Design for all

Here are some examples of things I like to see when I go to a museum. 

This is an intimate little space designed just for toddlers. I took this picture at the Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, Connecticut. I love it when I see exhibits that have something for all ages and abilities. The aquarium had lots of these little viewing areas at "kid height" throughout every exhibit so that children don't have to be picked up by a parent every time they want to see an animal.

This is another photo taken at the Mystic Aquarium. It's an exhibit that shows how Flounder protect themselves from predators by blending into their environment. It's hard to tell from this photo because they are camouflaged so well, but there is a Flounder on the black gravel and a Flounder on the white gravel. What I like about this simple display is that it clearly conveys the message without the need for lengthy text panels or diagrams. A child who can't read yet or someone who doesn't speak the language will understand without having someone explain it to them. The exhibit teaches the lesson without the need for interpretive graphics.

AND just for fun, here are some images of things I think every good aquarium should have...

Sea Lions

Penguins

Octopus

Beluga Whales!

Museums of the Future

Happy New Year! It is 2010. Welcome to the future! If you asked me twenty years ago what I thought the world would be like in 2010 I probably would have imagined we'd be living in outer space and driving around in flying cars like the Jetsons. 



Now that we're actually living in the "future" I would expect that new museums would be producing new and inventive exhibits but a recent visit to the newly opened Children's Museum of the Treasure Coast in Stuart, Florida did not meet my expectations. I had really been looking forward to visiting this museum because it was a long time in the making. I'd read a lot of articles about its construction over the past few years but lack of funding put the opening on hold. 

So after much anticipation and excitement, I prepared myself to take my niece and nephew the day after Christmas. I did a lot of deep breathing exercises and stretches to get myself both mentally and physically prepared for the massive crowds but when we walked in, the place was completely empty. There was only one other family there. It was a huge space but only half of it was being used. The rest was blocked off. Was it unfinished? Was this some sort of event space or theater in the making? I'm not sure. My expectation from this new museum was to find some fresh and new exhibits but what we got was a rip-off of every other children's museum exhibit in the country. Perhaps if the museum had something the others don't they might have more visitors. "Our Town Wellness Center" had the exact same exhibit that I worked on at a children's museum ten years ago! It was like I traveled back in time. Hmmm...Now that would be a cool exhibit! 

"Toddler Beach" was cute. It was your typical cushiony vinyl toddler play area and the beach theme was fitting for the community but I think toddlers would be more interested in playing and exploring the REAL beach right outside the doors of the museum.

The worst offense was the "Our Town Market" which scored a big fat ZERO for creativity, inventiveness, and originality. It was very clear that the exhibits were based on sponsor money and this one was sponsored by Publix Super Market. I know this because the sponsor signs were bigger than any of the signs with educational content. I'm not even sure what the educational value of a mini-market exhibit is anyway. My 5-year-old niece got into a fight with a toddler who stole her fake plastic groceries out of her cart. On our way home I asked her if she learned anything new from her trip to the museum. She replied, "Yeah, it's not nice to steal someone else's groceries!" Maybe that's the message behind these grocery store exhibits?? 

Here's an original idea! How about we get a sponsor to fund a new task force called the Exhibit Police. Any museum that builds another child-sized market will get a fine. I think if I were to find out exactly how many Children's Museums in this country have these markets and issue them a fine, I would have enough money to build a new museum with some inspired fresh new and innovative exhibits! 

Actually, there was one exhibit in the museum that I liked a lot. It's also the gallery that my niece and nephew spent the most time in. It was called the Florida Cracker House sponsored by RE/MAX of course. This was a truly unique exhibit because it was exclusive to the region. Children learn about traditional cracker houses and the significance their architecture played in early Floridian life. It also teaches about different types of houses all over the world and how the region and climate affect architecture. This exhibit reignited the waning hope the other exhibits left me with for the future of museums.

We might not be driving around in flying cars but the world is constantly changing so why are we still making the same exhibits that we were making more than a decade ago?! 

With a new year comes new resolutions. For 2010 let us resolve to stop copying what other museums are doing and come up with some really inspired and radical ideas...
AND
Stop stealing groceries from other people's carts!

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser

After working in Children's Museums for many years, I've learned that there are a few things that an exhibit tech/maintainer cannot live without. Things like Velcro, double-sided tape, sand paper, cable ties, etc... I think it would be hard to find a children's museum with an exhibit shop that doesn't have these items stockpiled in large quantities. There's also the necessary cleaning products such as adhesive removers, stain lifters, gum removers....I've tried them all and they each do their assigned duty but not without a lot of frustration and elbow grease.

Then along came a product that changed my life forever. The days of scrubbing crayon and mystery goo left behind by little sticky fingers were over because my eyes had been opened to the wonders of the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. If I could only have one cleaning product to clean and entire Children's Museum after a day with 5,000 visitors in attendance, this would be all I would need. It removes stains that you never even realized were there. 

The only problem is that once you use it to clean a surface, a clean spot is left behind and you have to clean all of the surrounding areas that you never even realized were dirty until the Magic Eraser came along! Also, there's no indication on the box of what chemical ingredients this product is made out of except for "magic" so I would use caution when cleaning areas that a toddler's mouth might come in contact with.

I love making hands-on exhibits but along with that comes, well...dirty hands. This is a great product that makes the sometimes, daunting job of maintaining exhibits much easier.