Re-envisioning exhibition design – planning meeting
Friday, August 25, 2017 – National Museum of American History, Washington D.C.
Planning team:
Patricia Austin, PhD Supervisor & Research Leader, Central St. Martins, University of the Arts, London Clare Brown, Chief of Design, National Museum of American History, Washington D.C. Tim McNeil, Professor & Design Museum Director, University of California, Davis Participants: Academic and professional representatives from the design/exhibition/museum field. Agenda: The purpose of this planning forum was two-fold: (1) discuss the next re-XD summit in Washington D.C. with a focus on serendipitous use, (2) brainstorm future re-XD summits, locations and themes. Topics Discussed: The discussion opened with the topic of serendipitous use and how spaces, places and objects change beyond their intended purpose and for the better. The theme of the “unexpected” and “resiliency” - an important and ideal theme to explore in Washington D.C. rose to the surface for further consideration. A general consensus was that speakers should include NON-museum people: scientists, technologists, economists, ethicists, inventors, artists, community organizers, urban planners, teachers, children, performers, actors, and improv to learn from one another and truly embrace the unexpected. The discussion focused on two main questions: 1) What does serendipity look like in exhibition and experiential design? 2) Can the design process of fast associative thinking, creative problem solving, spotting and building on unexpected challenges or opportunities, help museums to be more responsive and nimble in a rapidly changing world? |
Attendees:
Rachel Abrams, ARUP Andreas Albrecht, UC Davis, Cosmology Tricia Austin, Central Saint Martins, Narrative Environments Amelie Bahlsen, National Museum of American History Clare Brown, National Museum of American History Nigel Briggs, National Museum of American History Michael Burns, Omnimuseum Project Eric Christiansen, SI Exhibits Naomi Crellin, Storycraft Creative Jennifer Daniels, National Zoo Jerry Eisterhold, Eisterhold Associates Elaine Gurian, Museum Group Jonathan Healey, Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Georgetown University Jaya Kaveeshwar, National Museum of American History Tim McNeil, UC Davis, Exhibition Design / Design Museum Paul Orselli, Paul Orselli Workshop Raj Patel, ARUP Justin Plakas, GWU, Corcoran School of the Arts & Design Clive Roux, Society for Experiential Graphic Design (SEGD) Erica Wortham, GW University, Anthropology Photos from this event |