That’s SO Big!

While oooh-ing and aaw-ing up at this giraffe inside Mammals Hall at the Harvard Museum of Natural History I overheard several delighted and wonderstruck little voices exclaim slowly, as if their voices could hardly keep up with what their eyes were taking in, “Wow, that is so BIG!” The pure amazement that spread across their round beaming faces meant, yes – this is a memorable experience. And it was for me too. Standing next to this giraffe I realized just how tall one of these guys or gals really is. Turns out I’m only slightly taller than a giraffe’s kneecap. Walking amongst my fellow mammals I realized, wow – I’m so . . . small.

Spellman Museum of Stamps and Postal History

Sunday afternoon at this obscure little stamp museum in Weston, MA and surprisingly we were not the only visitors, although it may appear that way from this picture.

There’s nothing fancy about this museum. But it manages to do many things quite well. The staff was incredibly welcoming and enthusiastic. Enthusiasm, like yawning, is contagious. The power of a smiling staff is sometimes underestimated, especially when all the energy is poured into showcasing the latest technology or a blockbuster shows. Of course, both can be done well, but I think at times the personalized touch is sacrificed, although it has equal influence on the quality of experience.

The Spellman Museum also has great activities. Such as the Louis Braille Bicentennial Exhibit Stamp Hunt. Kids were digging it. I did too. The reward – a bookmark made of stamps, of course!

I also really enjoyed pawing through buckets of stamps, examining these tiny works of art and celebrations of history. And each stamp in the tupperware bins cost only 2 cents to take home.

A History of the World in 100 Objects

I get tired in big museums. Really, for some reason I always yawn as soon as I walk in the door.  It’s not that  I don’t enjoy them, it’s just that I want to see it all and I know that’s impossible. To conquer “bigness” and the avoid museum fatigue I like to seek out a unique, contained, experience rather than running around attempting to see the entire museum and instead absorbing very little. So, when I saw a pamphlet at the British Museum titled, A History of the World in 100 Objects I quickly scanned the brochure for a map of the gallery where I could see the show.

Well, no gallery. Turns out the objects are scattered throughout the museum, and as I said it’s no small museum. Talk about museum fatigue. The experience lost its appeal and I decided to make a b-line for the Elgin Marbles and the Rosetta Stone. But I was still curious about the program’s execution so I sought out one object on the list to find out what the visitor pay-off was. I chose a sculpture from the Parthenon and when I found it, in Room 18, I was sad to discover no interpretation at all indicating it was part of the 100 object theme. I felt like a kid on an easter egg hunt who finally finds the plastic egg, cracks it open, only to discover there’s no chocolate inside.

I like the idea of a focused exhibit of artifacts reflecting one perspective on the history of the world – it’s very compelling. However, as a visitor I would like to see the objects side-by-side, accompanied by interpretation supporting the theme. And if they can’t be together then I want some kind of reward when I find the object – a reward can be as simple as a graphic with interpretation about how this object supports the theme and why it was selected. To be fair, the History of the World in 100 Objects program is also part of a BBC radio broadcast and a website with photos of the artifacts – so there’s lots of interpretation, it’s just not in the museum.

Rodin Museum, Philadelphia.

After spending many hours just around the corner at the Franklin Institute, where noisy exhibits and loud school groups rule, I was treated to the soothing tone of the elegant and uncrowded Rodin Museum — though admittedly geared towards a different demographic. The museum houses more than 120 of Auguste Rodin’s sculptures. The museum had no touch screen interactives — no monitors or interactives of any sort! — nor verbose graphic panels. However, while visiting with our two young children, the security guard (who seemed to be the only employee on the vicinity) provided us with a copy of the well-written and illustrated “Rodin: A Guide for Children and Their Grown-Ups.” The ten-page booklet included a few short stories about Rodin’s youth and adulthood, interesting background information and factoids on seven (only seven! — not overwhelming at all) of Rodin’s sculptures, and a couple of simple thinking activities.

The Rodin Museum is located on Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 22nd Street in Philadelphia, open Tuesday through Sunday, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Free (donations).

Author: David

Wheel Questions

This is one of my favorite interactive experiences. I happened upon it while strolling through my neighborhood. Here’s what I saw: Dozens of palm-size rounds of colored construction paper hanging from a tree. Passers-by, like myself, stopped, and noticed handwriting on both sides of each piece of paper. On one side there was a question and on the reverse, an answer. Brilliant! Nearby was a stack of blank paper inviting anyone to write a question, leave it in a box, and return a little while later to find a thoughtful, funny, kind response hanging from the tree. No picture of the tree, but you can imagine the magic and whimsy.

The creator has since turned the “tree” into a more practical free-standing kiosk. Colored paper hanging from limbs was more beautiful and fanciful, but a human-made structure works just as well.

Here’s what I love: it’s engaging to kids and adults and everyone in between, always changing, dependent on participants, intriguing to question writers and readers, it sparks introspection and curiosity, inspires us to think about other peoples concerns, and it’s incredibly simple – 0 watts. Of course, none of this would work if the responses weren’t so thoughtful. Check out Wheel Questions to read some of the questions and answers.

Zoological Museum, Babes-Bolyai University

If you find yourself in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, put this on your to-see list: the Zoological Museum at Babes-Bolyai University. Called the Museum That Time Forgot by Curious Expeditions, it looks to offer a dazzling array of specimens in warm, wooden cases, with a dearth of graphical or written interpretation.

Author: David