Take a Chance
What happens when you take a chance and try something new? The resources we recommend this month explore reflections on failure, an intriguing program that puts visitors in artists’ shoes, and co-creating exhibits with the community.
What’s Making Us Curious?
HANNAH’S PICK
Why Digital Projects Fail
“I’m still thinking about digital advisor and strategist Ash Mann’s May report, ‘Beyond the Promise: Looking at Why and How Digital Projects in the Cultural Sector Fail.’ One recommendation is to foster reflection as an organization-wide cultural value so that everyone can learn from past mistakes—even failures. I appreciate that he frames staff’s ability to fail and take risks as a shared responsibility, asking: ‘Do we have permission (from leadership, funders, ourselves) to test, adapt, and even fail safely?’”
LINA’S PICK
Connecting Visitors to Artistic Thinking
“This initiative by the National Gallery of Australia seems like a great way for museums to engage visitors and artists alike. Through what the museum calls ‘Creative Conversations,’ an artist shares their studio process with visitors, followed by a workshop. Part of what makes the event unique is that visitors are encouraged to think like the artist. Being able to engage visitors with an artist that is featured at the museum seems like such a fun way to create lasting connections.”
AMANDA’S PICK
Science on a Shoestring Budget
“I love hearing from our colleagues about what they are up to during the Visitor Studies Association conference each year. Julia Nee’s presentation on Abundance Framing in Evaluation presented a case study of the Exploratorium’s collaboration with the Community Science Workshops network to co-create DIY Exhibits, aka EXHIBLETS!!! Exhiblets is my new favorite word, but hard to spell.”
New on the Learning Hub
What’s New At Kera?
Stephanie is headed to the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) conference in Cincinnati from September 10–13! She’s looking forward to connecting with colleagues across the history and museum fields and sharing some early results from AASLH’s National Survey of History Practitioners. If you’re attending, be sure to say hello!
Cathy has joined the Board of Directors of the Visitor Studies Association! Over the next two years, she’ll bring her expertise to strategic communications as part of this dynamic working board. Congratulations, Cathy!
New season, new projects! This fall, we’re diving into focus groups with Brooklyn Botanic Garden to help tell the story of the Greenest Block in Brooklyn, their long-running community program. We’re also analyzing data from the American Association for State and Local History’s National Survey of History Practitioners, which looks at key issues shaping today’s public history workforce. And we’re continuing to lead capacity building and evaluation for the Association for Science and Technology Centers’ Voya STEM Futures grantmaking program.
We recently wrapped up two exciting projects: front-end evaluation to help Gallaudet University shape a new documentary on deaf people’s contributions to the Space Race and a summative evaluation of visitor experiences in the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center’s Sightlines: Chinatown and Beyond exhibition. We’re proud to support projects like these that amplify important and underrepresented stories.
Moment of Wonder
“My husband and I recently biked from Burlington, Vermont to the Colchester Causeway—a former railway line that stretches like a thin arm into Lake Champlain. This one-of-a-kind ride had us feeling as though we were floating on water. While the trail reaches toward the Champlain Islands, there's a 200-foot break to allow boats to pass. Enter my favorite part of the journey: the bike ferry! This charming little boat whisked us across the gap and made an already magical ride unforgettable."
— Cathy
