Making the Museum – Details, episodes & analysis

“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

How to Listen:
 
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:

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:
 
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:
 

Amy’s Email:
[email protected]

Amy’s LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/amysweisser/

Storm King: 

www.stormking.org
 

Storm King’s Capital Project:
https://stormking.org/capitalproject/

Building Museums Symposium, a project of the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums:
https://midatlanticmuseums.org/building-museums/

Links for MtM:
 
https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger
[email protected]
https://www.cgpartnersllc.com

Newsletter:
 
Like 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 

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.)

Sarah Maiellano (Founder, Broad Street Communications) joins host Jonathan Alger (Managing Partner, C&G Partners) to discuss “Scrappy PR for Museums”.

Along the way: newsjacking, working the niches, and the magic of a holiday gift guide.

Talking Points:
 

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

How to Listen:
 
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:

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

Show Links:
 
[email protected]

www.broadstreetcomms.com
www.sarahmaiellano.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahmaiellano/

https://www.instagram.com/sarahmaiellano/ 

MtM Show Contact:
 
https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger
[email protected]
https://www.cgpartnersllc.com

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 

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".

Along the way: high-performance buildings, that word “program” again, and whether projects need overseers, therapists or cheerleaders.

Talking Points:
 
1. Chaos theory studies things that are impossible to predict.
2. Museum projects are chaotic and that’s a good thing.
3. A project is a cultural exercise, with its own diverse culture.
4. Museum owners are not built to build buildings.
5. Teams who excel at museum projects are rare.
6. Change during the process is inevitable, so embrace it.

How to Listen:
 
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 Bios:

Jon Maass is an architect, builder and maker of things. His history of designing and building structures informs and supports his work as an owner’s representative, helping numerous cultural institutions realize new mission-driven projects and restore important cultural touchstones. His work is process driven, emphasizing proper planning at the project’s outset and relentless pursuit of its stated goals. Jon received degrees from the University of Michigan and the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York, where he was amongst the first recipients of the Menschel Fellowship. His creative history began in the theater where we he designed and built stage sets for numerous Off- Broadway and Off-off Broadway shows throughout New York’s East Village. He continues to teach at Cooper Union, helping young architects understand how to navigate the design and construction process toward making exceptional buildings.

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:
 
MAASS on the web: https://www.maass.works

MAASS by phone: +1-917-578-0190

Jon Maass by email: [email protected]

MtM Show Contact:
 
https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger
[email protected]
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: https://www.makingthemuseum.com 

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.

Along the way: why everyone should take acting classes, and what it’s like being inside a cello.

Chapters:

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:
 
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 Bios:
   

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:
 
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:
 
Louis Armstrong House Museum: https://www.louisarmstronghouse.org/

Louis Armstrong (Artist) on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/19eLuQmk9aCobbVDHc6eek?si=lYvi-xRYRXyPTNj7TpzuqA

Images of Louis Armstrong Center Building: https://www.capjeff.com/louis-armstrong-center-new

Images of Louis Armstrong Center Exhibitions: https://www.cgpartnersllc.com/projects/new-project-the-louis-armstrong-center-2/

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

Potion Design (Technology Design for Interactive Table): https://www.potiondesign.com/

Art Guild (Exhibition Fabricators): https://www.artguildinc.com/

MtM Show Contact:
 
https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger
[email protected]
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: https://www.makingthemuseum.com 

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
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311

Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G

Everywhere
https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/

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
Book Email: [email protected]
Book Website (in progress): www.flourishingmuseums.com 
Kiersten on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/k-f-latham-298a35189/
Brenda on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brenda-cowan-01bb94140/
Brenda’s FIT Graduate Exhibition & Experience Design Program on Instagram: @fitgradexd 

MtM Show Contact:

https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger
[email protected]
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: https://www.makingthemuseum.com 

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
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-the-museum/id1674901311

Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G

Everywhere
https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/

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

[email protected]

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:
https://www.makingthemuseum.com

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
https://open.spotify.com/show/6oP4QJR7yxv7Rs7VqIpI1G

Everywhere
https://makingthemuseum.transistor.fm/

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/
Museum Hue on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/museum-hue/
Museum Hue on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/museumhue/
Museum Hue on Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/museumhue

Sierra’s Email: [email protected]
Sierra on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sierravrd/
Sierra on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sierragoesthere/
Sierra on Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/sierra_vrd

Jinelle’s Email: [email protected]
Jinelle’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jinellethompson/

MtM Show Contact:

https://www.makingthemuseum.com/contact
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanalger
[email protected]
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: https://www.makingthemuseum.com 

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”?
5. The Near Future of Augmented Reality (AR)

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.

Show Links:

Neil’s Email: [email protected]

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:
https://www.makingthemuseum.com

Great projects happen because of great teams. But how do you build that team in the first place?

Who should a museum hire first, to start a major project? How do you decide whether internal staff should run a big project, or if you need help from outside? Should you hire an architect before you hire an exhibition designer, or vice versa? Who else do you need, and when? Where can a museum find firms they might like to work with? What’s an “owner’s rep” anyway?

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.
 
Show Links:

[email protected]
https://www.beckerfrondorf.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethvanwhy/

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 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.

Show Links:

https://patricksnee.com/

[email protected]

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:

https://www.pac.bz/

Shivers Down Your Spine:

https://cup.columbia.edu/book/shivers-down-your-spine/9780231129893

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

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