Citi des Sciences et de l'Industrie

World’s Top 10 Science Centers, most visited Science Museums, data as of 2010 / 2011

Top 10 Science Centers – Worldwide

1. Citi des Sciences et de l’Industrie  5,000,000
2. Science Museum, London 2,700,000
3. Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, 2,500,000
2. National Science and Technology Museum, Taiwan 2,050,790
4. Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago 1,605,020
5. Pacific Science Center, Seattle 1,602,000
6. Museum of Science, Boston 1,600,000
7. Science City, Kolkata 1,522,726
8. Ontario Science Center  1,509,912
9. Deutsches Museum, Munich 1,500,000
10. California Science Center Los Angeles, Los Angeles 1,400,000

Top 10 Science Centers – USA
1. Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago 1,605,020
2. Pacific Science Center, Seattle 1,602,000
3. Museum of Science, Boston 1,600,000
4. California Science Center Los Angeles, Los Angeles 1,400,000
5. St. Louis Science Center, St. Louis 1,400,000
6. Franklin Institute 892,804
7. Liberty Science Center, Jersey City 866,000
8. Fernbank Science Center, Atlanta 865,000
9. California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco 882,000
10. Exploratorium 600,000

Working on understanding “Museum Satisfaction” in different types of museums, starting by creating lists of the world’s top museums by category.   (Art Museums, Children’s Museums, Natural History Museums, Science Centers, Corporate Museums).  Will then work on surveying the public on “Museum Satisfaction” by type of museum.  I started with the Top 10 Art Museums visitation.

Visitor attendance data for Science Centers is much more difficult to find. For Science Centers, in the USA, I am using 2010 Annual Reports when available, please do not quote the data as it is unverified. I am interested in feedback and omissions. 

I believe museum visitation starts prior to visiting the “bricks and mortar”, Interested in “museum satisfaction” for both the local museum and the global museums and understanding how local museums can compete in a new global market.  A latter step will be comparing museum visitation as compared to museum website visitation of the world’s top museums by category.

Making a distinction between Science Centers and Natural History Museums, Top 10 Natural History Museums is my next project then, corporate museums and Children’s Museums.  The definition of types of museum is not constant between countries, and the definition of what counts towards museum statistics differs between countries.  Even within countries, what counts as a “visit”  differs museum to museum , some museums count all entries through the doors, including staff, contractors, off site programs and with “sister museums”, making comparing worldwide data very difficult.

Resources:

Asia Pacific Network of Science and Technology Centres: http://www.aspacnet.org/
Association of Science-Technology Centres: http://www.astc.org/
Australasian Science and Technology Exhibitors Network: http://www.astenetwork.net/
British Interactive Group: http://www.big.uk.com/
Canadian Association of Science Centres: http://www.canadiansciencecentres.ca/
European Network of Science Centres and Museums: http://www.ecsite.eu/
North Africa and Middle East Science Centers Network: http://namesnetwork.org/
National Council of Science Museums: http://www.ncsm.org.in/
Network for the Popularisation of Science and Technology in Latin America and the Caribbean: http://www.redpop.org/
Southern African Association for Science and Technology Centres: http://www.saastec.co.za/
Cultural Policies: http://culturaincifre.istat.it/sito/musei/musei.htm
Touring Club Italiano: http://static.touring.it/store/document/19_file.pdf
UNESCO: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Culture/Pages/default.aspx
EGMUS: http://www.egmus.eu
Cultural Policies: http://www.culturalpolicies.net/web/index.php
Official Museum Directory: http://www.officialmuseumdirectory.com
American Association of Museums: http://www.aam-us.org/
International Council of Museums: http://icom.museum/

Museum Exhibitions change lives, maybe more than any other media. Sculpture, painting, film, dance, theater and music, all combined with the visitor into one experience.  I believe that museum exhibitions have the opportunity to change lives.

Friday, I visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum .   The building is non nondescript, I was struck by the brutality of the steel and concrete, the architecture is very abrupt and bunker like.  Visitors enter through metal detectors.   At the entrance is a picture of Stephen Tyrone Johns, I noticed the picture, but didn’t think much about it until I was leaving the museum (Officer Stephen Tyrone Johns, was killed at the Museum by an antisemite).

I started my visit on the lower level at “State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda”.  I was struck by the similarities between exhibition design and propaganda, both using, simple messages, theatrical tools, strong visuals, communicating the same message in different methods, repetition of messages and using crowds to build energy.  I am not suggesting the exhibitions are propaganda, but exhibition design does incorporate some of the tools of propaganda.

Next I visited “Daniel’s Story”, to me the exhibition looked dated.

Then I went upstairs to the second floor and visited “From Memory to Action: Meeting the Challenge of Genocide” a nice enough exhibition, although I was the most impressed by the call to action and the use of the Pen Scribe to record their pledges.

I was feeling as if I was missing part of the museum.  I had heard about the museum for years and I knew there was more to the museum.  I went to the information desk and “asked where is the main gallery?”  The docent gave me a map and directed me to the elevator to the left of the entrance.  The wall of the entrance to the elevator is clad is cor ten steel and very imposing. A floor staff memeber gave us an over view of what were we going to see on the three upper floors. The permananet exhibition “The Holocaust” is divided into three floors; “Nazi Assault,” “Final Solution,” and “Last Chapter.”

Starting on the forth floor,  the experience starts with, the “Nazi Assault”, then the third floor with “Final Solution,” then on the second floor with the “Last Chapter”. On the forth floor I was thinking, “okay this is a typical theatrical exhibition”. Then I smelled the odor of the interior of the rail car similar to those used to transport thousands of victims , smelled the leather of thousands of shoes of victims and I felt as if I was being manipulated, by the “Last Chapter”, I was changed.

Yes, I had been manipulated by the exhibition, but I learned to trust the authority of the museum and allowed myself to be changed.  I am a strong believer in the democratization of content, working in a transparent “open source” method and involving the visitor. But, there is no way this story can be told by anyone other than those that lived it. I do not want to hear the thoughts of others, I want exactly what the Museum provided, a clear, concise, well edited, factual, theatrical and life changing experience.  The museum and the Holocaust survivors are the authirity on the content, and we as visitors need to repect the history and the survivors.

I have never thought of walking as an interactive activity, but the museum uses the visitors journey through the museum  from the forth floor, third floor then to the second floor, as a tool to emotionally attach the visitor to the content.  When I was working at Liberty Science Center, we had a simple table top activity, visitors could move a tape head across recorded magnetic tape and hear the recorded sound.  By changing the perspective from moving the tape head, instead of  moving the tape, visitors understood the tape head “reads” information of the magnetic tape.  The Holocaust Museum uses a similar approach, instead of presenting us a theatrical show, we walk across the theater stage and become actors in the show. I loved the white spaces in between each floor, that allowed me to take a breath and go on to the next act in the “show”.  I enjoyed the use of art, included in the museum at each “pause” between the galleries.

“Gravity” by Richard Serra
“Consequence”  by Sol LeWitt
“Memorial” by Ellsworth Kelly

In “The Holocaust” galleries, there were children some as young as seven or eight.  Then I understood the need for “Daniel’s Story”, this content is not appropriate for children, but it is important to tell the Holocaust history and “Daniel’s Story” presents the content in a way kids can digest.

When leaving the museum, the brutal bunker architecture made sense , this is a Museum built to survive attacks.

When I reached the second floor of  ”The Holocasut” I was changed, I had become emotionally attached to the content.  To be honest I was overwhelmed and wanted to leave the museum. Before I left, I paused at the theater and listened to a Holocaust survivor describing seeing soldiers and taking off his wooden shoe to hit the soldier in the head, the soldier an American said , “I am here to save you, not kill you”.  I stood at the back of the theater and cried.

At the exit to “The Holocaust” gallery:

“First they came for the communists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Jew.

Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn’t speak out because I was Protestant.

Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.”

"Trends Map" from Now and Next

Weekly news about museum trends, museum planning, the future of museums and interactive kinetic sculpture for the week ending January 9, 2012.

Museum Planner Related:

Posted “2010 Top Art Museums”, part of research into “bricks and mortar” vs. online museum experience, Link
Posted “Getting Started in Museums”,Link
Museum Planner in 2012 Link
Just posted about my experience as a juror for the “2011 Solar Decathlon”, Link
Uploaded photos of Toyota Mobile Experience” consulted on interactive exhibits, Link
Just updated Museum Flight Simulator at museum – exhibits.com Link
Who is your favorite interactive kinetic sculptor?: Link

Working on Science Center Attendance:
Visitor Attractions Visits 2010 – Association of Leading Visitor Attractions Link

Trends, this week MIT free online education, smart phone apps, future of gaming, new media and the joy of quiet: 
Amazing !, M.I.T.x, Free Online Education For All, This is going to change everything, Link
Tate Modern Puts 121 Years Of Art History In The Palm Of Your Hand, Link
Reviews: four apps that look at objects, Link
Interesting overview, “Future of Gaming” Link
Self-generating Movie for Covent Garden Piazza, Link
The Disappearing Barriers Between Business And Nonprofits Are Driving Innovation, Link
Interesting article about digital collections, Link
Metropolitan Museum of Art and Google Goggles collaboration,Link,  Google Goggles Link
The Joy of Quiet, “how to stay ahead of the curve”, Link

Museum Reports:
Amazing report, “The Travel & Tourism Compeitiveness Report 2011″, Link
“Economic Impact Methodologies For the museums, libraries and archives sector”, Link
Interesting study, “The Impact of Science & Discovery Centres” A review of worldwide studies, Link
Just found a report created by the Whiteoak Institute for the American Association of Museums Link

Exhibition Openings:
Wonderful article in the New York Times review of ““ElectriCity: Powering New York’s Rails.”, Link
Exhibition: “The Art of Video Games” to open at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Link

Interactive Kinetic Art:
Nice work by Greg Pond, sound installation, Link
Wonderful list of Interactive Kinetic Sculptors, Link
Ars Electronica 2012, August 4th, Link

2011 Solar Decathlon

Last October I was invited to be a juror for the 2011 Solar Decathlon.  The Solar Decathlon is a semi-annual event (next Decathlon 2013) sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s – National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) .  I was selected as one of three jurors of the Communication Jury.  We were given the task of ranking the work of 20 international teams.  Each team was given very specific requirements to create a solar home.   The Communication jury was tasked with ranking, how the teams “communicate” their project to the public.

Being a juror gave me an opportunity to clarify my criteria for reviewing an exhibition.  The items I “looked for” from each team:

1.   Was there a communication objective?

• Did the project establish a brand?
• Was there a “Voice of communication”, did the team communicate in specific and fitting “voice”?
• Did the team create measurable objectives?

2.   Is there a visible strategy to achieve the objectives?

3.   Did the team use the tools of Museum 1.0 ?, 2.0?, 3.0?, 4.0 ?

It was very interesting sitting with the two other jurors and discussing how we ranked the teams.  The other two jurors were a Director of Marketing of a Prefab home company and a communications consultant.  One of the interesting items that came out of our deliberations was that the content of the projects was of less importance than “how” the team communicated their project.

As a jury we came up with a standard to judge the teams, “did the teams communicate in order to create a change in behavior”?  We were given a matrix to judge each team on several areas, most areas were very broad.  As I went through the houses, I took photos and looked for the typical tools of an exhibition, for each team I broke the visit into; Pre Visit, Visit and Post Visit.

Pre Visit

1. Did the website communicate; a project objective? a “voice” of communication?, was there “brand” established?,
2. Did the Video of project communicate the objectives?
3. Did the website and video show market research?
4. Was there an established Visitor Demographic?
5. Is there a stated “Communication Plan”?
6. Were there interviews with a sample of the demographic?
7. Were there clear “project filters” (link)
8. Was there a Press Release?
9. Did the website customize content to the viewer?

Visit

1. Did the guide provide “Talking Points” of the project?
2. Was it apparent that the staff was trained?
3. Was there a “Demonstrator of the technology”?
4. Were we oriented to the project?
5. Was there a Threshold (Link)
6. Is there a clear “Big Message”
7. Is there a hierarchy of Content?
8. Is there a “Call to action”?
9. What type of layout, linear? Chronological?, Exploratory? aware of different learning styles? Vista? Surprises? An overview of the entire project?
10. Was the “voice” of the communication? Was the “voice” consistent?
11. Did the communication “speak” to the demographic?
12. Did the project show feedback from the demographic?
13. Did the interpretation customize the interruption to different learning styles?
14. Did the team attire and attitude support the communication plan?
15. Demonstrations?
16. Did the team use physical interactives?
17. Were there team photos? Was it apparent that the project was built by a team ?
18. Did the project use Technology to communicate? Video, ipad, iphone, QR codes?
19. Was the communication innovative?
20. Did the project set a context for the content?
21. Was there a consistent use of font, color,
22. Are the exhibits ADA compliant?
23. Were there samples of the materials and technology used? Were there Manipulatives (wall sections, etc.) ?
24. Map, “where am I”?
25. Did the team collect visitor information?
26. Was there a physical model of how the technology works?
27. Photos of users, “oh I look like them” matching to demographic
28. Did the team incorporate quotes?
29. Was there interpretation of the content?
30. Was there a clear visitor flow?
31. As jurors we were not allowed to review electronic communication, but the teams were allowed to describe their use of electronic media

Post Visit

1. Did the project achieve the stated objective?
2. Did the website “continue” the visit and give links to additional content?
3. Was there a follow up “Call to action”?
4. Was there an opportunity to “Join the community”?
5. Was there an opportunity to Donate?
6. Was there a link to “Press Materials”?
7. Was there a communication plan available?

2011 Solar Decathlon Flickr Photos

museumplanner.org had a wonderful 2011 – Thank you all !

Accomplishments in 2011:

• Museum Planner has become the world’s most followed resource for Museum Planning and Exhibition Design (Alexa ranking)
• 2012 Museum Exhibition Cost Survey
• Continue to define the best practices of museum planning and exhibition design
• “Museums are Hospitality” most followed post to date on AAM Linkedin
• Hub Museum concept better defined
• “Connecting with the Muses”
• Phases of museums, “Future of Interactivity”
• Continue to answer the “Fequently asked questions”
• Launch of museum-exhibits.com
• Launched Museum News Links, weekly museum news updates, link for weekly email
• Launched Museum Planner on Facebook
• Launched Museum Planner on Twitter
• Linkedin Group Sculpture Science & Museums
• Alcatraz: Life on the Rock opened at Ellis Island
• Trans Studio opened
• Solar Decathlon 2011 juror
• 2011 Best Exhibitions

Plans for 2012

• 2012 Museum Exhibition Cost Survey
• Top Museums 2011 Report
• 2012 Best Exhibitions
• Weekly “Museum Trends”, oriented to museum planning, the future of museum exhibitions, interactive sculpture, trends in museums,
• One post per week on, museum planning, exhibition design and the future of museums
• Mark Walhimer Exhibition Design, LLC to become Museum Planner, LLC
• More content on kinetic sculpture
• More content on “Museum 4.0″
• museum-exhibits.com at ASTC
• museum-exhibits.com to become the internets most respected website for “off the shelf exhibits and interactive sculpture”
• Interactive sculpture installed at a museum
• First draft of a book on museum planning
• “Museum U“ - set up online museum class content
• Apply for Hub Museum as a NFS Grant
• Science Center project
• Set up on line resource for “Museum Satisfaction”
• Continued success of “Alcatraz: Life on the Rock”
• More great clients in 2012 !

Thank you for the great year!  Looking forward to completing more research on the topic of Museum Planning & Exhibition Design at museumplanner.org and working with more great clients in 2012.

~Mark Walhimer
Museum Planner

*  Getty listed as Getty Center Only (Getty Center: 1,205,685 visitors; Getty Villa: 405,710 visitors)

I am becoming more interested in comparing “bricks and mortar” museum attendance as compared to the on line museum experience.  As a first step, researched top Art Museum attendance and Art Museum exhibition attendance. As next steps I will create similar attendance information for Science Centers, Children’s Museums, Natural History Museums and Corporate Museums and compare their attendance to their online visitation.

Notes:

Data used was supplied by the museums.  Many museums have one ticket for the entire museum and cannot provide individual attendance for temporary exhibitions. Institutions offering a number of exhibitions for a single ticket, are shown as one entry. Institutions with more than one building included separate museum attendance figures for each venue.

Data Source:
The Art Newspaper, April 2011, “Exhibition & Museum Attendance Figures 2010″

Yes, working in museums is a career.  Below is a comprehensive listing of schools for museum design, exhibition design and museum studies.

One of the most frequently asked questions about the museum field is “how do I get started”?   Many people in the museum field either studied, Museum Studies, Art History, Fine Art or Design.  Those who progress to working as senior staff often go back to school for a Master of Business Administration.

Areas of study for museum positions:
Curator – Museum Studies / Art History / Fine Art
Exhibition Designer / Director of Exhibitions – Industrial Design / Set Design / Fine Art
Educator / Director of Education – Psychology / Early Childhood Education / Museum Studies
Director – Art History / Business / Museum Studies
Registrar – Museum Studies / Art History / Fine Art
Volunteer Manager / Docent Manager – Art History / Marketing / Education
Historian – Advanced degree in their area of expertise
Marketing / Director of Marketing – Marketing / Graphic Design
Botanist, Scientist, Physicist, Paleontologist – Advanced degree in their area of expertise
Development Director- Philanthropy / Museum Studies / Marketing / Public Relations
Marketing Director – Marketing / Communications
Operations Manager – Technical School / Contractors License
Book Keeper / Chief Financial Officer – Business / Accounting

There are people woking at museums who did not study in the areas outlined above. To work at a museum you don’t “have to” follow the career path above, but it helps.

I often find my self in meetings with people from outside the museum field who make comments such as; “museums are no different than any other business” or “museums need to be more like a businesses”.  Then I find myself in the uncomfortable position of saying “yes, museums are  “in business” and yes, museums could learn from typical business practices.  But, museums are not a “business” and museums are different than a business”.  The objective of a business is to be profitable, the objective of a museum is to communicate (link to museum definition).  Museums need to stay “in business” but profit is not their objective.  I would recommend anyone interested in working in museums to seek out a good program in the their area of interest.  I find It very helpful to be immersed in the culture of museums prior to working at a museum. The best museum programs, have professors who work for or at a museum and can introduce students to the museum culture.

I have put together a list of the Museum Studies, Museum Education and Museum Exhibition Design programs.  Thank you all to those that help with completing the list!  Please contact me if I have omitted any programs.

Museum Studies/Museology

Arizona State University
B.A. in Museum Studies
http://art.asu.edu/museumstudies/

Baylor University
Degree: B.A., B.S., and M.A. in Museum Studies
http://www.baylor.edu/Museum_Studies/

Brown University
Degree: M.A. in Public Humanities
http://www.brown.edu/Research/JNBC/maprogram.php

Chadron State College
Degree: B.A. in Applied History with a Museum Studies Major
http://www.csc.edu/socialsci/museum/degrees.csc

Cooperstown Graduate Program
Degree: M. A in History Museum Studies
http://www.oneonta.edu/academics/cgp/curriculum/curriculum.html

Florida International University
Degree: Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies
http://thefrost.fiu.edu/edu_studies.htm

George Washington University
Degree: M.A. in Museum Studies
http://programs.columbian.gwu.edu/museumstudies/

Harvard University Extension School
Degree: M.L.A. in Museum Studies
http://www.extension.harvard.edu/degrees-certificates/museum-studies

Indiana University – Purdue
Degree: M.A. degree in Museum Studies
http://liberalarts.iupui.edu/mstd/

Institute of American Indian Arts
Degree: Associate of Fine Arts, B.A. in Museum Studies
http://www.iaia.edu/academics/degree-programs/museum-studies/

Johns Hopkins University
Degree: MA in Museum Studies
http://advanced.jhu.edu/academic/museum/

John F. Kennedy University
Degree: M.A. in Museum Studies
http://www.jfku.edu/Programs-and-Courses/College-of-Graduate-Professional-Studies/Museum-Studies.html

New York University
Degree: M.A. in Museum Studies
http://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/fineart/academics/curatorial.htm

San Francisco State University
Degree: M.A. in Museum Studies
http://www.sfsu.edu/~museumst/

Seton Hall University
Degree: M.A. in Museum Professions
http://www.shu.edu/academics/artsci/ma-museum-professions/

Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
Degree: Undergraduate Special Bachelor Degree
http://www.museum.siu.edu/studies.html

Southern University at New Orleans
Degree: M.A. in Museum Studies and Cultural Preservation
http://www.suno.edu/Colleges/Museum/

Syracuse University
Degree: M.A. in Museum Studies
http://vpa.syr.edu/art-design/design/graduate/museum-studies

Texas Tech University
Degree: M.A. in Museum Science
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/museumttu/program.html

Tusculum College
Degree: B.A. in Museum Studies
http://www2.tusculum.edu/museumstudiesprogram/

University of Central Oklahoma
Degree: B.A. / M.A. in History and Museum Studies
http://www.libarts.uco.edu/history/Undergraduates.htm#History_-_Museum_Studies

University of Colorado, Boulder
Degree: M.S. in Museology
http://www.colorado.edu/catalog/catalog10-11/courses/museumandfieldstudies.html

University of Denver
Degree: M.A. in Art History with Museum Studies Concentration
http://www.du.edu/art/programs/MAahMuseum.html

University of Florida
Degree: M.A. in Museum Studies
http://www.arts.ufl.edu/programs/museumstudies.aspx

University of Illinois at Chicago
Degree: Professional Certification Museum Studies (graduate and undergraduate)
http://www.uic.edu/depts/arch/ah/museumstudies.shtml

University of Kansas
Degree: M.A. in Museum Studies
http://www2.ku.edu/~distinction/cgi-bin/overview146

University of Leicester (UK)
MA/MSc and PhD programs in Museum Studies
http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/museumstudies

University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Degree: B.A. in Art History and Museum Studies
http://www.uncg.edu/art/undergraduate/history

University of Oklahoma
Degree: M.A. in Liberal Studies, Museum Studies Option (100% Online)
http://www.ou.edu/content/cls/aud/prospective_students/graduate_programs/museum.html

University of Oregon
Degree: A Master of Arts Management
http://aad.uoregon.edu/programs/degrees

University of South Florida
Degree: Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies
http://www.gradcerts.usf.edu/certificates/xms.html

University of Washington
Degree: M.A. in Museology
http://depts.washington.edu/uwmuse/

Virginia Commonwealth University
Degree: M.A. in Museum Studies
http://www.pubapps.vcu.edu/bulletins/prog_search/?did=20153

Walsh University, North Canton, Ohio
Degree: BA Museum Studies
http://www.walsh.edu/museumstudies.htm

Museum Anthropology
Arizona State University
Degree: M.A. in Museum Anthropology
http://shesc.asu.edu/node/316

Columbia University
Degree: M.A. in Museum Anthropology
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/anthropology/graduate/main/index/museum_anthro.html

Museum Communication
University of the Arts
Degree: M.A. in Museum Communication
http://www.uarts.edu/academics/visual-arts/ma-museum-communication

Philanthropy
Indiana University at Purdue
Degree: Master of Arts in Philanthropic Studies
http://www.philanthropy.iupui.edu/education/grad.aspx

Museum Education
Bank Street College
Degree: M.S. in Leadership in Museum Education
http://www.bnkst.edu/graduate-school/academics/programs/museum-education-overview/

George Washington University
Degree: M.A. Teaching in Museum Education
http://gsehd.gwu.edu/programs/mep/masters

Tufts University
Degree: M.A. in Museum Education
http://ase.tufts.edu/museumstudies/masters.asp

University of the Arts
Degree: M.A. in Museum Education
http://www.uarts.edu/academics/visual-arts/ma-museum-education

Museum Exhibition and Design
Art Center
Degree: Master Industrial Design
http://www.artcenter.edu/accd/programs/graduate/industrial_design.jsp

CCA
Degree: Bachelor of Fine Art
http://www.cca.edu/academics/industrial-design

Cooper Union
Degree: Bachelor of Architecture
http://cooper.edu/architecture

The Corcoran College
Degree: MA Exhibit Design
http://www.corcoran.edu/degree-programs/graduate/ma-exhibition-design

Fashion Institute of Technology (S.U.N.Y.)
Degree: M.A. in Exhibition Design
http://www.fitnyc.edu/2868.asp

MIT
Degree: Master of Media Arts and Sciences
http://www.media.mit.edu/about

Pratt Institute
Degree: Master of Industrial Design
http://www.pratt.edu/academics/art_design/art_grad/industrial_design_grad/

Royal College of Art
Degree: Master of Arts, Design Interaction
http://www.rca.ac.uk/Default.aspx?ContentID=161712

NYU
Degree: Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S.) degree
http://itp.tisch.nyu.edu/object/itp_overview.html

San Francisco Art Institute
Degree: M.A. in Museum Exhibition and Museum Studies
http://www.sfsu.edu/~museumst/

Sci-Arch
Degree: Bachelor of Architecture
http://www.sciarc.edu/portal/programs/undergraduate/index.html

University of the Arts
Degree: M.A. in Museum Exhibition, Planning and Design
http://www.uarts.edu/academics/design

University of California, Davis
Exhibition Design, BA
http://design.ucdavis.edu/

Collections Management
Eastern Illinois University
Degree: M.A. in Historical Administration
http://catalog.eiu.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=11&poid=1275

Curatorial Studies/Curatorial Practice
Bard College
Degree: M.A. in Curatorial Studies
http://www.bard.edu/graduate/

California College of the Arts
Degree: M.A. in Curatorial Practice
http://www.cca.edu/academics/graduate/curatorial-practice

Curatorial Studies/Curatorial Practice
Brigham Young University
Degree: B.A. in Art History and Curatorial Studies
http://visualarts.byu.edu/programs/ma_art_history.php

California College of the Arts
Degree: M.A. in Curatorial Practice
http://www.cca.edu/academics/graduate/visual-critical-studies/curatorial-practice

Certificates
California State University at San Bernardino
Degree: Undergraduate Certificate in Museum Studies
http://www.csusb.edu/majorsdegrees/undergraduate/baAnthropology/CertificatePrograms.aspx

Indiana University at Purdue
Degree: Undergraduate Certificate in Museum Studies
http://liberalarts.iupui.edu/mstd/index.php/undergraduate

Northern Illinois University
Degree: Certificate in Museum Studies
http://www.niu.edu/mstudies/

Northwestern University
Degree: Certificate in Museum Studies
http://www.niu.edu/mstudies/

Smith College
Degree: Certificate in Museum Studies
http://www.smith.edu/siams/

University of Iowa
Degree: Certificate in Museum Studies
http://www.uiowa.edu/~mstudies/MuseumStudiesCertificate.htm

University of Oregon
Degree: Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies
http://aad.uoregon.edu/programs/certificates/museum-studies-certificate

University of South Carolina
Degree: Certificate in Museum Management
http://www.cas.sc.edu/mcks/museummgmt/

University of Tulsa
Degree: Certificate in Museum Studies
http://www.utulsa.edu/academics/colleges/Henry-Kendall-College-of-Arts-and-Sciences/Certificates/Museum%20Studies.aspx

Utah State University
Degree: Certificate in Museum Studies
http://www.usu.edu/degrees/index.cfm?id=209

Canadian Programs
Association of Manitoba Museums, Winnipeg
Degree: Professional Certificate in Museum Practice
http://www.museumsmanitoba.com/courses/index.html

Alberta Museums Association, Edmonton
Degree:Certificate in Museum Practice
http://www.museums.ab.ca/what-we-do/professional-development/certificate-in-museums-studies.aspx

Museums Association of Saskatchewan, Regina
Degree: Professional Certificate in Museum Studies
http://www.saskmuseums.org/professional_development

Ryerson University
Program: This is a joint program in Photographic Preservation & Collections Management
Degree: M.A. in Photographic Preservation; Collections Management
http://www.imagearts.ryerson.ca/photopreservation/program.html

Sir Sandford Fleming College, Peterborough
Degree: Certificate in Museum Studies
http://www.flemingc.ca/programs/museum-management-and-curatorship

University of Calgary
Degree: Minor in Museum and Heritage Studies
http://arts.ucalgary.ca/departments-programs/museum-and-heritage-studies

Université de Montréal
Degree: M.A. in Museology
http://www.etudes.umontreal.ca/index_fiche_prog/213110_desc.html

University of Toronto
Degree: Degree of Master of Museum Studies (MMSt)
http://www.ischool.utoronto.ca/degrees/mmst

University of Victoria
Degree: Graduate Professional Certificate (GPC)
http://www.uvcs.uvic.ca/cultural/graduate/

Resources:
Smithsonian listing of museum study programs:
http://museumstudies.si.edu/training.html

LinkedIn thread regarding the best schools for museum studies

*I studied Fine Art at Skidmore College (Bachelor Science, Fine Art) and Industrial Design at Pratt Institute (Master Industrial Design)

Photo: Robert Motherwell, “Elegy to the Spanish Republic, 108″ 1965-1967, Collection of MOMA, Photo by Mark Walhimer 2011

Happy Holidays!  Wishing you all the best in 2012.

~ Mark

Photo of snow flake by Kenneth G. Libbrect, Ph.D., Professor of Physics at CalTech, photo copyright snowcrystals.com

Museum Planner:

A year ago we started work on a 15,000 square foot start up Science Center. This Science Center had neither the time nor the budget to go through the typical museum design process; so I suggested a different approach…“A Better way to create museum exhibitions?”

Proposing a session at ASTC 2012 “Off the shelf exhibits rally”, using a “PechaKucha” like format. Each artist or exhibit supplier will have two minutes to discuss their exhibit (needs to be a stand alone piece) with a maximum of five slides.
Send Me an Email to be included

Trends, this week I found several really nice online museum exhibitions and a “Pop up Museum”:

New exhibition at Adobe Museum of Digital Media “Journey to Seven Light Bay”, by Mariko Mori, fantastic!,Link

Nicely put together virtual museum, Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum, NYT Article , Online Museum Link

Phoenix Design Museum opens “hosts limited engagement exhibitions”, love it! “Pop up Museums” this is the future people!, Link

Guggenheim and AMNH to include iphone apps with exhibitions, Link

Very cool !, 3D holographic visualization, Link

Too cool! Google maps adds interiors to Google Maps, Link

Faraday Curtain by Loop.pH, for “Waste Not, Want It” made out of Bloomberg’s waste, Article Link Designer Link

Museum / Exhibition Openings:

Bruce Munro, “Field of Light” at the Holburne Museum, beautiful! Link

NYT review of the SFMOMA expansion,Link

Guggenheim Abu Dhabi “on hold”, Link

Architect of the expansion of SFMOMA, Snøhetta releases images of expansion, Link

Cooper-Hewitt completes $54M capital campaign, Link

Cai Guo-Qiang exhibition of his signature gunpowder drawings to opening at Arab Museum of Modern Art, Link

News of interest:

NEA announces $3,681,000 in CA grants, listing of CA awards, Link

California Association of Museums, survey on legal issues for museums, Link

Are you getting ready for Robogames 2012? Great event at the San Mateo Event Center , April 21st and April 22nd, Link

* 2009 Trends Map by Now and Next,  http://nowandnext.com/PDF/trend_blend_2009_map.pdf

A year ago we started work on a 15,000 square foot start up Science Center.  Most Science Centers cost approximately $350-$500 per sq. ft. (see 2011 exhibition cost survey).  This Science Center had neither the time nor the budget to go through the typical museum design process; prototyping, value engineering, fabrication and installation process.  I suggested an “off the shelf” process.  We would create schematic designs of the areas of the science center, create a storyline for each area, suggest several iconic exhibits, create an a color palette, then go and look for new or used existing exhibits that would work within the developed frame work.  Using this methodology, we set a budget of $1.2 m for 15,000 square feet ($80 per square foot).  For the $1.2 m, we took the project through 50% design development, purchased the exhibits, managed the project, shipped the exhibits and exhibition installation.   We were able to design, purchase, deliver and install the exhibits in less than one year at a significantly lower cost.

In the process of working for the client we developed www.museum-exhibits.com as an internal website for tracking exhibits and vendors.  Along the way we realized that museum-exhibits had greater potential than just internal uses.  In the past I have written about the concept of the Hub Museum, museums that share resources.  We realized that museum-exhibits had become a curated “clearing house” for resources.  As museum-exhibits.com was developed for internal use it is a work in progress, but I now feel confident to share the site and ask for feedback.  I have now made www.museum-exhibits.com a public website.  As a follow up to this post I am interested in feedback on the website and will create an online survey.  I am also interested in suggestions for exhibits, sculptures and materials from vendors, and museum suppliers to be included.  Please use the vendor form to make suggestions.

museum-exhibits.com is an online resource for educational exhibits for museums, science centers, children’s museums, zoos and natural history museums.  The website content includes “off the shelf” exhibits, specialty effects and interactive kinetic sculpture for family learning environments.

“Off the Shelf” Exhibit Definition:

An already existing museum exhibit.   A proven museum / science center exhibit available for shipping within 6-12 weeks of contract signing.  Includes, one year warranty, maintenance manual, listing of replacement parts and electrical requirements.