliance of Museums 2024 annual meeting. As a freelance journalist, Sarah covers travel and food for regional and national outlets, including USA Today and Philadelphia Magazine. About MtM: Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. This podcast is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. Learn about the firm's creative work at: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com www.broadstreetcomms.com https://www.instagram.com/sarahmaiellano/
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| Six Keys for Unlocking Your Most Playful, Creative Work, with Jonathan Goldstein and Kyle Talbott | 23 Jul 2024 | 00:49:59 | |
Have we lost a sense of playfulness in our work … and could we get it back? In museums for children, why does “analog usually beat digital?” What’s a “climbing structure”? What are design metaphors, and why should planners beware of them? How can exhibition teams better empathize with one another’s fears and concerns? Why should a museum professional or designer “hyper-specialize”? Jonathan Goldstein and Kyle Talbott (Principals, Skyhouse Studio) join host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss “Six Keys for Unlocking Your Most Playful, Creative Work.” Along the way: ancient trees, vacuum tubes, and Easter eggs. Talking Points: 1. Finish Every Sketch How to Listen: Apple Podcasts Spotify Everywhere Guest Bios: As a child, Jonathan Goldstein accidentally built a 2-story treehouse surrounded by a thicket of poison ivy. Never deterred by a project’s audaciousness (or the limitations of his botanical knowledge), Jonathan designs climbing structures to conjure adventure and perceived risk—the stuff of childhood memories. Prior to his architectural studies, Jonathan’s earlier career as a junior high school history teacher prepared him for what would be his quest: To awaken people’s senses and engage their innate curiosities. His specialization in climbing structure design is born from a desire to make special places for families to share uncommon, joyous experiences. Jonathan is the founder and design principal of SKYHOUSE Studio. Kyle Talbott is Design Principal at SKYHOUSE Studio. He is obsessed with designing complex three-dimensional labyrinths that challenge the mind and body. He uses cutting-edge parametric modeling software to sculpt weird, organic structures inspired by everything from a craggy mountainside to an osprey nest. Kyle sees the world as a complex, orderly whole, and his climber designs embody the harmony of natural and technological things. He is also a passionate educator who is an Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. In all his work, Kyle helps people cultivate a growth mindset and a heroic spirit through inquisitive play. About MtM: Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. This podcast is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. Learn about the firm's creative work at: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com Show Links: Skyhouse Jonathan Goldstein Kyle Talbott MtM Show Contact: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact Newsletter: Liked the show? Try the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a one-minute email, three times a week, on exhibition planning and design for museum leaders, exhibition teams and visitor experience professionals. (And the best way to find out first about new episodes of the podcast.) Subscribe here: https://www.makingthemuseum.com | |||
| The Money Pie Chart, with Amy Kaufman | 25 Jun 2024 | 00:51:52 | |
How do new museums make money — really? In this episode, we lift the veil on new museum projects and money. What is “the peril of the bicycle wheel”? Is it bad to rely on “anchor funding”? How many kinds of revenue should a new museum project have? What happens if you have the wrong number? (Hint: eh, not so good.) How much money do endowments make? And what’s so magical about thirds? Amy Kaufman (Principal, Amy Kaufman Cultural Planning) joins host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss “The Money Pie Chart”. Along the way: Latin American Art curator jokes, coat-checking 200 motorcycle helmets at once, and a pharmaceutical metaphor Jonathan will never live down. Talking Points: 1. Museums have to make money How to Listen: Apple Podcasts Amy Kaufman (Principal, Amy Kaufman Cultural Planning) is an institutional planner with demonstrated success in strategy, business and facilities planning, branding, and operational implementation. She has successfully worked with organizations of all types and sizes, including museums, universities, parks, botanic gardens, visitor centers and heritage sites. She collaborates with government agencies, architects, developers, foundations, and institutional leaders to integrate a variety of goals and perspectives. She plans new institutions; and assesses performance and conducts qualitative and quantitative market research for existing organizations, integrating findings into strategic, operational and visitor experience plans. Previously, Amy was Managing Director at Lord Cultural Resources and Special Project Director at the Guggenheim. About MtM: https://www.akculturalplanning.com
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| Circus Lessons for Museum Professionals, with Jennifer Lemmer Posey | 11 Jun 2024 | 00:50:12 | |
What’s the role of wonder in experience design?
What can the circus teach us to make our exhibitions better? (Spoiler alert: a lot.) Could being “with it and for it” be the secret to success for museum projects? How much technology is too much? Can we really design for all five senses? Can an exhibition be a high-wire act — literally?
Jennifer Lemmer Posey (Tibbals Curator of Circus at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art) joins host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to teach some inspirational “Circus Lessons for Museum Professionals”. Talking Points: 1. Build a team that is “with it and for it” 2. Engage all of the senses 3. Technology shouldn’t steal the center ring 4. Wonder is in the details 5. Create opportunities for shared experiences 6. Design a space that can be ever-changing, never-changing How to Listen: Apple Podcasts Spotify Everywhere Guest Bio: As the Tibbals Curator of Circus at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Jennifer Lemmer Posey oversees the interpretation and care of objects and ephemera related to the history of circus. With more than twenty years of experience, Jennifer serves as a liaison to the international circus community and facilitates academic study of circus arts. A leading scholar in American circus history, her work has been included in numerous books, catalogs, and journals. Jennifer served as editor for Bandwagon: The Journal of the Circus Historical Society and was an Advisory Scholar in Circus Arts for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 2017. About MtM: Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. This podcast is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. Learn about the firm's creative work at: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com Show Links: About Jennifer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferlemmerposey/ About the Ringling: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theringling From Point 1 - Building a team that is “with it and for it”: Behind the scenes of the Howard Bros. Circus model - museum staff program Wagon Wheel installation From Point 2 - Engage all of the senses: The Ringling Wonder Symposium From Point 3 - Technology shouldn’t steal the center ring: The Greatest Show On Earth Gallery at The Ringling Manage This Podcast – My Project is a Three Ring Circus From Point 4 - Wonder is in the details: Howard Tibbals & the Howard Bros. Circus Model Smithsonian Folklife Festival – Wonder Is by Albert Tong and Hae-Yang Chang Circus Museum Collection Highlights From Point 5 - Create opportunities for shared experiences: The Ringling’s Collecting Recollections series features fascinating people with fascinating stories to tell about their lives, the Museum, the Circus, Sarasota – and more. I recommend Dolly Jacobs, Kenneth Feld, Jackie LeClaire, Peggy Williams From Point 6 - Design a space that can be ever-changing, never-changing: The Circus Museum at The Ringling To learn more about circuses: Federation Mondiale du Cirque http://www.circusfederation.org Circus Historical Society Circus Sarasota Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey MtM Show Contact: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact Newsletter: Liked the show? Try the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a one-minute email on exhibition planning and design for museum leaders, exhibition teams and visitor experience professionals. Subscribe here: https://www.makingthemuseum.com | |||
| Beyond “Exit Through the Gift Shop”, with David Franke | 04 Jun 2024 | 00:57:18 | |
Do museum stores actually make any money? What are they really for? Can a store act like an exhibition? What does “cap rate” mean? How big should a museum store be? What percentage of visitors go into one, and how many of them buy something? Why should you get an expert to design your store, and what happens when you don’t? David Franke (museum store architect) joins host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discover what’s “Beyond ‘Exit Through the Gift Shop’”. Along the way: rubber snakes, oysters, onions, and Mona Lisa ashtrays. Talking Points: 1. An oyster living in a birds nest. How to Listen: Apple Podcasts Spotify Everywhere Guest Bio: With over four decades of experience as an architect, David Franke’s focus is now exclusively on store design and planning for museum and cultural institutions around the world. Museum stores include two at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History and the Museum of the American Cowgirl, the US Botanic Garden in DC, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West in Arizona; the Grounds for Sculpture in New Jersey, three retail projects for the State Preservation Board in Austin, and the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park Illinois. David has also served on councils and boards for the Mercer Museum and Fonthill Castle, Historical Society of Pennsylvania’s Building and Facilities Committee and the Pennsylvania Ballet. He is a participant in the International Museum Construction Congress, the California Association of Museums, Texas Association of Museums, American Association of Museums and Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums, where has co-presented sessions on the design of museum retail. About MtM: Show Links: David's website: https://www.davidfrankeconsulting.com David by Email: DavidFrankeRA@Gmail.com David by Phone: +1 (215) 498-4384 David on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-franke-ra-21a4539/ MtM Show Contact: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact Newsletter: Liked the show? Try the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a one-minute email on exhibition planning and design for museum leaders, exhibition teams and visitor experience professionals. Subscribe here: https://www.makingthemuseum.com | |||
| An Economic Planner's Advice to Museums, with James Stevens | 07 May 2024 | 00:49:00 | |
Why is economic planning so vital to any new museum project? What happens if you don’t do it? What is “dark tourism”? Why do economists think about audiences? Can a museum have “ROI”? Which is more important, a profitable museum event, or one that advances a museum’s mission? What can economics teach us about how to make our projects better? James Stevens, AICP (Vice President, ConsultEcon, Inc.) joins host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss “An Economic Planner’s Advice to Museums”. Along the way: double-edged swords, vocal impersonations, and the Museum of Forks. Talking Points: 1. Know your audiences (plural). How to Listen: Apple Podcasts About MtM: Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. This podcast is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. Learn about the firm's creative work at: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com James on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/philly-james-stevens/
https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781538112984/Sustainable-Revenue-for-Museums-A-Guide Like the show? Try the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a one-minute email on exhibition planning and design for museum leaders, exhibition teams and visitor experience professionals. Subscribe here: https://www.makingthemuseum.com | |||
| A Guitar That Teaches Civil Rights, with Michele Y. Smith | 30 Apr 2024 | 00:44:04 | |
What is the “humanities gap” — and why is it a huge opportunity for museums? Why can’t everybody be a philanthropist for the day? What does “cultural literacy” mean, and how can it unlock new approaches to the collections we put on display? Why could a shortfall in humanities funding suggest new ways for museums to be relevant? Why shouldn’t a museum buy products and services from its own community? Michele Y. Smith (CEO, Museum of Popular Culture) joins host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to talk about “A Guitar That Teaches Civil Rights”. Along the way: preserving 80,000 artifacts, how revenue drives mission, and why George Clooney’s Batman costume is missing its cape. Talking Points: 1. MoPOP: a museum designed like a guitar melting. How to Listen: Apple Podcasts Spotify Everywhere Guest Bio: Michele Y. Smith is the CEO of the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP), known for her mission-focused leadership in the nonprofit sector, emphasizing business development, operations, and finance. Her approach prioritizes diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and mentoring, advocating for philanthropy's democratization through pop culture. Previously, as Chief Business & Financial Officer at Woodland Park Zoo, Smith led the institution through the COVID-19 pandemic, achieving significant growth in revenue, events, and guest services with her dynamic strategy. About MtM: Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. This podcast is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. Learn about the firm's creative work at: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com Show Links: Michele Y. Smith on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micheleysmith/ MtM Show Contact: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact MtM, the Newsletter: Like the episode? Try the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a one-minute email on exhibition planning and design for museum leaders, exhibition teams and visitor experience professionals. Subscribe here: https://www.makingthemuseum.com | |||
| The Questions You Have to Ask Before the Project, with Carolynne Harris (Remastered April 2024) | 23 Apr 2024 | 00:34:54 | |
We might think a design concept is the first step — but it’s not. What do you need to ask yourself, before you even start? Carolynne Harris (Museum Planner, Carolynne Harris Consulting) joins host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss “The Questions You Have to Ask Before the Project”. 2. Have you got your stakeholders aligned? 3. Do you know what your community wants? 4. Who are your financial supporters — both immediate and ongoing? 5. How many staff can you support, and how will they get paid? 6. Should there even be a museum?
(Carolynne is also a member of Praxis Museum Projects Group, a "network of professionals, each of whom brings an expertise to the process of creating exhibitions and cultural experiences in collaboration with exhibit designers, architects, and museums". Members of the Praxis group are a special focus of the first episodes of this podcast.)
https://www.praxisexhibits.com/ | |||
| Rethinking Climate Control in Museums, with Roger Chang | 16 Apr 2024 | 00:50:09 | |
Why is “70/50” the gold standard? Should it be? Who decided? | |||
| Embracing Chaos, with Jon Maass | 09 Apr 2024 | 00:59:26 | |
What if chaos in cultural projects is something to embrace, not fear?
Can chaos theory give us new insights about how to manage complex work? Are we advocates for the owner of a project, or for the project itself? What are the three things upon which the success or failure of a project depends? Sometimes, is it better to let a few things change, rather than fight those changes for even longer? Museum staff are rarely experts in managing building projects or large exhibition productions. Why would we expect them to be? And how can we help?
Jon Maass (Director, MAASS) joins host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss "Embracing Chaos".
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311
About MtM: MAASS by phone: +1-917-578-0190 Jon Maass by email: jm@maass.works
MtM Show Contact: | |||
| The New Louis Armstrong Center, with Regina Bain and Sara Caples | 02 Apr 2024 | 00:46:21 | |
What’s the secret to success, when a project lasts years longer than planned?
What keeps us going when our work takes more time? How does the subject matter of a project relate to the form of a project? Why should we be thinking equally about the budget for what happens after a project opens? What is the “architecture of delight”? Why do “reverberations matter”? Which is more important: patience, or pushing? (Hint: it’s a trick question.) And most importantly, why should everybody visit the house of Louis and Lucille Armstrong in Queens, New York?
Regina Bain (Executive Director, Louis Armstrong House Museum & Archives) and Sara Caples, (Principal and co-founder of Caples Jefferson Architects) join host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss the new Louis Armstrong Center project that all three worked on.
1. Louis and Lucille’s House 2. We’ll Open in Three Months 3. A Golden Curve 4. Serious Acting 5. The Reverberations Matter 6. Patience and Pushing 7. Letter to Your Earlier Self 8. Budget Beyond Opening How to Listen: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311 Regina Bain is an artist and educator serving as the Executive Director of the Louis Armstrong House Museum. In the midst of the reverberations of slavery, Jim Crow laws and the great migration, Armstrong became America’s first Black popular music icon. The Museum preserves his home and archives and develops programs grounded in the values of artistic excellence, education and community. This year, Ms. Bain recently opened the new 14,000 sq. foot Armstrong Center housing a multimedia exhibit curated by Jason Moran, a 75-seat performance space, and the 60,000-piece Armstrong Archives — the largest archives of any jazz musician and one of the largest of any Black musician. Previous to her appointment at LAHM, Ms. Bain served as Associate Vice President of the Posse Foundation — a national leadership and college access program. Bain’s efforts helped to increase Posse’s national student graduation rates for four consecutive years. Bain is currently the co-chair of Culture @3’s anti-racism subcommittee and recently served on the Yale Board of Governors.
Sara Caples AIA is Principal and co-founder of Caples Jefferson Architects PC. Sara's early experience was focused on the design and direction of large projects, especially in the public realm. Since founding the firm in 1987 with Everardo Jefferson, she has remained committed to designing cultural, educational, and community centers for neighborhoods underserved by the design professions. Sara is a frequent lecturer at schools, community, and professional organizations. She has served as a visiting professor at Syracuse, CCNY, University of Miami, and Yale. Sara and her partner Everardo are currently William B. and Charlotte Shepherd Davenport Professors at Yale School of Architecture, and Everardo and Sara worked together on the design of the Louis Armstrong project. CJA has been honored with AIANY’s President’s Award and awarded the AIA’s New York State Firm of the Year. With work widely published from Architect Magazine and Domus to The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Their most recent book is Many Voices: Architecture for Social Equity.
About MtM:
Louis Armstrong (Artist) on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/19eLuQmk9aCobbVDHc6eek?si=lYvi-xRYRXyPTNj7TpzuqA
Regina on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reginabain/
Sara on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saracaples/
Caples Jefferson Architects: https://www.capjeff.com
C&G Partners (Jonathan’s Firm, Exhibition Designers): https://www.cgpartnersllc.com
Art Guild (Exhibition Fabricators): https://www.artguildinc.com/
MtM Show Contact: | |||
| Flourishing in Museums (New Book), with Dr. Kiersten F. Latham and Professor Brenda Cowan | 27 Feb 2024 | 00:55:26 | |
What is a “growth mindset” — and why is it more important than ever for our industry? What happens when we combine museology with the fast-growing field of positive psychology? How do exhibition teams get through projects with tough subject matter? Why should we always “put our own oxygen mask on first”? What’s the opposite of love (hint: not hate)? What’s contemplative science? How can we learn from the latest news about the Rubin Museum? Do we sometimes all take ourselves … too seriously? Dr. Kiersten F. Latham (President & CEO, Sauder Village) and Professor Brenda Cowan (Graduate Exhibition & Experience Design, SUNY Fashion Institute of Technology), join host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss the new book they’ve edited: “Flourishing in Museums”. Along the way: yogic theory, growing towards the sun, and even a few museum dad jokes. Talking Points: 1. Flourishing starts with intention, and means living and working with an abundance perspective. 2. Healthy museums have a growth mindset internally and externally: with staff, visitors, communities, and the profession. 3. Museum people must do self-care, and also offer care and support to staff, colleagues, communities, and the system itself. 4. To flourish we must go bold with change: address what’s uncomfortable, deconstruct dysfunctional systems, and even redefine what a museum is. 5. Flourishing takes many forms for the book’s authors, who address war, sexual abuse, discrimination, and regret — as well as fun, playfulness and magic. 6. Positive museology is a fluid and developing project that aims to change how museums function and the way they are seen in society. How to Listen: Apple Podcasts Spotify Everywhere Guest Bios: Dr. Kiersten F. Latham is President & CEO of Sauder Village, a living history museum complex in Ohio, USA. She has worked in museums for over 35 years. Prior to the Village, her professional journey spanned many kinds of museums and positions within them. She has led museum studies programs at Michigan State University and Kent State University, founded the experimental MuseLab, and has taught all aspects of museum studies. Dr. Latham has conducted research on the meaning of museum objects, conceptual foundations of museums as document systems, numinous experiences in museums, user perceptions of ‘the real thing,’ and positive museology. Brenda Cowan is a Professor of Graduate Exhibition & Experience Design at SUNY/Fashion Institute of Technology in New York where she teaches exhibition development and evaluation; object and museum studies; research and audience studies. Her background includes work for museums and design firms in the roles of interpreter, exhibition developer, education director, evaluator, and project manager. She is the co-editor of the recently published Flourishing in Museums: Towards a Positive Museology, as well as Museum Objects, Health and Healing both published by Routledge Taylor & Francis. Brenda is a Fulbright Scholar in the disciplines of museums, objects and mental health. Relatedly, her theory of Psychotherapeutic Object Dynamics (www.psychoherapeuticobjectdynamics.com) has been presented at conferences and institutes internationally and published with the National Association for Museum Exhibition and the Society for Experiential Graphic Design. She is currently co-host of a podcast titled Matters of Experience. About MtM: Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. This podcast is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. Learn about the firm's creative work at: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com Show Links: Book Publisher: https://routledge.pub/Flourishing-in-Museums MtM Show Contact: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact Newsletter: Like the episode? Try the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a one-minute email on exhibition planning and design for museum leaders, exhibition teams and visitor experience professionals. Subscribe here: https://www.makingthemuseum.com | |||
| The Real Bilbao Effect, with Andy Klemmer | 20 Feb 2024 | 00:58:41 | |
Can an eye-catching museum revitalize a city? The answer might surprise you.
Getting the right designer is vital. If you don’t like a painting you can put it away, but if you don’t like a building, you can’t take it down. Why is it important to have the goals of a complex museum project fit in a mantra of a few words? What comes first in museum architecture, practicality or creative genius? Should you choose your designers by design competition? If not, what’s the alternative? What are the three things a designer needs to do, to win a major project?
Andy Klemmer (Founder, Paratus Group) joins host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to reveal “The Real Bilbao Effect”.
Along the way: why every architect has a bad building, how $300 per square foot can beat $3,000 per square foot, and why you should always take people to ball games.
Talking Points:
1. Words matter 2. Helping an owner be a conductor 3. Every architect has one bad building 4. Good Bilbao Effect vs. Bad Bilbao Effect 5. Architecture is practicality first, fun second 6. Why you shouldn’t hold a design competition 7. Nature, community, service, faith (& other mantras)
How to Listen: Apple Podcasts Spotify Everywhere Guest Bio: Andrew Klemmer established Paratus Group in 1997 to offer specialized consulting for cultural projects involving complex programs, exceptional design, intricate construction, and highly creative global teams. With over thirty years of experience, Andrew assumes a pivotal leadership role in every Paratus project. The genesis of Paratus stems from Andrew's oversight of the expansion of the landmarked Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in 1991 and subsequent involvement in directing the planning and programming of Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain. Paratus uniquely leads in programming, planning, budgeting, design, and construction oversight for cultural institutions, adhering to core principles from project inception to completion. Noteworthy projects include collaborations with renowned architects like Renzo Piano, SANAA, Jean Paul Viguier, and Herzog de Meuron. Andrew is active in the architecture community, contributing as a guest critic, speaker, and advisory panelist. He holds bachelor’s degrees in economics and environmental studies from Bowdoin College. About MtM: Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. This podcast is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. Learn about the firm's creative work at: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com Show Link:
Paratus Group: https://www.paratusgroup.com/
MtM Show Contact:
https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger
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| Raising the Voices of People of Color in Museums and Exhibitions, with Sierra Van Ryck deGroot and Jinelle Thompson | 13 Feb 2024 | 01:08:31 | |
How can we raise the voices of people of color in museums and exhibitions — and what stands in the way? What is Museum Hue? What constitutes a sustainable museum job, a sustainable career? What percentage of staff at museums are folks of color, and what roles do they have? What do we see happening in the exhibitions that museums create? Many cultural organizations began their DEI initiatives after the tragic events of 2020; how are those programs doing now? Could exhibitions be one of the best places to make visible change happen? Sierra Van Ryck DeGroot (Deputy Director, Museum Hue) and Jinelle Thompson (Research and Partnerships Manager, Museum Hue) join host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss “Raising the Voices of People of Color in Museums and Exhibitions”. Along the way: the power of networking, Front of House vs. Back of House, and the Museum salary transparency spreadsheet. Talking Points: 1. What Museum Hue does, and how it all started. 2. The challenge of raising the voices of people of color in the museum and exhibitions field. 3. The real numbers: percentages of museum staff who are people of color. 4. How we can bring students into sustainable careers in the arts (and what “sustainable” means here). 5. Ways to help raise the voices of people of color: Exposure, Mentorship, Support, and Networking. 6. How listeners can get involved: Museum Hue is looking for Speakers, Collaborators, Sponsors, and Partners. How to Listen: Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311 Spotify Everywhere Guest Bios: Sierra Van Ryck deGroot is the Deputy Director of Museum Hue. A proud alumna of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Program at Seton Hall University and Bank Street College of Education. Sierra has her BA in Art, Design and Interactive Media; Fine Arts; and Art History and M.S.Ed in Museum Education. A child of Guyanese immigrants. She is proudly born and raised in Central Jersey (NJ) which does exist and it is pork roll, not Taylor Ham. She is also half of the former Sierras co-presidential leadership team of the National Emerging Museum Professionals Network, a current board member for the New Jersey Association of Museums and participating in many side quests related to advocating for change in the GLAM sector, especially in museums, around salary transparency, actionable equity, in higher in practices, the abolition of unpaid internships, and the practice of rest for all museum workers. Jinelle Thompson is the Research & Partnerships Manager at Museum Hue. She is an arts administrator and cultural strategist working with cultural institutions to establish equitable partnerships and programming with communities across NYC. Through qualitative research, collaborative visioning, and anti-oppressive facilitation, Jinelle develops engagement strategies for the inclusion and empowerment of communities of color. She has organized workshop and public programs with artists, organizers, and activists concerning civic engagement, immigration, voting rights, and mass incarceration. In addition to her work with museums and arts organizations, Jinelle has worked with libraries, social impact organizations, and elected officials in state and municipal government providing operations and administrative support through project and client management, strategic communications, and event administration. Jinelle holds a Bachelor’s with honors in Sociology & Political Science with a concentration in Public Law and a Masters in Museum Studies. About MtM: Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. This podcast is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. Learn about the firm's creative work at: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com Show Links: Museum Hue: https://www.museumhue.org/ Sierra’s Email: sierra@museumhue.com Jinelle’s Email: jinelle@museumhue.com MtM Show Contact: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact Newsletter: Like the episode? Try the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a one-minute email on exhibition planning and design for museum leaders, exhibition teams and visitor experience professionals. Subscribe here: https://www.makingthemuseum.com | |||
| The Near Future of Experience Design, with Neil Redding | 06 Feb 2024 | 01:00:39 | |
What do technologies like the Apple Vision Pro mean for exhibitions and experiences?
For people who create cultural destinations, the pace of technology has now become so fast it’s hard to keep up. AR, VR, AI. What’s happening in the “near future” of the technologies that will define our field for years to come? What is spatial computing? Are projection mapping and Pepper’s Ghosts early forms of augmented reality? Is the extreme personalization of all digital content causing problems we don’t even understand yet? Are museums a potential antidote?
Neil Redding (Near Futurist and SXSW Speaker) joins host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss “The Near Future of Experience Design”.
Along the way: self-driving cars, the third era of computing, and getting fidgety about phygital.
Talking Points:
1. What is “Near Futurism”? 2. Applying Near Futurism to Experience Design 3. Are Physical and Digital Converging? 4. What is “Spatial Computing”? 6. The Near Future of Virtual Reality (VR)
Guest Bio: Neil Redding is a keynote speaker, author, Innovation Architect and Near Futurist. Neil has worked at the convergence of digital and physical for decades, and is an expert in spatial computing, virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR), AI and convergent brand ecosystems.
As a Near Futurist, Neil focuses on connecting what's possible with what's practical. Neil currently leads Redding Futures, a boutique consultancy that enables brands and businesses to powerfully engage the Near Future. Prior to founding Redding Futures, Neil held leadership roles at Mediacom, Proximity/BBDO, Gensler, ThoughtWorks and Lab49. He has delivered for clients including Visa, Nike, Cadillac, Macy’s, NBA, Verizon, TED, The Economist, MoMA, Converse, Morgan Stanley, Apple, Oracle, Financial Times, and Fidelity Investments.
He has spoken at numerous conferences including SXSW, AWE, Immerse Global Summit, infoComm, Tech2025, CreateTech, SEGD XLab, A.R.E. Shoptalk, Creative Technology Week, Design+AI and VRevolution. Neil is also editor of Near Future of Retail, author of the forthcoming book The Ecosystem Paradigm, and advises multiple startups at the leading edge of the digital-physical convergence.
Neil’s Email: connect@neilredding.com Neil at LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reddingneil/ Neil’s Website: https://www.neilredding.com
Newsletter: Like the episode? Try the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a one-minute email on exhibition planning and design for museum leaders, exhibition teams and visitor experience professionals. Subscribe here: | |||
| Assembling a Collaborative Project Team, with Beth Van Why | 30 Jan 2024 | 01:06:11 | |
Great projects happen because of great teams. But how do you build that team in the first place?
Beth Van Why (Senior Project Manager, Becker & Frondorf) returns to the show, joining host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss “Assembling a Collaborative Project Team”. Along the way: what “AV integrator” means, choosing your own adventure, and how to build a museum on top of Pike’s Peak.
Talking Points:
1. What is a project team? 2. Every project has unique restrictions and opportunities. 3. What museums can do internally vs. when they need help. 4. Timeline for adding staff, partners, and consultants. 5. Owners reps, museum planners, architects, exhibition designers — who else? 6. The role of RFQs and RFPs in team building.
Guest Bio: Beth Van Why has spent most of her career managing construction and development projects for non-profit and cultural institutions. She offers an extensive background in architecture, exhibit design, collections care, construction, and owner-run program management. Beth is very familiar with the various funding sources available to non-profits and the parameters that come with them. From master planning to design and budget consultation, Beth brings a comprehensive view of the role needed in making a building project successful. A strong advocate for the importance of education, Beth also serves as an associate professor in museum design at University of the Arts.
bvanwhy@beckerfrondorf.com
Newsletter: | |||
| 5 Secrets of Digital Experience Design, with Patrick Snee | 23 Jan 2024 | 00:57:40 | |
How can we make digital experiences work for all visitors — whether kids or grandparents?
Hint: it has to do with recognizing “diverse digital literacies.” When should you bring in a creative technologist? Why should you aim for the strong verbs? What is “sneaky attract mode”? How do you do paper prototyping? Are a lot of digital experiences in museums essentially “sexy browsing”? Are touch tables a trend that will never die? Patrick Snee (Creative Technologist) joins Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to reveal “5 Secrets of Digital Experience Design”.
Along the way: tessellation, thinking in three dimensions, and a return to agar art! Talking Points:
1. Think in 3 Dimensions
2. Assume Diverse Digital Literacies
3. Identify the (Strong) Verb
4. Distill the Personality
5. Prototype Early and Often
Guest Bio: For more than two decades, Patrick Snee has designed and engineered immersive, interactive exhibitions for leading museums and brand environments. As a creative technologist, he uses a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to craft effective, engaging digital experiences. A former agency founder and principal, Patrick now consults on complex media projects in roles ranging from concept strategy to interaction design to application development. His recent projects include immersive experiences for Kennedy Space Center and Nokia Bell Labs, interactive exhibits for Liberty Science Center, The Henry Ford, and the National Archives, and digital strategy for the New Britain Museum of American Art.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-snee/ https://www.instagram.com/mnemonic.studio/
About Micro-interactions: https://uxdesign.cc/micro-interactions-why-when-and-how-to-use-them-to-boost-the-ux-17094b3baaa0
Prototyping Digital Exhibits: http://www.mnemonic.studio/memo/prototyping-digital-exhibits-part-1/
The Magic of Paper Prototyping: https://uxplanet.org/the-magic-of-paper-prototyping-51693eac6bc3
Prime Access Consulting:
Shivers Down Your Spine: https://cup.columbia.edu/book/shivers-down-your-spine/9780231129893
Newsletter: About MtM:
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| Start With "Who's It For?", with Liza Rawson | 09 Jan 2024 | 01:13:26 | |
What’s the very first question we should ask — before we start our projects?
Should we start designing … by designing? How do we make sure we understand our audience, before we start making experiences for them? Why is prototyping so important? How many of our ideas should we expect to survive the creative process? And what does microbiology art have to do with your sense of balance? (Hint: they’re both topics at a certain well-known venue.)
Liza Rawson (Head of Exhibitions, Liberty Science Center) joins Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss why we should “Start With ‘Who’s It For?’”
Along the way: Rubik’s Cubes, how to start a museum career at age 14, and Beverly Serrell’s “big idea”.
Talking Points:
Don’t start designing by designing. Ask questions instead.
Guest Bio: Liza Reich Rawson is Head of Exhibitions for Liberty Science Center, a 300,000-square-foot learning center in Jersey City, NJ. She provides leadership and creative vision for exhibition development and design and special projects; manages the traveling exhibition program and oversees the exhibition maintenance and animal husbandry teams. Previously she led award-winning exhibition projects for Brooklyn Children’s Museum and the Brooklyn Historical Society and was adjunct faculty for Johns Hopkins University and Bank Street College museum studies graduate programs. From 2010 to 2020 Liza was the managing editor of the National Association for Museum Exhibition’s premier professional journal Exhibition. Her publications include: “It’s About Them: Using Developmental Frameworks to Create Exhibitions for Children (and Their Grown-Ups)” in Connecting Kids to History with Museum Exhibitions (2009). She holds a BA in Historic Preservation from Goucher College, and an MA in History Museum Studies from the Cooperstown Graduate Program. Show Links:
Projects of Note:
Newsletter: Like the episode? Try the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a one-minute email on exhibition planning and design for museum leaders, exhibition teams and visitor experience professionals. Subscribe here: | |||
| Museum Research: Big Data Meets Thick Data, with Elena Kazlas and Adaheid Mestad | 12 Dec 2023 | 01:04:39 | |
Cultural projects should be data-driven — but which *kind* of data?
Elena Kazlas (Founder, Elevativ) and Adaheid Mestad (Design Anthropologist, HGA) join Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss “Museum Research: Big Data Meets Thick Data”. Along the way: drawing polygons, the odd truth of Connecticut art museums, and the “streakers, strollers, scholars” model.
Talking Points:
1. Big Data = Quantitative. Thick Data = Qualitative. 2. Big Data on museum visitors includes demographics, origin/where they are coming from, how long they spend on site, leisure patterns and spending patterns in near real-time. 3. Big Data analytics inform business and marketing strategies to support the mission. 4. But Big Data (numbers) alone can’t capture the emotions of visitors’ daily lives. 5. Thick Data reveals the social, emotional, and cultural context of individuals and their social identity in the place they are in 6. Thick Data is real-time, whole-person context, and can be scaled. 7. Thick Data anchors strategic, programming, and operational decisions on insights derived directly from the perspectives of visitors, members, and community. 8. When Big Data meets Thick Data, we support strategic, efficient, and impactful mission decisions. Guest Bios: Elena Kazlas is the Founder & Creator of Elevativ, LLC. Elena has over 25 years’ of international experience in the successful development of non-profit and for-profit projects.She has extensive experience in working with clients as part of iterative planning processes to yield optimal development strategies for socially impactful projects, such as museums, with a special expertise in understanding their market and economic potential. Elena leads Elevativ with a left-brain/right-brain approach to project planning, balancing both quantitative and qualitative elements as they relate to a project’s potential success. Elena is a thought leader and expert in future planning for cultural projects. Adaheid Mestad, M.A., is a Design Anthropologist currently working at HGA. Ada has over 15 years of experience utilizing social science approaches to translate human experience and sociocultural practices within the built environment. Ada’s philosophy is to engage and design with people, as the experts, to understand social constructs, values, and perspectives throughout a transparent and iterative process. Her ethnographic research informs and evaluates design that strengthens identity, representation, relationships, and sociocultural systems. Ada has worked with innovators, nationally and internationally, to transform experiences and social impact within Healthcare, Workplace strategy, Higher Education, Urban Planning, Government, and Cultural Institutions. About MtM: Making the Museum is hosted (podcast) and written (newsletter) by Jonathan Alger. This podcast is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. Learn about the firm's creative work at: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com Show Links: Elena’s Email: elena@elevativ.co Ada’s Email: AMestad@hga.com Newsletter: Like the episode? Try the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a one-minute email on exhibition planning and design for museum leaders, exhibition teams and visitor experience professionals. Subscribe here: https://www.makingthemuseum.com | |||
| How to Build a Museum, with David Greenbaum, FAIA | 05 Dec 2023 | 00:57:00 | |
What if there were just five important things to remember when you build a museum? What if the most important one of them all — had nothing to do with architecture? Which costs more in the end: building the museum, or operating the building? (The answer might surprise you.) Is it better to be bold, or to be subtle? What’s the difference between how design teams experience a museum project — and how visitors experience it in the end?
Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) is joined by David Greenbaum, FAIA (museum architect, Gensler) to discuss How to Build a Museum. Hint: it all boils down to five things you’ll want to remember.
Along the way: designing a 200-year building, historic re-enactors, cap-ex versus op-ex, and the “elephant-dog-gerbil principle”.
Talking Points:
1. The Importance of “Esprit de Corps” — (Team spirit.) It starts with the client’s clear vision, ambition, high expectations and drive. Informal relationships outside the org chart make cross-disciplinary collaboration easier. Team spirit is vital because there will be many challenges down the road.
2. Consider the Full Life Cycle — Mission, Vision, Design, Construction, Operations. Museums do fail. Look at projects holistically. Museum buildings are a substantial investment, but the capital costs will be outstripped by operational costs in short order.
3. Celebrate the Uniqueness — Be bold or be subtle. But be memorable. Each museum project offers an opportunity to help distinguish itself in the community it serves. Make visitors feel something.
4. There is One Visitor Experience — Art, architecture, and interpretation need to be integrated. It all adds up to form one experience. Close collaboration is key along with the client and design teams.
5. Build to Last — Design with flexibility in mind. Change is inevitable and sometimes unpredictable. Provide a robust infrastructure for technology. Use long lasting materials and building systems.
Guest Bio:
David Greenbaum, FAIA, is an expert in the design of museums, performing arts venues, visitor attractions, institutional, and mixed-use projects. In a 40-year career that includes multiple projects of national significance for the Smithsonian Institution, The National Gallery of Art, the Architect of the Capitol, and other sites in the U.S. and overseas, David has developed an international practice in museum design and comparable visitor attractions, with a particular interest in the development of cultural districts. His project work has been recognized with over 75 national and regional design honors and published in more than 300 articles, underscoring the importance of his work in the architectural and museum communities, as well as the larger public realm. David served as the 2019 Chairman of AIA National Committee on Design. After almost 35 years at SmithGroup, David changed paths to start helping clients develop and implement the planning and design of their cultural facilities. At Gensler, he now works with cultural institutions to help put the parts in place for enabling successful projects. He has great capacity for integrating the team and advancing complex projects to enable success.
About MtM:
This podcast is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. Learn about the firm's creative work at: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com
Show Links for This Episode:
David by Email: David_Greenbaum@gensler.com David by Phone: +1 (202) 257-7592 David on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-greenbaum-faia/ General Show Links:
Website: https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact Jonathan’s Email: alger@cgpartnersllc.com Jonathan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger C&G Partners: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com
Newsletter: Like the episode? Try the newsletter! Making the Museum is also a one-minute email on exhibition planning and design for museum leaders, exhibition teams and visitor experience professionals. Subscribe here: | |||
| Experiential Tech Insights, with Will Bullins | 21 Nov 2023 | 01:07:12 | |
What’s the #1 thing to know about experiential technology? How long do LED walls last? (The answer will surprise you.) Is a project done when it opens, or are growing pains normal? What happens when you use technology just to have technology? What’s an “integrator”? Is sustainability a thing in experiential tech? How? What missteps waste money, ruin the experience, and let content go stale?
Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) is joined by Will Bullins (Executive Consultant, Electrosonic) to go over six Experiential Tech Insights you’ll want to remember.
Along the way: AVIXA, a little wonking out on pixel pitch distance formulas, and of course, the Las Vegas Sphere.
Talking Points:
1. Never use technology just to have technology. 2. Be clear about your true goals. 3. Growing pains are normal, after opening. 4. Sustainability is a thing. 5. Discuss fears, budgets and timeframes openly and often. 6. Start the discussion early, even if briefly.
Guest Bio: Will Bullins brings over ten years of creative technology design to his role as Executive Consultant. He has worked on a wide range of high-profile experiential projects which helps give him a strong blend of creativity and technical design skills. Will is passionate about human-centered design and how to use technology in a way that works best for the user. His intention is not to design technology systems for the sake of designing but rather to design a system that will help facilitate the experience the client is trying to create. To deliver that solution he recognizes it is important to develop effective partnerships with architects, experience designers, content creators, and fabricators.
This podcast is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. Learn about the firm's creative work at: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com
Will’s Email: will.bullins@electrosonic.com Will on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-bullins-cts-d-b2ba4724/ Electrosonic Website: www.electrosonic.com
MtM Show Contact:
https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger
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| "Rapid Experience Design", with Clare Brown | 10 Oct 2023 | 01:01:27 | |
What if there were a better way?
Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) is joined by Clare Brown (PhD candidate and Creative Director at G&A) to explore “Rapid Experience Design”, a new approach to the typical development process that Clare is researching for her doctorate.
Along the way: adventure education, the tyranny of the floor plan, some rollerskating, and listening to a doctoral candidate think about her project in real time.
Talking Points:
1. The usual approach to exhibition design — “waterfall” — isn’t the only way. 2. We can combine approaches from outside the exhibition world to make something new. 3. Focus on creating experiences first, spatial arrangements later. 4. This new approach can “de-risk” a project. 5. The process was inspired by teaching fast courses. 6. Changing established processes teaches you about change itself.
Guest Bio: Clare Brown has led teams creating museum experiences for the past 25 years. She is currently Creative Director at G&A, an experience design company where she guides creative process and cultivates human-centered design practices. In addition to professional practice, Clare's background includes design education and 'design as research', through her role as Chair and Assistant Professor of Design at the Corcoran College of Art & Design, and in pursuing a PhD in Experience Design and Collaborative Creativity. She brings to her work a background growing up as a '3rd Culture Kid' in Africa and Asia, working in the theater, and pursuing degrees in Cultural Anthropology and Museum Studies. Clare embraces dance, roller skating, and flying trapeze among many forms of physical movement to deepen her understanding of resilience, risk, joy, and creativity.
About MtM:
This podcast is a project of C&G Partners | Design for Culture. Learn about the firm's creative work at:
Clare on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarebrown/ MtM Show Contact:
https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger
Newsletter: Like the episode? Try the newsletter. Making the Museum is also a one-minute email on exhibition planning and design for museum leaders, exhibition teams and visitor experience professionals. Subscribe here: | |||