This week I talk with Orna Cohen, an exhibit designer, about the factors that have contributed to the success of her groundbreaking exhibition “Dialogue in the Dark.”

Conversation in the Light

Monica Montgomery and I will talk about her current projects and her consulting practice that helps museums address their diversity issues.

Museums of Impact

Dean Krimmel

Dean and I will be talking about the Small Museum Association in anticipation of their upcoming annual conference and get a preview of Dean’s session about interpreting slavery.

A Conversation with Dean Krimmel

Richard Conniff will be my guest this week to discuss his recent book “House of Lost Worlds.” Along with telling the fascinating history of the Peabody Museum of Natural History, Richard shed light on the role natural history museums have played in science education and environmental awareness.

House of Lost Worlds

There is no argument that many museums were founded by privileged elites who were driven by a variety of motives. Does this mean that museums are bound by their origins? Join the conversation this week as Paula Santos and I wrestle with this question.

Dealing with Privilege

Join me this week for a fun and fact-filled discussion with Matthew Tarr, Director of Digital Architecture at the American Museum of Natural History. Matthew will share his thoughts about digital trends and the strategies he is using to the keep the American Museum nimble in an ever-changing digital landscape.

Digital Architecture

I am pleased to be talking with Devon Akmon, director of the Arab American National Museum about the importance of building community and the challenges of addressing the needs of both a national and local audience.

The Arab American National Museum

Liz Neely

As the Senior Director of Integrated Content at the American Alliance of Museums and former president of MCN, Liz Neely has a lot to say about how digital technologies are changing the way museums create and maintain their communities. Listen to this great discussion.

Meet Liz Neely

Are museums embarking on a never-ending technology arms race?  Must museums implement cutting-edge technologies to remain relevant to our audiences?  How can museums sustain a digital presence with ever-dwindling resources?  Are these even the right questions to be asking? Join the conversation as Nik Honeysett puts these and other digital issues into the context of innovation, risk and leadership.

Encore: Digital Dilemmas

As part of our technical series, this week I will be talking with Steve Haas acoustical designer and president of SH Acoustics. Steve will explain why acoustical design is vital to a quality museum experience and share a few examples from his current work. While not every museum professional can be an acoustical expert, Steve will provide helpful vocabulary so that we can all talk with one!

Museum Sound Design

Museums attract millions of visitors and employ thousands. The Museum Life, hosted by Carol Bossert, charts the growth and development of this cultural business. Museum Life showcases leaders in the field who provide perspective on current issue as well as creative thinkers who are impacting the future of museums.

The Museum Life

What can the business community teach the cultural sector about diversity? Stephanie Cunningham, Curator of Education at the African American Museum in Philadelphia will share her thoughts on this topic and discuss her upcoming projects.

On Diversity

Why do museums continue to struggle with implementing universal design? The Americans with Disability Act is twenty-five years old, yet we still find exhibitions that are inaccessible for one reason (or many reasons). Join Janice Majewski, Director of Inclusive Cultural and Educational Projects at the Institute for Human Centered Design and Clare Brown, Professor of Exhibition Design at George Washington University for a discussion about the importance of incorporating universal design in all exhibitions intended for people and how we are training a new generation of designers to understand that addressing ADA issues is a central part of their design process.

Revisiting Universal Design

What can museums learn from social movements?  How can museum studies programs address the inequities in the museum field and equip museum workers to think critically about the role of museums in creating a just society?  Therese Quinn, Director of Museum and Exhibition Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago, will share her perspective on these questions and describe a new vision for what it means to be a museum professional.

Radical Museum Studies

Massive multimillion dollar projects garner attention and press, but does more money mean better exhibitions? This week I will be talking with Cory Rodeheaver and Pete Salmon from Taylor Studios about storytelling on a budget and how small organizations can make big impacts in their communities.

Good Design on a Budget

May is AAM month on Museum Life in honor of the upcoming annual meeting of the American Alliance of Museums May 18 – 21 in Seattle, Washington. Today’s guest, Greg Stevens, has directed the AAM professional development program since 2007, addressing career, management and leadership development for the field. He is the creator of AAM’s successful online programs, the AAM Career Café and Museum Career Labs. Greg is the co-editor with Wendy Luke of the best-selling book, A Life in Museums: Managing Your Museum Career now in its fourth printing, and most recently wrote the afterword in the new AAM publication, Teaching the Museum: Careers in Museum Education. On today’s show, Greg will talk about his own career path, the changing nature of museum careers and how professionals can stay nimble and engaged—in their institutions, in their communities and in the field.

A Museum Career

At the turn of the 20th century, librarian and museum maverick John Cotton Dana wrote, “A good museum attracts, entertains, arouses curiosity, leads to questioning –and thus promotes learning.” But what exactly is learning in a museum context?  And how do—or can—museums promote it?  What is the responsibility of the museum to fulfill  its promise to be an institution that promotes learning?  This week’s program of The Museum Life examines these question with educator, writer and critical thinker, David Carr.  The discussion will follow David’s “Ten Lessons and One Rule,” published in The Promise of Cultural Institutions. We will discuss what we mean by learners, what kinds of learning takes place in museums and how museums and other cultural institutions can inadvertently stifle learning.

Museum Promise

Food is a universal language and my guest, Michelle Moon, believes museum goers are ready to be engaged through refined interpretation of food. In her new book, “Interpreting Food at Museums and Historic Sites,” she explores food as a serious topic for museum exhibits.

Food on Exhibit

People are motivated to visit museums for many different reasons, but there seems to be the one thing they have in common:  curiosity.  What makes someone curious?  Why is curiosity important? Can you measure curiosity? This week’s program will take up this topic with guest Susie Wilkening, a senior consultant and curator of museum audiences. Susie will share her research and insights about the topic of curiosity and why museums should embrace their role as places that can nurture curiosity.

Cultivating the Curious Learner

The works that an artist creates is only part of their story. Their diaries, letters and even their emails provide insights into how the artist works, overcomes challenges and maintains creativity. Join me this week as I talk with Josh Franco the Latino Collections Specialist at the Archives of American Art who is responsible for developing the collection related to Latino artists.

Completing the Picture

If you want to learn about cutting edge digital practices and find applications for the museum field, the Museums and the Web conference is the place to be. From webmasters to educators, from designers to curators, the conference attracts people from around the world. Neal Stimler, Digital Asset Specialist at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, attended this year’s MW conference and will share the high points and tell us about new trends and hot topics in the digital world.

Museums and the Web Conference: Where Hi-Tech and Museums Meet

Imagining America is an organization of publicly engaged artists, designers, scholars and community activists dedicated to the democratic transformation of higher education and civic life. They address issues of social justice, inclusion and community engagement in higher education, issues similar to those faced by the museum community. In fact, Imagining America partners with museums and cultural leadership to create stronger communities.  Join me this week as I talk with the faculty co-directors Timothy Eatman and Scott Peters about this inspiring and insightful organization.

Encore: Imagining America

We talk a lot about the importance of museum leadership, especially as we strive to create relevant and sustainable organizations in tough economic times. What are the key characteristics of a good leader?  Can leadership be taught?  Where will the next generation of museums leaders from?  Join the discussion with John Durel, a thought leader in museum leadership. John Durel is active in developing future museum leaders. He directs the Seminar for Historical Administration, the premier leadership development program for emerging leaders in history organizations. He also teaches an online course on leadership of museums in the Johns Hopkins University Masters in Museum Studies program.

Museum Leadership

We talk a lot about how museums can support social agendas, but seem to be short on examples. This week Peter Armstrong shares powerful examples from his own projects at the Royal Armories in England and how he is applying this experience to illuminate stories about immigration and liberty at the Jamestown and Yorktown Museum.

Museums and Social Action

MuseumNext is Europe’s major conference on the future of museums. It attracts the most advance thinkers from around the world and challenges attendees to tackle the big issues of today to help “future proof” their organizations. Alin Tocmacov of C&amp;G Partners will report on conference activities, emerging trends and surprises. We’ll discuss his favorite session and lessons he’s going to incorporate into his design practice.

Takeaways from the MuseumNext Conference

A new museum project might be a great idea, but is it feasible?  What is the right mix of mission and market?  What are the trends in museum planning today and how should a feasibility study be approached?  Bill Owens, principal of Owens Economics, LLC will help us answer these and other questions related to the economic side of our business.

Museum Economics

Ronna Tulgan Ostheimer, education director at the Clark, will share her philosophy about art education and how a seemingly simple shift in emphasis has inspired the development of timely programs that engage audiences in meaningful dialogue about difficult subjects.

Teaching with Art

Museums do creative work, but is creativity relegated to the exhibit designer and art curator? Can the registrar and operations manager be creative in their work?  We know what a creative culture looks like at Google and Apple, Inc., but what would a creative culture look like in a museum? How will we know it when we see it? This week’s guest Linda Norris will bring together the threads of recent shows related to creativity, leadership and governance.

Building a Creative Culture

If you have gone through a building renovation, used an outside consultant to help with a project or been that outside consultant, you are probably familiar with the formal process of soliciting proposals and qualifications.  This week I’ll be talking with Barbara Punt, founder of Punt Consulting Group, about this process as well as other aspects of project management that make the difference between a project that one simply lives through and one that honors the humanity of all participants.

Project Management and RFPs

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Best Episodes: Interesting Stories & Things

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