Peace on Earth

Wishing you all of the best in 2010.

Because museums are experiencing one of their toughest years in decades a donation has been made to the American Association of Museums.  – Mark in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia.

From Wikipedia

“The internationally recognized symbol for peace was originally designed for the British nuclear disarmament movement.^[1] It was designed and completed on 21 February 1958 by Gerald Holtom, a professional designer and artist in Britain for the 4 April march planned by the Direct Action Committee Against Nuclear War (DAC) from Trafalgar Square, London to the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment at Aldermaston in England.^[1][2] The symbol was later adopted by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). It was adopted by first the 1960s anti-war movement, then the counterculture, and finally the popular culture of the time.

The symbol itself is a combination of the semaphoric signals for the letters “N” and “D,” standing for Nuclear Disarmament.^[1] In semaphore the letter “N” is formed by a person holding two flags in an upside-down “V,” and the letter “D” is formed by holding one flag pointed straight up and the other pointed straight down. Superimposing these two signs forms the shape of the peace symbol. In the first official CND version (which was preceded by a ceramic pin version that had straight lines, but was short lived) the spokes curved out to be wider at the edge of the circle, which was white on black.^[1][5][6]“

A year after being on the brink of financial collapse, the Museum of Contemporary Art museum is ready to show off. The deepest view of its holdings is going on display.

1. We will see another significant correction in the American stock market in 2010.  The correction will continue to put financial strain on museums and we will see several large and small museums and science centers close.

2.  The closure and slow down of museums and science centers will cause the closure of several large and small design and fabrication firms, in 2010 and 2011.

3.   The changes will force many museums and science centers to rethink their business model.  With the changes there will be several new models tried, “museum clubs”- where you are a member of a museum club, “museum cells” – where the museum exists without walls, “small satellite museums” where the main museum has closed, but there are several small exhibitions scattered around a community,  “the combination of institutions museum/library, museum/ town hall”, “member only for profit museums”; the market will decide the best mix.  By 2012, many struggling museums will be greatly changed, with smaller staff and dark exhibit galleries.  The institutions that will survive will be those that can be flexible and change quickly.

4. To drive attendance museums and science centers will need to change exhibitions more often, with new exhibits every month.  The blockbuster exhibitions will be dead for all but the largest / richest museums.  Instead museums will need to have several smaller topical exhibitions several times a year.   The typical two year exhibit design and fabrication model will be dead at all but the largest museums.  Institutions will no longer be able to afford the two plus year exhibit development cycle and with it museum design and fabrication firms will become more service oriented.

5. By late 2011, we will see demand from the public for connectivity.  Museums and science centers will need to more closely collaborate with schools and universities to meet educational and science standards.  The public will demand transparency, ” how are these exhibits adhering to the science standards?”.  The public will demand a more easily understood set of educational standards that can be easily applied.  With the increased connectivity we will see a distance education model emerge, where the museum experience will be expended beyond the walls of the museum.

5. By 2012 we will start to see and increase in museum donations.  The surviving museums will be leaner and quick reacting.  The surviving museum design and fabrication firms will also be smaller and more service oriented.  We will see a new for “profit model” that is sustainable along side the non profit model.  The museum market in Asia will be greatly expanded and there will be more collaboration between Asian and American institutions.

If the above comes to pass, I think it will be good news.  I can foresee the museums and science centers of 2012 as more vibrant and visitor-centric.