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Awesome Helpers

Page history last edited by Nina Simon 14 years, 4 months ago

This is a page for folks who are helping with the book--as commenters, editors, whatever--to introduce yourself.  Please include your name, your initials (or a handle you'll use on this site to identify you), and a paragraph with information you'd like me and each other to know about you.  Including your reason for involvement would be nice, as well as any topics of particular interest to you. If you are reviewing a particular chapter, please let us know so I have a sense of who is focusing where.

 

Comments (32)

johnbuchinger said

at 10:42 am on Feb 18, 2009

John Buchinger
Hi. I am the Associate Director for Education with The New York State Historical Association,Video Conference developer, program developer, exhibition contributer,curriculum designer, grant writer, a social media consultant, teacher, father, prankster and lover of thinking and learning. I believe that museums can fill a gap as dynamic institutions that prompt thinking and learning, and offer the kinds of hands on experiences once present in our public schools. I look forward to the unfolding of this project!

Elizabeth Merritt said

at 12:24 pm on Feb 18, 2009

Hello, I am Elizabeth Merritt, founding director for the Center for the Future of Museums, a new initiative of the American Association of Museums. CFM's interested in participatory design was sparked by our survey of the trends most likely to influence museums and society in the next 25 years. These are summarized in report "Museums &Society 2034: Trends and Potential Futures (accessible at the CFM website, www.futureofmuseums.org.) One important observation is that the next generation of museum audiences will expect to be involved in the creation of content, rather than just being passive consumers of content. We want to help museums figure out how to meet this expectation.

Maria Mortati said

at 12:01 pm on Feb 19, 2009

Hi, I'm an Exhibit Developer/Planner and I work at Gyroscope Inc. I'm currently working on a museum project which merges science and history, and am also championing visitor participation in their new institution. In addition to my exhibit planning and design work, I write the blog Museums Now and do a fair bit of independent curating and exhibit design. I'm involved with this wiki because I love to write/make books about museum related topics, and can see in my mind's eye some wonderful ways that Nina could develop and disseminate this book that are in keeping with the gestalt of her blog. Whew. I'll probably use my last name as my handle.

Bruce Wyman said

at 4:16 pm on Feb 19, 2009

Bruce Wyman (bw)
I'm the Director of Technology at the Denver Art Museum where we've tried to develop a variety of innovative gallery experiences based less on technology but more on user experience. (I also try to be the subversive element in our museum) My background is fairly eclectic having previously worked at an MIT Media Lab spin-off (Nearlife, Inc) where I was Director of Creative Development. We did exhibit technology & design, tradeshow work, interactive tv, mobile applications, etc. We dreamed and then we'd figure out how to make it work. I've worked with a number of the exhibit firms in the Boston area (and have done work with just about every type of museum as designer, writer, developer, project manager, etc). Before Nearlife I was the Curator of Interactive Technology at the New England Aquarium after a stint as a marine biologist. I'm looking forward to editing the section on marine mammal anatomy and whale strandings (if there isn't one, I think the book is missing a prime opportunity).

Kerrick A. Lucker said

at 4:16 pm on Feb 19, 2009

Hi, I'm a recent graduate from JFKU's museum education program, presently working in a different non-profit sector while planning the participatory museum of my dreams in my "free time". My special interest is how museums can get better at facilitating conversations among groups of people of different cultural backgrounds, rather than holding on to an authoritative role.

Erin Crissman said

at 7:45 pm on Feb 19, 2009

Erin Crissman (EEC)
I am currently Curator at The Farmers' Museum in Cooperstown, NY, formerly curator at Historic Cherry Hill in Albany, NY. I believe museums will no longer be proprietary places. I have a vision of Peale's Museum painting where communities are holding the curtain up for us, the professionals. We provide the curtain and maybe some lights. Actually, maybe there is no curtain -- you get the idea. Seriously -museum people of the 21st century - *we* don't have to keep everything. And we don't have to keep everything locked in the basement. One of my career goals to help museum professionals become comfortable with this idea.

Ruth Cuadra said

at 10:50 pm on Feb 20, 2009

Hi, I'm an application systems analyst for the Getty Research Institute. Before I came to the Getty 2 years ago, I worked for 25 years as a system analyst, database application designer, and technical documentation writer and editor at a software company whose customizable database software is used in libraries and museums worldwide. At the Getty, I've been managing database systems, working on a team developing a metasearching application for Getty resources, and helping to implement a digital library application. I'm also working on a Masters in Museum Studies through the online Johns Hopkins Museums Studies Program to build some background in museum operations, theory, and best practices while extending my knowledge of issues related to implementing new technologies in the museum setting. It's in connection with my school work that I found Nina's blog and began following her work. Although I may not have very much to contribute to the development of the content of the book, I am a very experienced editor so I may able to help more nearer the end of the project.

Ed Rodley said

at 4:45 pm on Feb 22, 2009

Ed Rodley (EJR)
I'm an exhibit developer at the Museum of Science, Boston and have been making exhibits for 20+ years. My interest in this project stems from a dinner conversation where Nina and I lamented the dearth of new museum books written by practitioners. It also fits squarely with my desire to see the industry as a whole step up to the idea that museums can and should be the places where our society's democratic ideals find a place to freely operate. For me, PD's greatest strength is its ability to create active and informed learners, rather than consumers.

Cynthia Graville said

at 7:10 am on Feb 27, 2009

Hi, I'm the Director of Learning Technologies at the Saint Louis Science Center. Most of my work involves the Youth Exploring Science program, which works with 200 underserved, urban teens all 4 years of high school. The teens work every Saturday and almost full time in the summer, both as participants in long-term inquiry projects and facilitators of programming to other audiences. One of the reasons that I love the idea of this book is that Nina gets it: virtual community outreach, physical community outreach, and everything in between- they all run on the same principles. The science center field did a lot of work around physical community outreach with the YouthAlive movement (albeit through the lens of reaching underserved teens.) Super-excited to help if I can!

Maureen Doyle said

at 10:52 am on Feb 27, 2009

Maureen Doyle (MWD)
Hello, I'm the Executive Director of Heritance (a US non-profit that promotes open museum practices worldwide: <www.heritance.org>) and Co-founder of Open Museum (a not-for-profit service provided by Heritance, which allows museums, organizations and individuals to build free, participatory exhibits: <www.openmuseum.org>). Through Heritance and now Open Museum (which is in Alpha release since February 1), I have been working for the past couple of years on the full range of aspects of museum development, including exhibit design. I'm interested in this book project, because I am eager to listen to the conversation and chip in where I can. I also think the topic is timely. embrace the participatory approach and feel Nina and I are on the same philosophical page (judging from Museum 2.0). Plus it seems like a great opportunity to hang out (from cold & snowy Vermont) with a great group of people. Thanks for creating the opportunity, Nina.


Mariana Salgado said

at 5:23 am on Mar 5, 2009

hola!, I'm a research assistant and doctoral student in the Media Lab, University of Art and Design Helsinki. As part of my research I worked as media designer creating projects for three museums. In these projects there was active engagement of the whole museum community integrating user generated content as part of the exhibition. I got enthusiastic by the possibilities of making a more participatory and democratic museum through media tools. Hope I can be useful to this book and I am happy to be witnessing its development.

rebekah sobel said

at 7:47 am on Mar 9, 2009

Hi! I am the first and so far only internal audience researcher/ program evaluator at the Holocaust Museum in DC. I am learning my way around internal research/ evaluator roles and mores. This topic is of primary interest to me as I work with staff to craft experiences that tie into our goals. Previous to USHMM, I was a project manager with an exhibition design firm for 4+ years, so I am also interested in this from the design side! Great crossover ideas Nina, thanks for the invite. I also teach courses in anthropology and museum studies, and I hope to assign the book to students in the near future :)

Jonah Holland said

at 6:09 pm on Apr 2, 2009

Jonah Holland (CJH)
Hi there. I can tell I'm the black sheep of the group. I don't work in a museum, but a botanical garden. And as child, I was dragged to the Smithsonian Museums so often that I actually developed an aversion to them. Believe it or not this is a good thing, because it's made me love what Nina is doing -- thinking outside the box to make museums interactive and smart -- not boring and stale.
I daylight as PR & Marketing coordinator at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, VA -- specializing in new media and social media marketing. I am also a full-time mom to 2 young children and a triathlete. I moonlight as @Mox_eMediaGirl, a new media consultant serving mainly non-profits. I am fascinated by the use of interactive media in museums (and other attractions) and I'm a huge fan of Nina's blog. Thanks for welcoming me late in the game Nina!

Georgina Goodlander said

at 5:40 am on Apr 22, 2009

Georgina Bath Goodlander (GBG)
Hi, I'm the Interpretive Programs Manager of the Luce Foundation Center for American Art, which is the visible storage facility for the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The Luce Center is like a museum-within-a-museum, as we get to do a little bit of everything that museums do - collections management, visitor services, public programming, new media, web, education, interpretation, gaming... you get the idea. I have a fantastic team of three full-time staffers, and a wonderful endowment from the Luce Foundation that allows us to work on innovative projects. The Luce Center is also viewed as the "testing ground" for projects within the museum, which means that we have permission to experiment and yes, even fail :) I am ridiculously excited about the potential for social media applications, and am particularly intrigued by how these ideas and ways of connecting can be brought back into the physical museum. I say this from a selfish perspective, also, as I love interacting with visitors while they are having fun participating in something that I have helped put together. I would like to contribute to this project because a) I love the fact that the development of this book will be completely participatory and want to show my support for that, b) I believe that design that supports/creates/enhances/facilitates interaction is THE way that museums are going to prove that they are not a "fad" (per Bran Ferren's keynote at Smithsonian 2.0: http://www.smithsonian20.si.edu/multimedia.html), and c) I see it as a forum for sharing successes and failures in this area and therefore a learning opportunity.

Chris Castle said

at 4:24 am on May 28, 2009

M. Christine Castle (MCC)
Hi, I'm a museum education consultant and the editor of Museum Education Monitor, an e-newsletter. I'm interested in communities of practice and how they create, share, and apply knowledge within and across the boundaries of organizations. I've been impressed by Nina's ability to not only write about the potential of interactive media but also to put her ideas into practice in meaningful ways. When I found out about this project I wanted to be part of it - to observe the process but also to contribute wherever possiblein terms of what's going on in museum education and learning in the US and other countries. Thanks for the opportunity to participate!

Conxa Rodà said

at 12:00 am on Oct 5, 2009

Conxa Rodà (CR)
Hi, everybody. I'm Project manager at the Museu Picasso of Barcelona and responsible for internet, basically I've been lately working on the redesign of the museum website (launched May 2008) and the implementation of 2.0 strategy and tools (launched May 2009). We've had a good start, but I feel that social networking in my museum is still a matter of a few "crazy" people and has not yet permeated the whole organisation (it will, some day!). My university background is Philology, and I've been editor for the Culture Department of the Barcelona City Council. I'm extremely interested in participatory processes and ways of transferring them from virtual to real. I think this book is a great contribution both to theory and practice of participation. Hope to be helpful in some way to
its achivement and happy for the opportunity to collaborate. Thank you, Nina, and all of you for making this process so interesting. @innova2

Kristin Lang said

at 1:31 pm on Nov 4, 2009

Hi All. I'm currently the program coordinator for the Illinois at the Phillips program, which sends university students to study and intern at the Phillips Collection Museum in DC. Before that I was the assistant to the public and school programs coordinator at the Spurlock Museum in Urbana, Illinois where I got to figure out ways to make old (but cool!) stuff interesting to elementary school kids. We really focused on the participatory experience and piloted a program where kids got to role-play the players and effects of the 2003 looting in Iraq. That job really piqued my interest in participatory experiences, and I actually found Museum 2.0 researching there! I'm really excited to get to help out on the project.

Cath Styles said

at 3:49 pm on Nov 4, 2009

Wow, what a wealth of experience you have gathered here, Nina! Hello everyone.

My PhD thesis (2001) was about participatory museums, although I didn't use that term. It was framed in terms of informal learning, using a Freirean model, where teachers (museum professionals) are co-intent on learning with their students (visitors). So I'm thrilled to be an early reader of this book!

I learned to make websites because I intended to create an alternative (online) museum as part of the thesis. That didn't eventuate, but it led me to working in the field of online access to cultural heritage. Until recently I was websites editorial manager at the National Archives of Australia, and I'm currently working at the National Museum of Australia.

I am most interested in the convergence of physical and digital experiences in museums. I'm not sure yet whether I'll focus on a chapter or two, or read the whole book and make occasional comments throughout.

Conxa Rodà said

at 4:06 am on Nov 9, 2009

I'll go for chapter 5 and Conclusions. If I have any time left, I'll go for Chapter 6.

claire@claireantrobus.com said

at 8:07 am on Nov 9, 2009

Hello everyone - looking forward to reading the book and seeing everyone's comments.

I'm definitely not a museums professional - although I have worked with contemporary visual artists as a curator at the start of my career. These days I'm a arts management consultant (I do business and strategic planning etc) - but just taking a year 'out' to undertake a Clore Leadership Fellowship.

I've offered to 'help' because I definitely want to read this book and I'm very interested in this collaborative/open process for reviewing. I'm also interested in the subject of participation and what it means for my field (visual arts, and to an extent performing arts). Hopefully I can bring the interested-non-specialist perspective to the equation.

From a quick look through the index I think I will concentrate on chapter 5. Although I'm about to head off on secondment for a few weeks it'll be early Dec when I have some time to work on this so if you've all commented on that bit by then and I've nothing to add then I'll see what's left!

heidi@marketearlyamerica.com said

at 9:49 am on Nov 9, 2009

Hi all - I'm Heidi Glatfelter (HLG). I am the owner of a small consulting business for history museums -Market Early America Consulting - and I also serve as the Administrator for the Greater Baltimore History Alliance. My background is in communications and marketing, and I am particularly interested in how museums are implementing technology.

Susan E Edwards said

at 10:27 am on Nov 10, 2009

Hello - I am Susan Edwards (SEE). I am a writer/editor for the Web Group at the J. Paul Getty Trust. My primary responsibility here has been to work with the Getty Museum's education staff and curators to create online content for their audiences. In that role, I have worked on everything from online interactives to games as well as more traditional online explorations of our exhibitions, and lesson plans and curricula. More recently, I have been involved in developing social media policies for the Getty. Previously, I worked at the Seattle Art Museum where I also worked closely with education and curatorial on exhibitions and collections. In the past few years I have become fascinated with the space where education and marketing meet. And I am currently working on an MLIS - all online - through San Jose State University.

I am really excited about the possibility of this collaboration on editing a book! I am an editor, so I can try to look at issues of consistency and language. What style guide are you using, by the way? I am most proficient at Chicago and AP, but can manage APA as well. Unfortunately, I don't have a whole lot of time right now. But I really want to participate, so am going to try my best. Looks like Chapters 2-4 haven't been touched much, so I will concentrate there. The title of Chapter 4 is really intriguing to me!

jseves@nf.aibn.com said

at 12:49 pm on Nov 10, 2009

Jane Severs (JS)
Hello. I run an interpretive planning consultancy in Newfoundland, Canada. My background is in Museum Studies. However, the majority of my work is for clients other than museums - government agencies, regional development organizations, heritage societies, etc.

My current interest is exhibition narratives. Particularly, the potential use of antenarratives and arachical storytelling techniques in exhibits. Much of this involves finding ways to empower visitors to define meaning and significance, and to engage them in shared sense-making.

HMSaid said

at 8:21 am on Nov 14, 2009

aka: HMSaid on this wiki
bio: Cairo: rice pudding> Toronto: ROM, Ontario Science Center, York U, Apple Systems Engineer> San Francisco: proofreader, copywriter, namer> Durango: namer, beekeeper, advocate for "wonder engine" v. "teachable moment programming">
I'm the director of marcom for the Durango Discovery Museum (opening fall 2010 in a historic power plant on the Animas River in Durango, Colorado).
I'll read it all (probably over and over) but I'll comment on the Nike+ and Visitor-Generated Social Objects chapters.
Fanks.

HMSaid said

at 8:25 am on Nov 14, 2009

Thanks.

Louise Govier said

at 9:08 am on Nov 16, 2009

Hi everyone!

I'm Louise Govier - background in museum & gallery learning and interpretation, really passionate about this subject because I've worked in places that still aren't engaging with this big glorious elephant in the room, and I want to help change that and make participatory, co-creative practice a reality in the most unlikely of museums!

In the past I've been an editor (for the UK art charity The Art Fund), did a Ph.D. exploring spectatorship of images of fabulously transgressive women from ancient & classical history during the French Revolution), was a university art history lecturer, then moved into museum education so I could interact with a wider range of people. I worked my way up to heading the Adult Learning team at the National Gallery in London, which was both brilliant and really frustrating, and left that to develop myself further as a Clore Leadership Fellow for Museums (I'm in the year before Claire, above, undertaking the programme part time over two years and also spending time with our toddler).

I'm currently working on a research project as part of my fellowship which explores ideas from outside the museum world that could help us to develop our co-creative practice with our publics, both in terms of why and how we do it - ideas in particular from the business world, collaborative leadership, social care, and the performing arts. I'm particuarly interested in reasons for co-creation that are not to do with social inclusion and democracy - I love and want both of those, but my experience is that they can be problematic motivators, and we need other stuff in our advocacy tool box to make the case in certain institutions. I'm also exploring more practical ways to make co-creation happen, whatever the context.

I'm really looking forward to reading Nina's work, and contributing where I can. I'm drawn most to chaps 4 and 5, but will read all of it.

cheers,
Louise.

Sarah Barton said

at 12:31 pm on Nov 26, 2009

Hello to this great group of minds! I look forward to this engagement with all of you.

I am Sarah Barton (SB), a program manager who builds public infrastructure and cultural institutions: their organizations, their facilities, their exhibits. My formal training is in zoology and art, mediation, and a Master's in Renaissance Art History. My focus is as an advocate for the human and community. Currently working on the expansion of the Anchorage Museum, including delivery of two large semi-permanent exhibitions with significant experimental interactivity: Arctic Studies Center and Imaginarium Discovery Center due to open on 8 May 2010.

Have perused the Intro and Conclusions and will begin comments with Chapter 6.

Jody Crago said

at 10:48 pm on Dec 15, 2009

Hi everyone. I am Jody Crago (JAC), the director of the Chandler Museum, a small museum outside of Phoenix, AZ. We are in the process of developing a new museum after our community passed two (yes two) bond issues for the construction of a new museum. We are attempting to take a traditional historical society run museum and convert it to a municipal community museum based on participatory experiences and community co-created content. I truly believe that the traditional history museum model is broken. Changing to stay relevant is the only way to survive in this modern world. I have read the entire book and will make as many comments as possible.

James Neal said

at 11:21 am on Jan 9, 2010

Greetings all. I am James P. Neal, III. (JN) I am currently anticipating entering a graduate program in library and information science in the fall of 2010. I plan to focus on visual resource curatorship and museum studies. My focus is African-American, African, Caribbean, and Latin American art.

Jonathan Kuhr said

at 3:06 pm on Jan 17, 2010

Hello everyone. My name is Jonathan Kuhr (JK). I am the Publications Associate/Editor/Web Content Manager at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City. I began reading Museum 2.0 about a year as we were attempting to design some in-gallery experiences. I fell in love and when I saw opportunities to get involved with the project I jumped at it. I'll be working as a copy editor on the project, as this is where I have the most experience. Our museum is transitioning toward becoming more participatory and working out what that means for our institution. That's why I have chosen to begin editing Chapter 5: Defining Participation at Your Institution. I'm looking forward to getting started and am excited to be involved in this project!

Monica Freeman said

at 5:35 pm on Jan 18, 2010

Hello All!

My name is Monica Freeman (MF). I am currently an account coordinator with Hirons & Company, an advertising and public relations firm in Indianapolis. I have spent time in public affairs with the Smithsonian Institution. My background is in public relations and English and I have had experience in copywriting and copyediting. I think this is a wonderful, necessary project and I am so excited to be involved!

L. Corwin Christie said

at 8:53 pm on Jan 21, 2010

Hello hello, I am L. Corwin Christie, blogger at http://technologyinthearts.org and candidate for my M.A. in Arts Management at Carnegie Mellon University. I came across Museum 2.0 while working at the Center for Arts Management and Technology. I'm continually interested in the way that technology and the arts intersect and how tech can enhance and encourage the artistic experience.

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